Local media cover testimony by Todd Korthuis, M.D., during a hearing about Measure 110, with a focus on fentanyl, held by the Joint Interim Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response. Korthuis describes how fentanyl works and says, “All of this leads to a much more addictive opioid than we’ve seen before, and that results in longer and more intense withdrawal symptoms and makes it more difficult to stay in recovery.”

In an Undark article on the side effects of cancer treatment, a study on patient-physician communication by Don Sullivan, M.D., is cited. Sullivan says patients themselves may be reluctant to discuss the extent of their side effects, rather than risk stopping the treatment. “I’ve always been impressed by what some patients will tolerate, and just not tell me that they are not doing well.”

An Undark article on the side effects of cancer treatment that quotes Don Sullivan, M.D.: “I’ve always been impressed by what some patients will tolerate, and just not tell me that they are not doing well,” adding that for a more candid take, he will often ask the patient’s spouse or other family member how their loved one is faring.

At the December meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Marie Chisholm-Burns, Pharm.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., says one of the recommendations from the Crystal Ball Project -- intended to predict key trends that could shape the workforce pipeline over the next five years -- is that schools and colleges of pharmacy and health systems collaborate on plans to increase student enrollment and provide attractive job opportunities, adding that OHSU, for example, has started a new scholarship program for nursing students to address the workforce shortage: "We started this in January [2023], and we have over a hundred nursing students who are going to graduate within a year and a half. And they’re going to become OHSU employees.”

An article in Fast Company about corporate well-being initiatives cites an article by OHSU researchers that finds even short bursts of exercise can enhance well-being, memory and learning.

OHSU and Legacy Health expect to present a definitive agreement to their boards in early 2024, later than predicted in the August announcement. “A tremendous amount of work has been happening during the due diligence process, including reviewing thousands of contracts and leases, conducting interviews with Legacy leaders and much more,” OHSU says in a statement.

Coverage of initial positive results from a clinical trial evaluating Atsena Therapeutics’ ATSN-101 gene therapy as a potential treatment for mutations to the gene GUCY2D that cause a form of inherited blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis, or LCA, quotes Paul Yang, M.D., Ph.D., as saying “As LCA1 causes early and severe vision impairment or blindness and there are no approved treatments, ATSN-101 has the potential to fill a significant unmet need within the LCA community.”

Seattle’s Chukundi Salisbury Sr. fights diabetes a step at a time

A letter to the editor in The Oregonian references an OHSU-PSU School of Public Health study, which estimates a 49% gap in substance use disorder services needed by Oregonians.

A Willamette Week article notes that Oregon lawmakers heard testimony from Todd Korthuis M.D., who provided useful background on the current crisis and the evolution of fentanyl’s role in Oregon’s illicit drug market.