Carolyn Schutt Ibsen named a 2024 Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering
Carolyn Schutt Ibsen, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the OHSU School of Medicine, was recognized at the 2024 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) meeting as a Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. She presented her work in a special invited plenary session at the October 2024 BMES meeting in Baltimore.
The Young Innovator Award is issued by the journal Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering, which selects a group of early career faculty for their innovative and impactful bioengineering research. Schutt Ibsen’s research is featured in the October Young Innovators Issue of the journal. Her paper details the development of a new coaxial 3D bioprinting technique for remote-controlled gene delivery and was conducted with lead author Mary (Kylene) Lowrey, a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student in Schutt Ibsen’s group.
Schutt Ibsen holds a joint appointment with the Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
Laurence Trussell appointed Jack Vernon Endowed Chair in hearing research at OHSU
Laurence Trussell, Ph.D., professor of otolaryngology (head and neck surgery) and interim director of the Oregon Hearing Research Center in the OHSU School of Medicine, was recently appointed as the Jack Vernon Endowed Chair in Hearing Research.
The Jack Vernon Endowed Fund for Faculty Excellence in Hearing Research was initially established as a general endowment in 2010 by Jim and Jane Ratzlaff, in honor of their friend Dr. Jack Vernon. In 2012 the fund evolved into an endowed professorship, and in 2023, after receiving a sizeable estate gift from the Victoria Vernon-Zimmer Estate, evolved into an endowed chair.
“As the new leader of the Oregon Hearing Research Center within the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and with his illustrious career, Dr. Trussell is eminently deserving of the Jack Vernon Endowed Chair in Hearing Research,” said Timothy Smith, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, professor and interim chair of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine.
Endowed chair positions are the highest academic award bestowed on a faculty member, providing long-term funding for the chairholder’s research, teaching and service activities. Trussell has a joint appointment as scientist at the Vollum Institute.
Cindy McEvoy recognized with Medical Research Foundation Discovery Award
Cindy T. McEvoy, M.D, MCR, professor of pediatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine, won the 2023 Medical Research Foundation Discovery Award for her paradigm-changing work in infant respiratory health. McEvoy is an international leader in infant respiratory health, perinatal origins of infant lung disease, longitudinal research, and clinical trials in vulnerable populations. She serves as director of maternal-child health research, director of neonatal research for the Department of Pediatrics, and she is the Credit Union for Kids Endowed Professor in Pediatric Research at OHSU. She has made demonstrable, significant and long-lasting improvements in infant respiratory health through her seminal research, changing the paradigm from treatment of respiratory disease to the investigation of interventions for prevention.
The Discovery Award acknowledges an Oregon investigator who has made significant, original contributions to health‐related research while working in Oregon. Basic, clinical, behavioral sciences, health care delivery, health informatics or health outcomes research are all eligible. McEvoy will receive a cash award of $6,000 and a commemorative award.
K. John McConnell recognized with Medical Research Foundation Mentor Award
K. John McConnell, Ph.D., M.S., M.A., professor of emergency medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine and director of OHSU’s Center for Health Systems Effectiveness, won the 2023 MRF Mentor Award for his exemplary work as a leader and mentor. McConnell founded the center in 2011 and has directed it for more than a decade, growing it into a health policy and analytics powerhouse with a sustained and robust record of federal and foundation grants. His work is highly innovative. He leads large, multi-state studies on how to best organize, finance and deliver health care. As a testament to his vision, the center now includes more than 35 faculty and staff, with an annual budget of $4.5 million.
The Mentor Award is presented to an Oregonian who has provided outstanding leadership in support or development of health research, education or the advancement of health care. McConnell will receive a cash award of $6,000 and a commemorative award.
Andrew McHill receives Richard T. Jones New Investigator Award for circadian disruption research
Andrew McHill, Ph.D., assistant professor in the OHSU School of Nursing, Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and the OHSU School of Medicine Graduate Programs in Human Nutrition, won the Richard T. Jones New Investigator Award from the Medical Research Foundation. McHill’s research uses a sophisticated combination of techniques to examine how circadian disruption and insufficient sleep affect physical and mental performance. He has led complicated clinical studies investigating circadian misalignment and its impacts on energy expenditure and body composition.
The Richard T. Jones New Investigator Award recognizes an early career investigator who shows exceptional promise in biomedical research. This individual must be within seven years of completing clinical and/or postdoctoral training and will be judged based on independence, quality of science, national funding and first- or senior-authored publications in peer‐reviewed biomedical research journals. McHill will receive a cash award of $3,000 and a commemorative award.
Marina Wolf earns Bernice Grafstein Award for outstanding accomplishments in mentoring
Marina Wolf, Ph.D., professor of behavioral neuroscience in the OHSU School of Medicine, was selected for the Bernice Grafstein Award for outstanding accomplishments in mentoring at the Society for Neuroscience 2024 Promotion of Women in Neuroscience Awards. Wolf was among seven researchers selected who have made significant contributions to the advancement of women in neuroscience.
The awards were presented during Neuroscience 2024, the Society for Neuroscience's meeting. The Bernice Grafstein Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Mentoring recognizes individuals dedicated to developing the careers of female neuroscientists. Wolf shared the honor with Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D., deputy director for intramural research in the National Institutes of Health’s Office of the Director.
Ali Nabavizadeh publishes research on elephant tusks and trunks
Ali Nabavizadeh, an assistant professor in the Anatomical Sciences Education Center in the OHSU School of Medicine, recently had a research paper published in the journal Anatomical Record. The publication, titled “Of tusks and trunks: A review of craniofacial evolutionary anatomy in elephants and extinct Proboscidea,” is an in-depth analysis of the evolution of elephant trunks and tusks, with a focus on their ancestry and anatomical traits that clue in researchers to the development of the elephant’s most recognizable and defining features.
Brett C. Sheppard and Claymore Kills First present at College of Surgeons Clinical Congress
Brett C. Sheppard, M.D., FACS, professor of surgery in gastrointestinal and general surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine, and Claymore Kills First, Pharm.D., a clinical oncology pharmacist at OHSU, presented Navigating Surgical Care for Native American/Alaskan Populations: Where We Are, Where We Are Going, and Why Representation Matters at the 2024 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, Oct. 19 to 22, in San Francisco.
“I was raised with the guiding principle of Tikkun Olam,” Sheppard said of the significance of presenting at the conference. “Working at OHSU has been foundational for me to pursue inclusive excellence in surgical care. In my field, pancreatic cancer, marginalized communities suffer disproportionately from social genomic determinants of health. We are trying to right this wrong and to give back to the very community who’s land we walk on every day.”
Recognize team or individual achievements with OHSU Accolades
Every day, OHSU members do amazing things. We want to celebrate the significant achievements of OHSU members, units and programs, such as awards, grants, appointments, publications and public recognitions. We publish these announcements regularly on OHSU Now and OHSU News: Awards and Accomplishments to celebrate with all 27,000 of our members and our community. Nominate yourself, a colleague or any OHSU member using this Accolades Smartsheet form. Submissions will be edited for length and clarity.