In a Scientific American story relaying practical advice for falling asleep, Kim Hutchison, M.D., says, “It’s very uncommon for people to be able to just transition from being awake and active to falling asleep right away.”

In a story about treatment of acute back pain, Roger Chou, M.D., says, “We think it’s better to try to maintain whatever activity levels you are comfortable with.”

In a new study, Jane Zhu, M.D., finds that older adults with private Medicare coverage may not be getting the mental health services they need because they cannot find a psychiatrist within their plan’s network. Zhu says, “This means that many people who have coverage through Medicare Advantage plans may not actually have access to psychiatrists, given how few are considered in-network.”

In a profile, Eneida Nemecek, M.D., discusses a three-year project she’s leading to increase awareness and participation by the Hispanic and Latino community in clinical trials. “If you don’t take care of the whole patient, you don’t do medicine,” she says.

A study led by Brigit Hatch, M.D., that explores how COVID-19 vaccination requirements affected the health care workforce at 80 primary care clinics in Oregon finds rural clinics lost more employees than urban clinics because those employees declined to get vaccinated.

In a WIRED magazine story about a new book by Larry Sherman, Ph.D., he says, “There are ongoing studies to look at the possibility that people with musical talent, for example, may have more to lose when dementia comes along.” Sherman is also interviewed by the podcast Futurity about how playing musical instruments benefits brain health.

The Doernbecher Freestyle program is back for its 19th year.

In an op-ed published by The Oregonian, Alison Edelman, M.D., and Maria Rodriguez, M.D., highlight the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision a year ago to overturn legal precedent that had maintained access to abortion in the United States for half a century. They note that many patients from anti-abortion states such as Idaho and Texas have had to travel under dangerous circumstances to Oregon. In a related story posted to OHSU News on the anniversary of the court decision, Rodriguez says, “The personal decision when or whether to bear a child is both a fundamental human right and a critical factor in health and well-being.”

Alison Edelman, M.D., M.P.H., and Maria Rodriguez, M.D., M.P.H., contributed an opinion piece in the Oregonian on the realities of a national reproductive health crisis one year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade ­– ending 50 years of federal abortion protections in the United States – with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Jonathan Brody, Ph.D., is named a member of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s Scientific & Medical Advisory Board.