In a story about a long-term study evaluating the health effects of the west Maui wildfires last summer, Gopal Allada, M.D., says most studies have examined the effect of wildfires over a few days as opposed to months or years: “This is important work that hopefully influences policymakers and people who control budgets.”

Research led by Hector Olvera-Alverez, Ph.D., and others explores how smells from natural settings affect human health and well-being.

In a Portland Business Journal article on OHSU Health's expansion plans, Sara Vonde Veld, Flavio Rocha, M.D., and Dana Braner, M.D., discuss how the expansion will impact patients and employees. Rocha says: "We were in need of extra space, especially as the pandemic filled up many hospitals. This addition allows us to take care of patients in a multidisciplinary fashion."

In continued news coverage of a Phase I/II clinical trial evaluating an investigational CRISPR-based gene editing technology designed to treat a form of inherited blindness, Mark Pennesi, M.D., Ph.D., says: "This is just a start and more work is needed, but the proof of concept is exciting."

In an Associated Press story about a long-term study evaluating the health effects of the west Maui wildfires last summer, Gopal Allada, M.D., says most studies have examined the effect of wildfires over a few days as opposed to months or years: “This is important work that hopefully influences policymakers and people who control budgets.”

OHSU is participating in an international clinical trial involving a new drug for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Results recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveal the drug successfully increases oxygen use during exercise, making everyday tasks easier for people with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Ahmad Masri, M.D., says: “By having more oxygen available during exercise, patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can more easily walk, perform household chores, and do other everyday tasks.”

HealthGrades ranks OHSU among the best hospitals and health systems in Oregon for cardiac surgery, based on "superior patient outcomes in heart bypass surgery and heart valve surgery."

OHSU study finds combined cannabis and nicotine use during pregnancy is associated with significantly higher risk of poor health outcomes for newborns compared with use of either substance alone.

In a KPTV story about an increase in allergy and asthma symptoms as the weather warms, Shyam Joshi, M.D., says rainy weather can be beneficial: “It’s been a little bit wetter, a little bit rainier, which prevents the pollen from really getting into the air kind of knocks it down."

An article in the ASCO Post on the phase III COMPASSION-15 trial, which is investigating a treatment for advanced gastric cancer gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, includes comments from Shivaani Kummar, M.D., who moderated the press conference where trial data were presented. Kummar says: “It is interesting data, especially for patients with a PD-L1 expression level of [combined positive score] < 5. Data would need to be confirmed in additional patient trials before this would be considered standard of care in the United States.”