A diverse group of health care professionals, educators and researchers are graduating from Oregon Health & Science University this month. Commencement ceremonies begin today and will continue throughout the weekend; a total of 1,252 degrees will be awarded.
Ceremonies for the OHSU School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Nursing and the OHSU-Portland State University School of Public Health will be held Sunday, June 12, at 1 p.m. in the Oregon Convention Center (see ceremony details below).
Sanjay Gupta, M.D., renowned neurosurgeon and CNN health reporter, will deliver the commencement address. Ceremonies for the Oregon State University/OHSU College of Pharmacy as well as the OHSU School of Nursing campuses outside of Portland will take place June 10 and 11.
“Commencement is a special day that celebrates the skill, passion and dedication of new health care providers, educators and research scientists,” said OHSU President Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A. “As we release these new graduates into a field of growing opportunity, I am confident that their experiences at OHSU have well prepared them to impact the health and well-being of Oregonians.”
The OHSU School of Dentistry will award degrees to 90 graduates.
"I am proud to consider the OHSU School of Dentistry Class of 2016 as my newest colleagues,” said OHSU School of Dentistry Dean Phillip Marucha, D.M.D., Ph.D. "These graduates have worked extremely hard over the past four years and have proven themselves as skilled, highly compassionate and community-minded professionals. They perfectly represent the future of oral health care.”
The OHSU School of Medicine will award 478 degrees to 466 graduates this year, with some graduates receiving combined degrees.
“The OHSU School of Medicine takes pride in preparing its graduates to be life-long learners and leaders in the chosen fields of health care and bioscience,” said OHSU School of Medicine Dean Mark Richardson, M.D., M.B.A., M.Sc.B. “The Class of 2016 will undoubtedly continue this long legacy, and is well-prepared to exceed the challenges of the ever-evolving fields of medicine and bioscience. The future of health care looks incredibly bright.”
The OHSU School of Nursing will award 539 degrees and certificates.
“As the landscape of health care continues to grow and change, the OHSU School of Nursing is playing a critical role in assuring access to necessary care across the state,” said OHSU School of Nursing Dean Susan Bakewell-Sachs, Ph.D., R.N., P.N.P.-B.C. “The class of 2016 is no exception, and has surpassed all expectations, uniquely preparing itself to contribute to, improve and transform health care. Through exemplary knowledge, skill and compassion, this new group of nursing professionals represents true excellence. Congratulations to all of our graduates.”
For the first time as a collaborative education entity, the OHSU-Portland State University School of Public Health will award 45 degrees.
“I am pleased to announce the first graduating class of the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health,” said OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Interim Dean Elena Andresen, Ph.D., F.A.C.E. “These graduates truly embody the collaborative spirit of OHSU and PSU, and will carry our mission to promote health and eliminate disparities across Oregon, beyond school walls.”
The Oregon State University/OHSU College of Pharmacy will award degrees to 92 graduates.
“The 2016 graduates of the OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy are entering the profession at a very exciting time,” said OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy Dean Mark Zabriskie, Ph.D. “The scope of pharmacy practice is evolving rapidly and this class is well-prepared to make significant contributions to collaborative healthcare at this transformative time. We applaud their hard work, accomplishments and their commitment to advancing patient care and safety. Further, we take pride in knowing they have the training and skills to be leaders in improving health and wellness in the populations they serve in Oregon and beyond.”
Meet some of OHSU’s 2016 graduates:
Brian Bush, Ph.D. – OHSU School of Medicine
As a child of the 80s, Brian Bush, was influenced by pop culture’s vision of the future, and early in his academic career, he was drawn to the possibilities of artificial intelligence.
After earning undergraduate degrees in math and computer science from Hiram College, and a graduate degree in Industrial Systems Engineering from Ohio University, Brian’s career took a sharp turn when he decided to forgo doctoral study and instead entered the workforce. This patch took him from pattern recognition work for the Department of Defense to software modeling for the oil and gas industry. He moved to Portland in 2001, where he eventually bought the tech company RuleSpace, which specialized in text recognition and web filtering. Facing burnout, Brian returned to school in 2010, drawn by the research being done on automatic speech recognition in the lab of former OHSU faculty member, Paul Hosom, Ph.D. He went on to finish his doctoral dissertation in the lab of Alexander Kain, Ph.D., where he modeled coarticulation research, or the concept that each speech sound is affected by every other speech sound around it, that has the potential to diagnose speech disorders.
Today, alongside his his mentor Hosom, Brian is putting his passion for AI research and his business acumen to good use at the locally based technology firm, Sensory, Inc. After receiving his Ph.D. in computer science and electrical engineering from the OHSU School of Medicine, he looks forward to spending time with his hockey-loving family and attending tournaments in Boston with his teenage daughter, a hockey goalie.
Anthony Kyle, B.S. - OHSU School of Nursing, Ashland Campus
Anthony Kyle has committed his life to his community. A military veteran, he served four years in the Marine infantry, spending a majority of this time overseas where he deployed on several missions. After completing his service, Anthony turned to nursing to continue his passion for community engagement.
As a student at the OHSU School of Nursing Ashland campus, Anthony served as treasurer for the student nursing club, Nursing Students without Borders. Further, he was selected to participate in the Ashland cohort of the Oregon Veteran Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership and was named the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Learning Opportunity Residency student intern. Both programs help to further expands clinical skills while caring for our nation’s veterans.
After obtaining his degree, Anthony will work as an emergency room nurse at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, Oregon. His long-term goals include working with under-served populations locally and globally.
Lyndsey Miller, Ph.D. – OHSU School of Nursing
Lyndsey Miller has a deep passion and commitment to improving the well-being and care planning of dementia patients. Her ground-breaking dissertation work, which derived from her own nursing experiences, focuses on the patient – as well as the family caregiver - during dementia hospitalization. Her research findings have highlighted the value of autonomy, shared decision making and the importance of the relationship between patient and family member.
Lyndsey received her B.S.N. from New York University in 2007 working in the Acute Care for Elders unit at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she began her journey in the care of persons with dementia. Since entering the OHSU School of Nursing Ph.D. program in 2010, Lyndsey has been named a Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence Scholar and has also continued her highly successful funding record by receiving a first-round, two-year Patricia G. Archbold Scholarship from the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence, as well as a first-round, two-year NRSA pre-doctoral award from the National Institute of Nursing Research.
Lyndsey will begin a post-doctoral program in August at The University of Utah. She plans to contribute to the nursing field further by designing interventions that nurses and other practitioners can use to help patients with dementia – and their families – work together during the early stages of the disease to plan for future care and improve quality of life.
Paulina Nguyen, Pharm.D., M.B.A. – OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy
Paulina Nguyen was lucky to find her calling early. As a young girl, the Portland native took an interest in her neighborhood pharmacy. She was particularly drawn to the way her family pharmacist counseled patients and provided helpful medication knowledge, essentially working the front lines of patient care in her community. For Paulina, studying pharmacology perfectly fit into her passion to help contribute to the health and wellness of others.
With this goal in mind, she worked quickly to achieve her dream, which included accelerated learning that allowed her to graduate from high school at the age of 16. Paulina then applied to OSU and the OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy's early admissions program, where she also joined the Honors College. She completed her bachelor’s degree in three years and began pharmacy school at age 19. Paulina will be one of the youngest Doctor of Pharmacy graduates in the history of the OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy program, and will have also completed requirements for an MBA.
Following graduation, Paulina will begin a two-year residency at the Portland Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center focused on clinical patient care and pharmacy administration. Eventually, she plans to work in a leadership capacity in hospital operations.
Alina Satterfield, M.D. – OHSU School of Medicine
Portlander Alina Satterfield felt the call of medicine early in her life. At the age of ten, she began reading medical journals left around the house by her parents who are Portland-area family physicians themselves. Prior to medical school, Alina worked a variety of health care jobs and gained insight into the administrative side of medicine. Life took an unexpected turn when the time came to apply to medical school. Although she didn't plan to stay in Portland, OHSU‘s strong primary care program convinced her otherwise, thus, she remained in the City of Roses.
During medical school, Alina spent three months in Astoria with the Oregon Rural Scholars Program, which combines family medicine, rural medicine, and elective rotations giving students the opportunity to spend three months in a rural environment. As she went through her third year clinical experiences, despite intrigue in other areas of medicine, he received reaffirmation to pursue family medicine.
After graduation, Alina will begin her family medicine residency just across the river at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington. One day, she hopes to practice community medicine in Oregon with a strong emphasis on underserved communities.
OHSU 2016 Degree Data
OHSU School of Dentistry – 98 total degrees
Doctor of Dental Medicine – 74
Advanced specialty certificates – 16
Master of Science - 8
OHSU School of Medicine – 478 total degrees
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) – 128*
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) – 42
- Behavioral Neuroscience – 6
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology – 6
- Biomedical Engineering – 5
- Biomedical Informatics – 3
- Cancer Biology – 2
- Cell & Developmental Biology – 2
- Computer Science & Engineering – 4
- Microbiology – 5
- Molecular & Medical Genetics – 1
- Neuroscience – 6
- Physiology/Pharmacology - 2
Master’s degrees – 148
- Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (EBS) - 7
- Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics – 6
- Master of Science in Biostatistics - 1
- Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition - 7
- Master of Science in Computer Science - 2
- Master of Science in Environmental Science and Engineering - 5
- Master of Science in Healthcare Management - 21
- Master of Biomedical Informatics - 16
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Management - 28
- Master of Clinical Dietetics - 2
- Master of Clinical Research - 11
- Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) - 42
Combined degrees - 12
- Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health (M.D./M.P.H.) - 7
- Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy (M.D./Ph.D.) – 5
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- Behavioral Neuroscience - 1
- Biomedical Informatics - 1
- Cell and Developmental Biology - 1
- Neuroscience - 1
- Physiology and Pharmacology - 1
Associate’s degrees - 25
- Associate of Applied Science - Emergency Medical Technology - Paramedic - 25
Bachelor’s degrees - 57
- Clinical Laboratory Science - 49
- Radiation Therapy - 8
Graduate certificates - 78
- Biomedical Informatics - 16
- Dietetic Internship - 14
- Healthcare Management - 23
- Human Investigation - 25
*includes combined degrees
OHSU School of Nursing – 539 total degrees
Bachelor of Science - 414
Doctoral degrees - 38
- Doctor of Nursing Practice - 28
- Doctor of Philosophy, Nursing - 10
Master’s degrees - 87
- Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitionee - 8
- Family Nurse Practitioner - 17
- Health Systems & Organizational Leadership - 9
- Nurse Anesthesia - 14
- Nurse Midwifery - 11
- Nursing Education - 13
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - 2
- Psych Mental Hlth NP - 13
OHSU-PSU School of Public Health – 45 total degrees
Certificate in Public Health - 4
Master of Public Health - 39
- Biostatistics - 3
- Environmental Systems & Human Health - 1
- Epidemiology - 18
- Primary Health Care & Health Disparity - 14
- Public Health - 3
Master of Science - 2
- Biostatistics - 2
OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy – 92 total degrees
OHSU Graduation ceremony details
A convocation ceremony for all schools will take place at 1 p.m., Sunday, June 12, 2016 at the Oregon Convention Center (Exhibit Halls C and D) located in downtown Portland, Ore.
Shortly following the ceremony, graduates of the OHSU School of Dentistry, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and OHSU-PSU School of Public Health will move to their individual school hooding ceremonies - also at the convention center - to be recognized for their academic achievements. OHSU administration will host receptions for all graduates, faculty, family and friends, following the ceremonies.
Hooding ceremonies for the OSU/OHSU College of Pharmacy will take place at 1 p.m. on Friday, June 10, at the OSU campus in Corvallis. Additional details are available via the College of Pharmacy website.
Ceremonies for OHSU Schools of Nursing in Ashland, Klamath Falls, La Grande and Monmouth will take place June 10 and 11. Information for these campuses is available via the School of Nursing website.