The Medical Research Foundation of Oregon announced the recipients of its 2010 awards for scientific leadership and innovation in Oregon Nov. 9 during a reception held at Portland’s Governor Hotel.
Individual Awards
- Christine A. Tanner, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., the A.B. Youmans-Spaulding Distinguished Professor at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, received a Mentor Award for her leadership in nursing education. As a key player in the development of the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education (OCNE), Tanner has helped to create educational solutions to the nursing shortage, including ways to increase enrollment and prepare a new kind of nurse in the context of rapid changes in the nursing practice environment. OCNE is recognized as a national model for nursing education curriculum. Tanner is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Nursing Education.
- Richard H. Goodman, M.D., Ph.D., director and senior scientist at the Vollum Institute at OHSU, earned a Mentor Award for helping the institute become one of the premier biomedical research institutes in the country through his support and mentorship of faculty. The Vollum Institute’s success is due, in large part, to Goodman’s efforts in hiring and mentoring new faculty. Six of its faculty members have been awarded National Academy of Sciences membership; two have been elected into the Institute of Medicine, and one into the Royal Society. The faculty includes three Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, two HHMI Scientific Review Board members and three members of NIH National Advisory Councils.
- Shoukhrat M. Mitalipov, Ph.D., co-director of the Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Embryonic Stem Cell Core at the Oregon National Primate Research Center at OHSU, received the Discovery Award. Mitalipov is internationally recognized for his pioneering contribution to the field of gene therapy research. His work is considered to have placed OHSU on the forefront of gene therapy and regenerative medicine. The goal of Mitalipov’s research is to use stem cells and derived tissues and organs for treating human diseases.
- Kevin L. Winthrop, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of infectious diseases, ophthalmology, and public health and preventive medicine at OHSU, was awarded the Richard T. Jones. Dr. Winthrop is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of onchoceriasis, a parasitic disease – also known as river blindness – that is the world’s second-leading infectious cause of blindness. He led a landmark study that changed the way the disease is diagnosed. Winthrop also conducts nationally recognized rheumatology research in the area of infectious diseases, and his work has had major impact on drug safety, tuberculosis prevention, and the epidemiology of nontuberculosis mycobacteria.
About the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon
Established in 1942, the MRF promotes medical research achievement in Oregon. In addition to its annual honors, it administers more than $1 million per year in research funding and early investigator grants that support the work of outstanding investigators at research institutions across the state. Such funding is increasingly necessary in today’s climate. MRF grants help to sustain quality research programs, enabling Oregon researchers to compete more effectively for grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health. In 1994, the MRF became an affiliate committee of the OHSU Foundation, retaining its own unique mission and purpose to support Oregon biomedical research.
About the OHSU Foundation
The OHSU Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that exists to secure private philanthropic support to advance OHSU’s vital missions. The OHSU Foundation raises funds from individuals, corporations and organizations, and manages and invests those gifts to honor donors’ wishes.