New research led by Honora Englander, M.D., finds that more than half of people treated for severe burns in hospitals and emergency rooms in Oregon over nearly a decade also used smokable drugs other than tobacco, with people using illicit drugs reporting widespread use of butane torches designed for cooking; she says: “Serious burns are an under-recognized risk associated with smoking drugs. We hope that our study will increase awareness of this critical public health issue.”

New research led by Honora Englander, M.D., finds that more than half of people treated for severe burns in hospitals and emergency rooms in Oregon over nearly a decade also used smokable drugs other than tobacco, with people using illicit drugs reporting widespread use of butane torches designed for cooking; she says: “Serious burns are an under-recognized risk associated with smoking drugs. We hope that our study will increase awareness of this critical public health issue.”

A Portland family’s six-week-old baby battles a rare heart defect and genetic disorder in intensive care at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital; Laura Miller-Smith, M.D. says: "Jack is an incredibly special baby. Jack, unfortunately, has two very complex and rare diagnoses."

STAT News covers new research in JAMA Internal Medicine revealing an under-recognized risk of severe debilitating burns associated with smoking illicit drugs. Honora Englander, M.D., says, “A headline is that half of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for burns in Oregon are among people who use smokable drugs.”

New research led by Honora Englander, M.D., finds that more than half of people treated for severe burns in hospitals and emergency rooms in Oregon over nearly a decade also used smokable drugs other than tobacco, with people using illicit drugs reporting widespread use of butane torches designed for cooking; she says: “Serious burns are an under-recognized risk associated with smoking drugs. We hope that our study will increase awareness of this critical public health issue.”

Additional coverage of gifts from the top 50 U.S. philanthropists in 2025, including Phil and Penny Knight’s $2 billion gift to the OHSU Knight Cancer institute.

Fourth-year medical student Laura Chan, Pharm.D., is featured in an AAMC, or American Association of Medical Centers, article on “Pursuing medical school after another career.” Chan says: “I thought I wasn’t smart enough. I got psyched out. I didn't even try, which always haunted me.”

In an American Journal of Managed Care news story about the epigenetic effects of poor nutrition, Kent Thornburg, Ph.D., warns about the “100 Year Effect,” in which an individual’s chronic disease risk is shaped by the nutrition of their ancestors as much as 100 years before. He says, “We’re now living in the third or fourth generation of people who have eaten mainly industrial food — and in the more recent decades, it’s been ultra-processed foods that have been the primary source of diet for a lot of people.”

Report on an under-recognized risk of severe debilitating burns associated with smoking illicit drugs. Honora Englander, M.D., says, “A headline is that half of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for burns in Oregon are among people who use smokable drugs.”

Report on an under-recognized risk of severe debilitating burns associated with smoking illicit drugs. Honora Englander, M.D., says, “A headline is that half of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for burns in Oregon are among people who use smokable drugs.”