Dana Braner receives 2026 Children’s Miracle Network U.S. Impact Award
Dana Braner, M.D., FAAP, FCCM, chair of pediatrics at OHSU, physician-in-chief at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and Credit Unions for Kids chair in pediatrics, recently received the 2026 Children’s Miracle Network U.S. Impact Award during the organization’s Elevate Conference in Orlando.
The award recognizes exceptional dedication to pediatric health care. Hospital leaders and partners from throughout the country gathered to honor Braner’s his leadership and his impact on children’s health.
Children’s Miracle Network President and CEO Aimee Daily introduced the award while wearing Doernbecher patient Khovny Vignery’s Doernbecher Freestyle 21 sneakers, sharing reflections on Khovny’s NICU journey and the Freestyle program’s broader impact. Braner also spoke about the importance of philanthropic investment in pediatric care.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Braner
Rodica Pop-Busui selected as Jordan Schnitzer Endowed Chair in Diabetes
Rodica Pop-Busui, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of endocrinology, diabetes and clinical nutrition, and director of the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center at OHSU, has been named the Jordan Schnitzer Endowed Chair in Diabetes.
A globally recognized expert, Pop-Busui previously served as the 2023 president for medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association. Her research focuses on the chronic complications of diabetes, including neuropathy, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease, and integrating novel technologies to improve management. She has led numerous NIH-funded clinical trials and serves as principal investigator of the NIDDK-funded U01 Diabetes Foot Consortium. With more than 330 peer-reviewed publications, Pop-Busui is also dedicated to mentoring future leaders in diabetes research and care.
The Jordan Schnitzer Endowed Chair in Diabetes was established through a generous estate gift from Arlene Schnitzer in 2021. Arlene’s husband, Harold, developed diabetes in his 40s, and the couple’s gift in 2007 established the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center. Over the years, Arlene and her son, Jordan, discussed ways to continue to honor Harold's legacy at the center. This bequest created the endowed position to permanently support the center's director and honor the legacy of the Schnitzer Family.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Busui
Rodica Pop-Busui elected to the Association of American Physicians
Rodica Pop-Busui, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief of endocrinology, diabetes and clinical nutrition, the Jordan Schnitzer Chair in Diabetes, and director of the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center at OHSU, was elected in April to the Association of American Physicians, or AAP.
Founded in 1885, the AAP is a highly selective honorific society that recognizes physician-scientists whose careers are marked by sustained, high-impact contributions to biomedical research and patient care. Election reflects peer recognition at the national level and is considered one of the highest honors in academic medicine.
Pop-Busui was honored for her influential research on diabetes and its chronic complications, including diabetic neuropathy, cardiovascular disease and diabetic foot complications, as well as for advancing the application of innovative technologies to improve diabetes care. Her work has helped shape standards of care worldwide and significantly advanced the understanding and treatment of diabetes-related conditions.
“I am deeply humbled by this honor and pleased that the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center will now be associated with such a distinguished organization,” Pop-Busui said.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#BusuiAAP
Angelina Vaseva earns St. Baldrick’s award
Angelina Vaseva, M.Sc., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine, has been named St. Baldrick's Summer Fellows Grant. With this award, Vaseva will receive $5,000.
Summer Fellow Grants provide funding that enables aspiring physicians and scientists to gain hands-on experience in childhood cancer research, while supporting efforts to improve treatments and outcomes for children.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Vaseva
Alexa Stefano, Alex Foster publish research in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Alex Foster, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine, and Alexa Stefanko, an OHSU M.D.-M.P.H. student, co‑authored a study examining HIV/AIDS‑related deaths among female sex workers in Kenya, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, the research found that most women who died from HIV/AIDS were not taking antiretroviral therapy at the time of death, often due to food insecurity, mental health challenges, substance use and stigma.
The findings underscore the need for addressing health disparities such as comprehensive, supportive interventions beyond access to medication alone. The research was conducted in partnership with the nonprofit Global Health Promise, a group that works to promote the health of female sex workers.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#StefanoFoster
Yabing Chen research published in American Heart Association journal
Yabing Chen, Ph.D., M.B.A., FAHA, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine and vice chair for research in the OHSU Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, has a new publication that has been selected as one of only two featured articles in the April 2026 issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal.
The study, led by Chen and colleagues, identifies Bmal1, a core circadian protein, which plays an unexpected role in diabetes-related vascular calcification through a non-canonical circadian pathway. Using diabetic mouse models, human arterial tissue and vascular smooth muscle cells, the team found that Bmal1 selectively increases in diabetic arteries and directly activates Runx2, a master regulator of smooth muscle cell osteogenic reprogramming, promoting arterial calcification and stiffness.
An accompanying editorial highlighted the conceptual advance of the work that reframes Bmal1 from a key circadian clock regulator to an active disease-driving factor in diabetic vascular calcification, opening new therapeutic possibilities for vascular disease.
The recognition adds to Chen’s growing international leadership in the field, as she contributes to COMET (Calcification-Omics, Molecular Elucidation, and Therapeutics), part of a recently funded Leducq Foundation Transatlantic Networks of Excellence program that brings together investigators from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Netherlands to advance omics-driven discovery and new targeted therapies.
Shared link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Chen
Miguel Marino earns two prestigious national honors
Miguel Marino, Ph.D., professor of family medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine and in the OHSU-Portland State University School of Public Health, has recently been elected as a fellow of the American Statistical Association, or ASA, the world’s largest community of statisticians and data scientists.
This prestigious honor recognizes Marino’s exceptional contributions to statistical sciences and his commitment to advancing the field. The ASA Fellow designation has been a significant recognition in the statistical community for nearly a century for those who have an established reputation and made outstanding contributions to statistical science in research, education, industry, government or service to the ASA and the broader profession.
Additionally, Marino has been appointed to serve on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Committee on the Epidemiologic Study on the Health of Veterans Who Served at Fort McClellan, 1979–1999. The committee is conducting a study of veterans who served at Fort McClellan, Alabama, from 1979 to 1999, including a health survey and a separate records-based mortality analysis. Marino serves on the committee in an individual capacity and brings expertise in the field.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Marino
Cody Call research published in Nature
Cody Call, Ph.D., researcher at OHSU’s Vollum Institute, is first author of a study recently published in the journal Nature.
Call performed zebrafish experiments and electromagnetic analysis while in the lab of Kelly Monk, Ph.D., who is second to last author of the study, “Flexible ensheathment of axons enables myelination of complex CNS networks.”
Many nerve fibers in the brain are wrapped in a fatty insulation called myelin, which allows electrical signals to travel quickly and is essential for healthy brain circuit function. The cells that produce myelin, called oligodendrocytes, each grow multiple arm-like processes. Scientists long believed that each arm wrapped exactly one segment of a nerve fiber in a uniform, synchronized way: like tape around a single stretch of wire. But this model did not explain how the brain insulates complex, highly branched networks, where physical obstacles often get in the way. This paper challenges that idea.
By combining live imaging in zebrafish and mice with ultrahigh-resolution reconstructions of fish, mouse and human brain tissue, the researchers found that the wrapping process is asynchronous, with various parts of a single oligodendrocyte arm wrapping at different speeds. This flexibility allows an arm to stretch past obstacles, such as axon branch points, before finishing the wrapping process. The result is a chain of myelin segments linked by thin cytoplasmic connectors the authors call paranodal bridges.
The payoff is efficiency: A single oligodendrocyte can insulate both sides of a branch without the brain needing to recruit additional cells. This capability is especially important for the numerous highly branched neurons of the cerebral cortex, which would otherwise be poorly insulated at their branch points. The authors confirmed that paranodal bridges also exist in human brains, making this a conserved feature of vertebrate nervous systems.
There is a catch, however. In aged mice, bridged segments were much more likely to spontaneously degenerate than normal ones, suggesting that this elegant structural solution may also be a weak point, which could be relevant to age-related myelin loss and cognitive decline.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Call
Hanqian Carlson research published in Blood Cancer Discovery
Hanqian Carlson, Ph.D., senior research associate, and other members of the Julia Maxson, Ph.D. and Ted Braun, Ph.D., laboratories recently had study on MYST acetyltransferases as a targetable dependency in high-risk leukemias published in the journal Blood Cancer Discovery.
Leukemias with mutations in the SETBP1 gene tend not to respond well to standard therapies. There are no drugs that specifically target SETBP1. To overcome these limitations, the authors mapped the other genes in cells that work with SETBP1. They found that SETBP1 works with a family of genes called MYST, which act as control switches that turn on other genes. Excitingly, inhibitors of MYST are highly effective against leukemia cells harboring SETBP1 mutations.
This study was enabled through collaborations with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Eric Padron's laboratory at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Carlson
Daniel Tu earns Laura J. Spear Endowed Professorship
Daniel Tu, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology in the OHSU School of Medicine, has earned the Laura J. Spear Endowed Professorship for the Director of the OHSU Casey Eye Institute Residency Program in ophthalmology. As residency program director, Tu is deeply committed to advancing ophthalmology resident training and shaping the next generation of leaders. His efforts have focused on innovation across several key areas, including microsurgical education, high-impact didactics, mentorship and resident well-being, all aimed at fostering lifelong learners and future leaders in the field.
The Laura J. Spear Endowed Professorship for the Director of the OHSU Casey Eye Institute Residency Program was established in 2022 by Laura J. Spear.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to Laura J. Spear,” said Andreas Lauer, M.D., director of the OHSU Casey Eye Institute. “Her generosity ensures that our residents — today and for generations to come — will have every opportunity to learn, serve and innovate. Together, we are shaping the future of ophthalmology and transforming lives through the gift of sight.”
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Tu
Ahmed Raslan selected as John Raaf Chair of Neurosciences
Ahmed Raslan, M.D., FAANS, professor of neurosurgery in the OHSU School of Medicine, has been selected as the John Raaf Chair of Neurosciences.
Raslan has dedicated his career to providing expert care to patients with complex neurological conditions, while also leading and shaping new clinical programs. He has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications, held 11 visiting professorships, served on editorial boards, and recently led the North American Neuromodulation Society as its president. His research focuses on epilepsy, brain mapping, neuromodulation and functional neurosurgery, including innovative approaches to treating pain.
This professorship allows Raslan to expand these efforts, bringing new therapies to patients, strengthening clinical research and training the next generation. The John Raaf Chair Endowment was established in January 1981 by the Neurological Sciences Foundation in honor of Dr. John Raaf.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Raslan
Craigan Usher receives D.W. Winnicott endowed professorship
Craigan Usher, M.D., professor of child and adolescent psychiatry in the OHSU School of Medicine, has received the D. W. Winnicott Endowed Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Education.
Usher has been the program director for the OHSU Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship since 2011, and he is currently overseeing an expansion of that program from six to 10 fellows. Usher is on the editorial board of Academic Psychiatry and has been a contributing editor and Book Forum section editor for the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry for five years. His two areas of specialty include psychodynamic psychotherapy and first episode psychosis, or FEP, recovery care.
Usher is the medical education director for the Early Assessment and Support Alliance Center for Excellence, which provides training and technical assistance to FEP programs throughout Oregon, as well as in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky and Utah. He recently co-edited a volume of the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Clinics of North America on psychoanalytic psychotherapies with youth.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Usher
Matthew Drake earns M.L. Edwards Family Professorship
Matthew Drake, M.D., division chief of pulmonary, allergy and critical care at OHSU and principal investigator in the OHSU Asthma Lab, has earned the M.L. Edwards Family Professorship in Pulmonary Medicine.
Drake’s research explores neuroimmune interactions in airway diseases, particularly asthma and chronic cough. Using advanced 3D confocal imaging, his team studies how immune cells, like eosinophils, affect lung nerve function, contributing to symptoms such as wheezing and cough. His work aims to identify new therapeutic targets for these conditions. Beyond research, Drake is committed to mentoring Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. students, pulmonary fellows and trainees, fostering the next generation of physician-scientists to advance academic medicine at OHSU.
The M.L. Edwards Family Professorship in Pulmonary Medicine was established in 2001 utilizing additional funds from the M.L. Edwards Family Chair in Clinical Cardiology. The M.L. Edwards Family Chair was the first endowed chair in clinical cardiology at OHSU established by Margaret Edwards in 1980 in honor of her husband, Miles Lowell Edwards. The Edwards family was thrilled to expand their family legacy by supporting this additional professorship in pulmonary medicine.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Drake
Austin Schubert earns grant from CURE SYNGAP-1 organization
Austin Schubert, a Ph.D. student in the neuroscience graduate program and the Arpiar Saunders, Ph.D., lab at the OHSU Vollum Institute, was awarded a two-year grant from the CURE SYNGAP1 foundation.
SYNGAP1 is a gene located on chromosome 6 and variants on the gene cause ultra-rare genetic disorders. Schubert will create a comprehensive map of how SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency alters cortical cell type molecular development in a mouse model. His project will help pinpoint the cellular consequences of SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency, insights which will guide the design and evaluation of emerging therapies to treat SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability and provide a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians and families.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Schubert
Marc Freeman elected to American Academy of Arts and Science
Marc Freeman, Ph.D., director of the OHSU Vollum Institute, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The Academy is both an honorary society that recognizes and celebrates the excellence of its members and an independent research center convening leaders from across disciplines, professions, and perspectives to address significant challenges. Freeman is one of more than 250 members who will be inducted in a ceremony held in Cambridge in October 2026.
Share link: https://news.ohsu.edu/2026/05/18/accolades-awards-honors-and-appointments-may-6921177#Freeman
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 intake form. Submissions edited for length and clarity.