Oregon’s seven public universities are asking the Oregon Legislature for an increase in funding of $100 million over the biennium, amid inflation and other challenges. The Oregon Council of Presidents, comprising the seven university presidents and the president of OHSU, is also asking to double the budget for the Oregon Opportunity Grant to $400 million.

OPB-Radio's "Think Out Loud" program discusses the new coronavirus variant, Arcturus, and its potential impact on Oregon. Peter Graven, Ph.D., says he expects new variants to drive a new wave of hospitalizations in Oregon that will peak at around 500 patients in late June, but he expects the state’s hospital system to be able to handle any surge.

In a story about the OHSU Northwest Native American Center of Excellence’s efforts to help more American Indians and Alaska Natives enroll in health education programs and become health care workers, second-year medical student Jared Delaney describes how he felt when he first met center director Erik Brodt, M.D., while applying for the center’s pre-med pathway: “I cried so much because it was insane to me to see a physician that was Native. I’d never seen that before. He understood … it was a big deal to get where I was at."

Alyssa Colwill, M.D. discusses the impact abortion bans have had on where medical students and residents are choosing to train, citing a 15% increase in applicants for OHSU’s obstetrics and gynecology residency program this year: “I do think it is largely impacting residents’ decisions about where they are applying and what that means for their career trajectory.”

Alyssa Colwill, M.D., discusses OHSU's abortion training program for out-of-state residents in Part 2 of a series of articles about how Tennessee’s abortion ban has affected the training, recruitment and retention of OB-GYNs in the state. She says, “I do think it is largely impacting residents’ decisions about where they are applying and what that means for their career trajectory.”

Research by Teresa Zimmers, Ph.D., suggests the cytokine IL-6 may play a role in a cancer-related condition known as cachexia, which includes tumor-induced tissue wasting, weight loss and abnormal immune responses.

A story about comments by FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., about U.S. healthcare shortcomings during the 2023 Stanford Drug Discovery Symposium notes Brian Druker, M.D., discussed his development of the cancer drug Gleevac at the same symposium.

The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology profiles Maria Fleseriu, M.D., as a global expert driving excellence in pituitary care. She says, “I have the chance, both for Cushing’s disease and acromegaly, but also other pituitary disorders, to see patients throughout their lives. It is a wonderful thing and an honor for me to get trusted with their care.”

OHSU is a subscriber of Portland General Electric’s new, 162-megawatt solar project in Gillam County.

Alison Edelman, M.D., M.P.H., provides outside expert commentary on a new study based on a mathematical model and whose authors say suggests hormonal birth control dosage can be reduced: “The researchers aren’t taking into account how synthetic hormones are absorbed, metabolized, and excreted. That’s a big deal for contraceptive development where we do these dose-finding studies to see what’s the balance of the lowest dose you can go that gives you the contraceptive effect you’re looking for while also balancing risk and side effects."