Accolades: Awards, honors and appointments August
OHSU earns gold-level award for excellence in life support
OHSU has received the 2026 Gold Level Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Award for Excellence in Life Support, earning the hospital a top-tier designation for its Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, or ECMO, program.
OHSU’s ECMO team will be formally recognized during the 37th annual ELSO Conference on Sept. 28 in Nashville, Tennessee. This international honor recognizes programs that demonstrate excellence in patient outcomes, training, safety, organization and quality improvement. The award designation remains in effect through Dec. 31, 2029.
OHSU was recognized for its comprehensive ECMO program, which provides temporary heart and lung support for patients whose organs are unable to function adequately on their own.
The recognition highlights the collaborative work of OHSU’s multidisciplinary ECMO team, including nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, surgeons, physicians, advanced practice providers, rehabilitation specialists, coordinators and administrative staff. Together, they provide specialized care for some of OHSU’s most critically ill patients.
The Gold Level designation places OHSU among leading ECMO programs worldwide and reflects the organization’s ongoing commitment to clinical excellence, innovation and continuous quality improvement.
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OHSU Women's Health Research Unit findings support approval of new contraceptive patch
OHSU’s Women’s Health Research Unit was one of 75 study sites across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico that contributed to a year-long clinical trial leading to approval of a new contraceptive option. In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Gwyn Lo, a once-weekly hormonal birth control patch that delivers a low dose of estrogen and is expected to become commercially available later this year.
The approval was supported by results from the Phase 3 LUMINOUS study, which evaluated the patch's contraceptive effectiveness, safety and adhesion.
“Birth control is not one-size-fits-all, so as a clinician, I’m thrilled to see another option available for patients,” said principal investigator Alyssa Colwill, M.D., M.C.R., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the OHSU School of Medicine. “Having evidence-based choices that fit various lifestyles and preferences, whether that’s pills, patches, rings or injections, is crucial to increasing access and adherence and ensuring people are in control of their reproductive health.”
Liver Transplant Program achieves 2,000th liver transplant
OHSU’s Liver Transplant Program recently performed its 2,000th liver transplant.
Behind liver transplantation are demands for surgical complexity and highly skilled teams. It carries significant risks, a lengthy recovery and careful monitoring. OHSU uses a broad, multidisciplinary approach to ensure access to transplantation for all patients referred to the center, including nurses, social workers, surgeons, anesthesiologists, hepatologists, nephrologists, nurse coordinators, pharmacists, dietitians, financial coordinators and patient service coordinators. There is a highly experienced team dedicated to the program’s success and the best patient outcomes.
OHSU has innovative programs not available elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, for example transplants for cholangiocarcinoma and other malignancies. The OHSU program, established in 1988, uses the most advanced perfusion technologies to ensure that patients have access to all the available avenues for liver transplant.
“This milestone really represents the success of a huge team committed to maintaining outstanding clinical outcomes for patients across the Pacific Northwest,” said C. Kristian Enestvedt, M.D., FACS, professor of surgery, surgical director of the liver program division of abdominal organ transplantation in the OHSU School of Medicine. “Most importantly, without the generosity of so many donors and donor families, it wouldn’t be possible to achieve this success and save so many lives.”
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John Ng named Lester T. Jones Endowed Chair in Oculoplastic Surgery
John Ng, M.D., M.S., FACS, head of the Division of Oculofacial Plastics, Orbital and Reconstructive Surgery in the OHSU Casey Eye Institute, has been named the Lester T. Jones Endowed Chair in Oculoplastic Surgery.
Ng is a professor of ophthalmology and of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine, head of the Oculofacial Plastics, Orbital and Reconstructive Surgery Division in the Casey Eye Institute, and co-director of the institute’s Facial Nerve Center, and a member of the skull base surgery team. He specializes in oculofacial plastics, orbital, lacrimal and reconstructive surgery for adult and pediatric patients. His clinical interests include orbital trauma, facial nerve palsy, eyelid and orbital tumors, congenital eyelid anomalies, complex eyelid and orbital reconstruction, and multidisciplinary patient care.
Established in 1985, the Lester T. Jones Endowed Chair honors pioneering ophthalmologist Lester T. Jones, M.D., whose innovations transformed the treatment of congenital and trauma-related tearing disorders. Support from family, colleagues, friends and patients created the original professorship endowment, which became a fully endowed chair in 1998. The position was held for many years by Roger Dailey, M.D., FACS, who is retiring.
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Daniel Kim named Madeline Brill Nelson Chair in Ethics Education
Daniel Kim, Ph.D., M.P.H., joined the OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care in June 2026 as associate professor and is now holder of the Madeline Brill Nelson Chair in Ethics Education.
Kim serves as faculty lead for the Oregon Bioethics and Humanities Colloquium, the Madeline Brill Nelson Speaker Series in Ethics Education and the Kinsman Bioethics Conference. He also teaches ethics in pain intersessions at OHSU School of Medicine.
His work focuses on ethics education, clinician moral distress, end-of-life care and health justice. After earning his bachelor’s degree in history, Kim completed a Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences and a Master of Arts in Religion with concentration in ethics at Yale University. He later earned a Ph.D. in religious ethics and completed a fellowship in clinical medical ethics at the University of Chicago.
Rooted in these diverse experiences, his research examines ethical and policy issues in healthcare by attending to basic questions of self, community and culture. He has published widely in leading journals of bioethics, medical education, medicine and public health, and Kim serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Intensive Care Medicine.
In 2007, the family of Madeline Brill Nelson established the Madeline Brill Nelson Chair in Ethics Education to honor her legacy of a lifelong commitment to advancing ethics in health care. Inspired by the medical service legacy of her father, Isidor C. Brill, M.D., and fueled by her own passionate determination to make the world a better place, Madeline Brill Nelson was one of the Center for Ethics in Health Care’s most generous and dedicated supporters. She was the first donor to step forward when the Center was founded and served as a quiet pioneer in her support of its work. The Madeline Brill Nelson Chair in Ethics Education is a tribute to her father and helps to ensure that future generations of health care professionals aspire to the highest principles of compassionate care.
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Shannon McWeeney earns Walter and Clora Brownfield Endowed Professorship in Cancer Research
Shannon McWeeney, Ph.D., professor of oncology in the OHSU School of Medicine and chief data officer and associate director of data science in the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, has earned the Walter and Clora Brownfield Endowed Professorship in Cancer Research.
At the intersection of AI, biostatistics, informatics and statistical genetics, McWeeney is developing rigorous computational methods that support precision decision making at the point of care for cancer patients. As director of medical bioinformatics within the Knight Cancer Institute Precision Oncology Program, McWeeney leads efforts in the analytic and regulatory “hardening” of algorithms and models, ensuring that those deployed in clinical environments are validated, reproducible and interpretable. Her work emphasizes not only algorithmic performance, but also transparency, uncertainty quantification, and the mitigation of bias in real-world use.
Nationally, McWeeney plays a central role in large scale data and AI consortia, helping to define standards for trustworthy and reusable health data. As a multiple principal investigator on major NIH initiatives, she advances automated frameworks for FAIR data, rigorous metadata standards and governance models that incorporate community and Indigenous data sovereignty principles. Her scholarship and leadership highlight that responsible AI in medicine requires attention to ethics, law, equity and infrastructure as much as to model architecture.
The Walter and Clora Brownfield Endowed Professorship in Cancer Research was established by a generous testamentary gift from the Clora Brownfield Trust in 2000. While the gift was to benefit an endowed fund for cancer research at OHSU, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute elected to establish and support an endowed professorship in cancer research.
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Neha Patel earns Kate and Craig McCoy Professorship in Pediatric Oncology
Neha Patel, M.D., medical director of the Pediatric and Adolescent and Young Adult Neuro-Oncology Program at OHSU and assistant professor of pediatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine, has been named the Kate and Craig McCoy Distinguished Scholar in Pediatric Oncology.
With more than two decades of experience, Patel has devoted her career to advancing the care of children and young adults with brain tumors. Her work centers on advancing clinical and scientific understanding of central nervous system tumors. She is deeply committed to improving outcomes for patients with pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors through a combination of cutting-edge clinical care and collaborative, translational research.
Patel’s research focuses on identifying biomarkers that predict tumor progression, malignant transformation and treatment response through the integration of clinical, molecular, histopathologic and radiomic data. As a clinician-scientist, Patel aims to strengthen multidisciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations, accelerate therapeutic innovation, optimize cure rates, minimize treatment-related toxicity and improve long-term outcomes for children and young adults with central nervous system malignancies.
The Kate and Craig McCoy Professorship in Pediatric Oncology Endowment was established in 2015 by Kate and Craig McCoy, who wished to help attract and retain a nationally or internationally renowned physician-researcher to OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, the only comprehensive pediatric cancer center in the region.
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Kyle P. Johnson earns Ellody/Casey E. Laramore Professorship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Kyle P. Johnson, M.D., professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and an OASIS Academic Advisor in the OHSU School of Medicine, has earned the Ellody/Laramore Professorship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Johnson is board certified in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and sleep medicine. He has been a faculty member at OHSU since 1999. Johnson’s extensive experience in teaching and clinical practice focuses on youth suicide prevention, access to care, quality improvement and supporting primary care clinicians as they provide much-needed behavioral and mental healthcare.
The Ellody Fund for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry was established by a friend in memory of a person who died tragically in 2020 at age 31 following a lifelong struggle with mental illness that began in childhood. Despite being an energetic, creative and deeply thoughtful individual, the person’s mental health challenges persisted throughout life.
The Casey E. Laramore Adolescent Suicide Prevention Fund was established by family in memory of Casey E. Laramore, who died by suicide in 2022 at age 35. Casey was a beloved family member and friend, whose kindness, warmth and love for others left a lasting impact on those who knew him. Through support for adolescent suicide prevention, the fund honors Casey’s memory and helps create hope for future generations.
Combining their efforts, the Ellody/Casey E. Laramore Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Endowed Professorship supports efforts to improve psychiatric care and public policies for youth and their families, while supporting family cohesiveness, successful navigation of adolescent mental health and suicide prevention.
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Mitchell V. Brinks earns Sterling H. and Anna Marie Tebbetts Professorship in Global Ophthalmology
Mitchell V. Brinks, M.D., M.P.H., professor of global ophthalmology in the OHSU Casey Eye Institute, has received the Sterling H. and Anna Marie Tebbetts Professorship in Global Ophthalmology.
Brinks’ research focuses on advancing technology, science and health systems to improve early detection and diagnosis of eye disease. He leads the Oregon Vision Health Network, integrating federally qualified, rural, frontier and tribal health clinics into an expanded eye care model. His work combines ophthalmic imaging, artificial intelligence and workforce training with education programs for primary care providers. He also contributes nationally and internationally to public health education, research and service collaborations across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. Brinks holds leadership roles in Vision 2020 USA, the Global Ophthalmology Summit, and the organization Prevent Blindness.
The Sterling H. and Anna Marie Tebbetts Professorship in Global Ophthalmology was established in 2024. Former OHSU president and OHSU Casey Eye Institute director Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A., helped catalyze the endowment, with initial funding from Sterling and Anna Tebbetts, cousins and longtime supporters of Robertson’s global health work. Robertson and his spouse, Patricia Fisher Robertson, completed funding of the professorship with matching funds from The Ford Family Foundation in Roseburg, Oregon, where Robertson served as a board member.
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Barbara Lazio book on neurosurgery experiences to publish in September
Barbara Lazio, M.D., assistant professor of neurological surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine, is the author of a book from Sourcebooks set to be released Sept. 22, 2026.
Off the Top of My Head: Stories from the Operating Room That Will Make You Laugh (or Cry) is a collection of essays drawn from Lazio’s experiences as a brain surgeon. The book blends humor, compassion and insight into the human side of neurosurgery.
Lazio will attend a book release event at Powell’s Bookstore, where she will be joined in conversation by author Rebecca N. Thompson, M.D.
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Lindsay Sinclair DeWeese named American Association of Physicists in Medicine fellow
Lindsay Sinclair DeWeese, Ph.D, DABR, associate professor of diagnostic radiology in the OHSU School of Medicine and section chief of imaging physics, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
Fellow status is awarded to AAPM members who have demonstrated exceptional service to the association and made significant contributions to the advancement of medical physics knowledge, education or professional practice leadership.
DeWeese received the honor during the 2026 AAPM Annual Meeting & Exhibition on July 20, 2026, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
At OHSU, DeWeese serves as assistant director of the Medical Physics Graduate Program and director of the Imaging Physics Residency, which she founded in 2020. Her contributions to AAPM include serving as director of the Spring Clinical Meeting Mammography Program and chair of the Imaging Physics Residency Work Group. She also volunteers with the American Board of Radiology and the Radiological Society of North America and serves on the board of the Society of Directors of Academic Medical Physics Programs.
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Kenneth B. Wiltbank earns American Association of Endodontists career award
Kenneth B. Wiltbank, D.M.D., assistant professor of endodontics in the OHSU School of Dentistry, has received the 2026 Spirit of Service Career Dental Community Volunteer Award by the American Association of Endodontists.
The award is a national recognition honoring AAE members whose careers demonstrate a sustained commitment to volunteer service in endodontics. Wiltbank’s contributions span national and state levels. He serves on the AAE Practice Affairs Committee and represents the association to the American Dental Association’s Codes Maintenance Committee and to the American Association of Dental Consultants. He also is president of the Oregon State Association of Endodontists.
Wiltbank’s connection to OHSU spans more than 30 years. He earned his D.M.D. from the OHSU School of Dentistry in 1998; began serving as a part-time instructor in operative dentistry beginning in 2002; and joined the Division of Endodontology in 2009 after earning his endodontic certificate from UT Health San Antonio in 2007.
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Tianyi Mao, team publish research on insular cortex and perception
Whenever a parent gazes lovingly into their child’s eyes, a nostalgic song begins to play, or we crave a late-night scoop of ice cream, a region of our brain called the insular cortex becomes active.
Named for its relatively hidden location in the brain (“insula” means “island” in Latin), the insular cortex helps turn signals from our body and surrounding environment into feelings such as hunger, pain, affection and desire. Scientists are now uncovering new insights into how this remarkable brain region may shape our perception of ourselves and the world around us. In doing so, the inner workings of the mind may become a little less mysterious.
A study from Tianyi Mao, Ph.D., and her team at the Vollum Institute, published Aug. 7 in Nature Neuroscience, has identified key cell types in the mouse insular cortex by examining over a thousand neurons. These neurons exhibit a variety of appearances and connectivity patterns, revealing exciting new details about this hidden part of the brain.
For example, some groups of neurons are twice as large as those in other brain areas, and their widespread connections suggest they play a role in integrating sensations from our tongue and gut, helping us remember what tastes to enjoy or avoid.
The researchers, including first authors Bart Jongbloets, Ph.D., now assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and Yang Chen, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the Mao lab, believe this new map of neurons provides a foundation for further exploring how our insular cortex functions, opening doors to predictable ways of studying how different bodily sensations travel through this intriguing part of our brain.
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Jorge Melendez to serve on OHA Metrics & Scoring Committee
Jorge Melendez, DBA, director of quality-based programs at OHSU, was appointed by the Oregon Health Authority to serve on the Metrics and Scoring Committee, providing expertise in quality measurement, value-based care and health equity for Oregon’s Medicaid program. In July, committee members elected Melendez to serve as chair.
This appointment reflects individual leadership, recognition of the expertise, innovation and quality improvement work taking place across the OHSU Health Integrated Delivery System and Clinically Integrated Network networks. As chair, Melendez will help guide statewide discussions and recommendations that influence quality measurement and incentive programs for Oregon’s Coordinated Care Organizations, or CCOs.
The Metrics and Scoring Committee was established in 2012 by Senate Bill 1580 for the purpose of recommending outcomes and quality measures for CCOs. The committee is responsible for identifying outcome and quality measures, including measures of outcome and quality for ambulatory care, chemical dependency and mental health treatment, oral health care and all other health services provided by CCOs.
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Tyler Courtney earns Daisy Award for nursing
Tyler Courtney, RN, BSN, TCTCN, an oncology nurse at Vista Pavilion, was honored with a DAISY Award in August. The international DAISY Award program celebrates nurses who demonstrate outstanding clinical skill and compassionate care while making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and families.
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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.