Six faculty members at Oregon Health & Science University received endowments in 2024 to pursue individual work and interests in essential areas, unencumbered by financial restraints, enabling groundbreaking advancements in medical research.
In today’s competitive academic market, nothing is more powerful than an endowed position to attract and recruit exceptional candidates, or to honor our most accomplished current faculty.
At OHSU, philanthropy plays a vital role in shaping the future of research, education and health care. Endowed gifts, made possible through the generosity of donors, provide lasting financial support for distinguished scholars, professorships and chairs.
The OHSU Foundation carefully invests these funds to generate annual contributions, ensuring sustained funding for endowed positions in perpetuity. This ongoing support enables OHSU to attract and retain top talent while fostering innovative programs that advance its mission of healing, teaching, discovery and outreach. Through philanthropy, donors help build a strong pillar for excellence, empowering OHSU to make lasting impact on the lives of the many communities served by Oregon’s academic health center.
From improving quality of life for older adults to mentoring the next generation of researchers, educators and health care professionals, the 2024 endowments will advance a host of innovative research endeavors.
Faculty members honored with endowments in 2024 include:
Ella Bowman, M.D., Ph.D.
William A. Whitsell Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Medicine
Inaugural– July 1, 2024
Ella Bowman, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of medicine (general internal medicine and geriatrics) in the OHSU School of Medicine, and the medical director of Inpatient Geriatric Medicine. She holds dual board certification in geriatrics, and hospice and palliative medicine. Her extensive practice and teaching experience focuses on complex care transitions, addressing unmet palliative needs, evaluating cognitive issues and training interprofessional teams about the complex care of vulnerable older adults.
About the Endowment:
The William A. Whitsell Endowed Professorship in Geriatric Medicine was established in 2020 by Bill and Helen Jo Whitsell, prominent philanthropists, advocators and supporters of OHSU. Through patient and volunteer experience, the Whitsells are familiar with OHSU’s geriatrics program and want to put a spotlight on the field of healthy aging. This gift serves to encourage investment in leadership and recruitment of new talent to the program, propelling OHSU’s geriatrics program into one of the nation’s most prominent in improving the health of older adults.
Erin Maynard, M.D.
Boris and Dorothy Rabkin Professorship in Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery
Reappointment – December 1, 2024
Erin Maynard, M.D., is an associate professor of surgery and head of abdominal organ transplantation and hepatobiliary surgery in the OHSU School of Medicine. Her specialization is abdominal organ transplants, treatment of liver and pancreas cancers, and the management of complex bile duct diseases. Maynard has delivered lectures at international, national and local conferences on liver transplantation, surgical complications and work-life integration in surgery. Her leadership has transformed OHSU’s transplant program, helping increase annual liver transplants at OHSU from 60 to more than 100, while maintaining the highest standards of care.
About the Endowment:
The Boris and Dorothy Rabkin Professorship in Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery was established in 1998 by John Rabkin, M.D., in honor of his parents, Boris and Dorothy. In 2022, the Department of Surgery used discretionary funds to fully complete the Professorship.
Jeffrey Tyner, Ph.D.
George Ettelson Endowed Professor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research
Inaugural – April 1, 2024
Jeffrey Tyner, Ph.D., is a professor of cell, developmental and cancer biology in the OHSU School of Medicine, and director of the cancer biology graduate program, and co-director of translational oncology at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. His research focuses on identifying cancer-causing genes and creating patient-tailored therapies. Over the past 20 years, Tyner has developed a method for testing primary cells from patients with blood cancer — in a laboratory setting — for sensitivity to a range of drugs that block cancer growth. This screening test has been applied to more than 2,500 patient specimens, resulting in new diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients.
About the Endowment:
The George Ettelson Endowed Professor of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research was established in 2023 by Helene Ettelson in memory of her husband, George, both long-time donors and supporters of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and OHSU Department of Dermatology.
Shelly Tworoger, Ph.D.
Brian J. Druker, M.D. Professor of Cancer Research
Inaugural – April 1, 2024
Shelly Tworoger, Ph.D., is the associate director of population science at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and professor and head of the division of oncological sciences in the OHSU School of Medicine. The goal of her research program is to improve prevention recommendations and identify women at high risk of breast and ovarian cancers by clarifying the cause of these cancers and how they develop over time. She leads the ovarian cancer research efforts in the Nurses’ Health Studies and is the principal investigator for the Ovarian Cancer Cohort Consortium.
About the Endowment:
The Brian J. Druker, M.D. Professor of Cancer Research was established in 2019 by OHSU and the OHSU Foundation in honor of the extraordinary work of Brian Druker, M.D., and his contributions to OHSU and the medical community through his leadership of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute and his revolutionary breakthroughs in cancer research in care.
Sima Desai, M.D.
Harry W. Masenhimer Jr., M.D. Term Professorship in Internal Medicine
Inaugural – December 5, 2024
Sima Desai, M.D., is a professor of medicine (hospital medicine), program director of the internal medicine residency program, and vice chair of education for the departments of Medicine and Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine. She was an inaugural member of the hospitalist division and finds great joy in caring for patients, teaching and mentoring residents and students and finding ways to innovate in education.
About the Fund:
The Harry W. Masenhimer Jr., M.D. Term Professorship in Internal Medicine was established in 2024 with the generous commitment from donors Brent, Blair and Mark Masenhimer, to honor their father’s medical legacy. With this gift, the Masenhimer brothers have committed to providing program support for the term professorship for Sima Desai, M.D., from December 2024 to December 2029.
Vijayshree Yadav, M.D.
Anne Middleton Foster Endowed Professorship in Neurology
Inaugural – Jan. 1, 2024
Vijayshree Yadav, M.D., is a professor of neurology, head of the division of multiple sclerosis and neuroimmunology in the OHSU School of Medicine and serves as an independent clinician-investigator with OHSU and the Veteran Affairs Portland Health Care System. She has received funding from the Department of Veteran Affairs , National Institutes of Health, National MS Society and various foundations and pharmaceutical companies. Yadav conducted the first clinical study of oral lipoic acid in patients with multiple sclerosis and in 2005 received a NIH K23 career development award funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to examine lipoic acid as an immune regulator in MS.
About the Endowment:
The Anne Middleton Foster Endowed Professorship in Neurology was established in 2022 by Anne Middleton Foster, an OHSU patient with multiple sclerosis who has participated in clinical trials and was the first person in the Northwest to be treated with an MS drug developed entirely at OHSU. Her philanthropic investments here have launched the careers of several MS clinician-scientists and funded numerous MS research projects. Her latest gift established this professorship to support research related to multiple sclerosis.