OHSU Department of Emergency Medicine Scholarship Day winners
The OHSU Department of Emergency Medicine awarded a scholarship for top faculty research project to Courtney Temple, M.D., assistant professor of emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, and Robert Hendrickson, M.D., professor of emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, for their work together on a study that shows pediatric exposures to fentanyl and their associations with increased fentanyl availability.
Fentanyl was introduced into the region’s drug supply in 2019 and has become the predominant illicit opioid. Exploratory pediatric unintentional exposures to fentanyl have increased both locally and nationally, and over 90% of exposures occur in the child’s home.
The OHSU Department of Emergency Medicine also awarded a scholarship for top fellow case report to Keahi M. Horowitz, M.D., toxicology fellow in emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, for his work in showing critical hypoglycemia in isolated metformin overdoses.
Bahareh Ajami earns funding for breakthrough research in ALS
Bahareh Ajami, M.D., assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology in the OHSU School of Medicine, has earned funding from the Tambourine ALS Breakthrough Research Fund. Tambourine has committed more than $5 million total, distributed among eight teams around the world, for basic and discovery-focused research aiming to change how to understand and treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Every 90 minutes, an individual is diagnosed with or dies from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, and there is no cure. This award will allow Ajami and her team to conduct a very high-risk project, which otherwise would not have been possible. The project aims to use state-of-the-art approaches to uncover the mechanisms underlying the differential vulnerability of different populations of motor neurons to degeneration in ALS. These studies will open new avenues for disease modeling that will help define pathways contributing to ALS pathology and identify new targets for therapeutic development.
Walter Dawson publishing earns honors
The International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment awarded Publication of the Year in Health Policy to Walter Dawson, D.Phil., assistant professor of neurology in the OHSU School of Medicine, assistant professor in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, and co-director of the Oregon Center for Excellence in Behavioral Health & Aging.
Dawson’s winning publication, “The Brain Health Diplomat’s Toolkit: supporting brain health diplomacy leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean,” was published in November 2023 in The Lancet Regional Health.
Jim Anderson joins Radiology Board of Governors
Jim Anderson, M.D., professor and vice chair of diagnostic radiology and assistant dean of strategic alignment and integration in graduate medical education in the OHSU School of Medicine, has joined the American Board of Radiology Board of Governors.
The Board of Governors is responsible for ABR financial affairs, initial and continuing certification program processes, communications, strategic planning and priority setting, intersociety relations and outreach, and application of American Board of Medical Specialty standards. The ABR is an independent, not-for-profit organization and is one of 24 national medical specialty boards that make up the American Board of Medical Specialties. The organization was founded to protect the public by assessing and certifying doctors who meet specific educational, training and professional requirements.
M.D. student Laura Chan earns Goldsmith Scholarship
Laura K. Chan, Pharm.D., M.P.H., second-year M.D. student, received an Oliver Goldsmith, M.D. Scholarship from the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Community Health. This award highlights individuals with an interest in and commitment to culturally responsive care in underserved communities.
In addition to the $5,000 award, Chan will receive mentoring from a Kaiser Permanente clinician and participate in a clinical rotation of her choice. She is considering different clinical rotation options in Southern California.
“As a future physician, I hope to utilize my previous clinical experience, training in public health, and the knowledge and leadership skills I’m gaining in medical school to care for underserved populations and collaborate with communities, local and state leaders to improve culturally responsive care,” Chan said. “I remain passionate about caring for patients with chronic pain and substance use disorders, and the Goldsmith Scholarship will provide a pathway to build connections and relationships in the underserved communities that I plan to serve.
“Meanwhile,” she continued, “my involvement in the OHSU clinic for asylum-seekers and mentoring local first-generation pre-med students keep me grounded on the importance of advocating for patients, as well as ensuring the success of future generations of diverse physicians.”
Women in Pathology features Yabing Chen
Yabing Chen, Ph.D., M.B.A., FAHA, professor and vice chair for research in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, was featured by the American Society for Investigative Pathology in this year’s Women in Pathology.
Each May, ASIP and Women in Pathology highlight the history of women in ASIP. The honor celebrates the exceptional accomplishments made by women in the field of pathology.
Chen has been an active ASIP member for a decade, including as a peer reviewer for the American Journal of Pathology and mentor to the next generation of scientists. She has earned awards for her dedication to teaching and mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty members.
For her sponsorship of women in the arteriosclerosis, thrombosis and vascular biology field she has earned the prestigious ATVB Women’s Leadership Committee Award for Outstanding Mentorship of Women.
Joaquin Cigarroa to serve 5-year leadership term in cardiovascular society
Joaquin Cigarroa, M.D., MSCAI, professor of medicine in the division of cardiovascular medicine and director of the Knight Cardiovascular Institute in the OHSU School of Medicine, has been elected to a five-year term to the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, the largest society for interventional cardiology in the world. Beginning this year, he will serve one year each as secretary, vice president, president-elect, president and then past president. He will be the society’s 50th president and the first of Hispanic descent.
Cigarroa has been active in the SCAI for over 20 years. He has chaired several committees and joined the society’s Board of Trustees three years ago.
Abby Dotson, Moira Ray earn early career achievement honors
Two alumni have been awarded the Early Career Achievement Award. Established in 2013, the award recognizes alumni for achievements within the first 15 years of their careers, honoring alumni who have made significant career contributions either to improving health and social welfare in a community setting, or to scientific research and academia.
Abby Dotson, Ph.D. F ’16, research assistant professor of emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, has rapidly emerged as a national leader in developing innovative ways to connect emergency health care providers with patients’ treatment choices when facing serious illness. She also serves as director of the Oregon Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or POLST, Registry. Last year, she became executive director of the National POLST Collaborative, advising and training states in best practices.
“I’ve come to realize this is a space that needs champions and advocates,” she said. “In Oregon, we’ve gained so much experience and expertise. Getting to use the lessons we’ve learned here to help different communities is incredibly rewarding — the best part of the job.”
Moira Ray, M.D. ’11 R ’15, M.P.H. ’11, is assistant professor of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine and associate director of quality in the department of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine.
Ray creates quality improvement systems for better patient care. To improve patient care in her clinic, she completed training and certification in loop electrosurgical excision procedure, or LEEP, to treat precancerous cervical disease in her patients. She then established a program to provide LEEP in her clinic and began to train residents in the procedure.
As the quality improvement lead for her clinic, Ray helped develop a system leading to better patient health outcomes for individuals with diabetes by creating a review committee where team members could present patient needs and get valuable feedback from an interprofessional group. Ray enjoys working with residents and is glad to be a member of the next generation of instructors at OHSU.
“I love giving back to help learners — giving back to support what people gave me when I was a student here.”
Shelley Tworoger, Andrea Cedfeldt graduate from ELAM program
Shelley Tworoger, Ph.D., professor and division head of oncological sciences and associate director for population science in the Knight Cancer Institute at the OHSU School of Medicine, and Andrea Cedfeldt, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for faculty development in the OHSU School of Medicine, graduated in April from Drexel University’s Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine, or ELAM, program. Graduation was held April 18 in Philadelphia.
ELAM is an intensive, one-year fellowship of leadership training with extensive coaching, networking and mentoring opportunities to help expand the national pool of qualified women candidates for leadership in academic medicine, dentistry, public health and pharmacy.
“I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to participate in ELAM,” Cedfeldt said. “The content and project component have helped me individually grow and better navigate the dynamics of leadership in a complex organization like OHSU. The ELAM network — women in leadership roles in academic medical centers across the country — is powerful and will continue to serve as a positive force of change in academic medicine.”
Established in 1995, ELAM is the only longitudinal program in North America dedicated to preparing women for senior leadership roles in academic health science institutions. Program assignments, both group and individual, provide opportunities for applying and exercising leadership skills in various situations and settings.
“I found the ELAM program to be a transformational experience,” Tworoger said. “Understanding the broader landscape of sustainability and equity in academic medicine is a critical step for making change within my own leadership roles. I also learned a lot about myself and how to have better life-work integration.”
M.D. students Ruby Aaron, Mattie Watts win poster session awards
Partnering with the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians at their annual conference, ORPRN residents and students gave timed presentations on a wide variety of subjects during the poster session. Three posters won awards; first- and third-place awardees are from the OHSU School of Medicine:
First Place: Ruby Aaron, first-year M.D. student, for her poster “Status of the Legislative Climate as it Pertains to Abortion: A state-by-state review addressing the status and directionality of abortion-related legislation in the 2023 legislative session.”
Third Place: Mattie Watts, third-year M.D. student, for her poster “A Descriptive Analysis of Family Navigation Activities for Early Autism Diagnosis.”
Nate Selden assumes presidency of the Society of Neurological Surgeons
Nathan Selden, M.D., Ph.D., interim dean of the OHSU School of Medicine and interim executive vice president of OHSU and professor of neurological surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine, has become president of the Society of Neurological Surgeons. Selden will serve a one-year term.
“Together, the Society of Neurological Surgeons and the Summit Organizations have a unique ability to influence the direction and quality of neurosurgical training in the United States,” Selden said. “With each generation of trainees, we define care outcomes for over a quarter century.”
The society, the oldest neurosurgical organization in the world, represents U.S. neurosurgery in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and in the Organization of Program Director Societies. The SNS is responsible for the curriculum of U.S. neurosurgical training and oversees a nationwide series of standardized “boot camp” courses. Its Committee on the Accreditation of Subspecialty Training is responsible for the accreditation of neurosurgical fellowships.
The SNS annual meeting is the largest neurosurgical forum in the world focused principally on governance and surgical education.
Hastings Center honors Tyler Tate
Tyler Tate, M.D., M.A., assistant professor of pediatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine, was recently honored with an Early Career Physician Award by the Hastings Center, as part of the 2024 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Awards. The Hastings Center addresses social and ethical issues in health care, science and technology.
Tate is a pediatric palliative physician, ethicist, writer and researcher. He serves as an associate director of the OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care and founding director of the Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium speaker series. He has written extensively about suffering and decision-making in the palliative context, with a special focus on promoting just and compassionate health care for people with physical and intellectual disabilities. His academic work has been published in numerous journals, including the Hastings Center Report, Pediatrics, and the Journal of Palliative Medicine.
Beginning in this month, Tate will be moving to Stanford University to become a clinical associate professor in the department of pediatrics in the new Division of Quality of Life and Pediatric Palliative Care.
Wendy Warren named Family Physician of the Year
Wendy Warren, M.D., assistant professor and associate director of strategic development in the Department of Family Medicine at the Cascades East Family Medicine Residency Program, was named the 2024 Oregon Family Physician of the Year.
“Dr. Warren is a true role model of what it means to be an outstanding family physician and patient advocate, and I can’t imagine anyone more deserving of this award than Wendy,” said Nellie Wirsing, M.D., associate professor and assistant director for residency education in the Cascades East Family Medicine Residency Program, in her award speech. “Her passion was and has always been obstetrics. She did more OB than most of the obstetricians in town. Wendy has delivered and cared for so many of the families in our community that it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t know her.”
Warren received her medical degree from George Washington University and completed her family practice residency at Georgetown University Providence Hospital. She also has a master's degree in social work, which she earned at the University of Michigan prior to medical school. Warren was in full spectrum private practice, including obstetrics at the Klamath Medical Clinic for 17 years, before deciding to do locums work — meaning filling temporary positions at hospitals and medical practices — and then joining the residency. She also works as the public health officer for Klamath County and is a board member of Sky Lakes Medical Center. She oversees the maternal health portion of the Cascades East curriculum.
Nabil Alkayed named honorary professor
Nabil J. Alkayed, M.D., Ph.D., was recently named an honorary professor in the University of Jordan School of Medicine. Alkayed is professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, James Metcalfe Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, and director of research for the OHSU Knight Cardiovascular Institute.
Alkayed was recognized with the professorship on June 1, while attending the First Honorary Professors Forum at the University of Jordan in Amman, Jordan. While there, Alkayed, in consultation with the OHSU Provost’s Office, took initial steps with UJ leaders toward forging closer ties between the university and OHSU that could lead to student and faculty exchanges in the future.