OHSU board of directors appoints new president
The Oregon Health & Science University board of directors on Friday approved a resolution to appoint Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A., as sixth president of the academic health center, effective Aug. 11.
“Throughout my career — as a physician, health commissioner, hospital executive and national health care leader — every role has helped prepare me for this challenge,” Elnahal said. “Yet I approach this opportunity with humility, understanding fully that success will only be achievable through the collaboration, trust and the partnership of each and every member of the OHSU community.”
The board also passed a resolution thanking Steve Stadum, J.D., for his leadership as interim president of OHSU since November 2024, acknowledging that Stadum helped improve morale and trust in leadership while guiding faculty and staff through a period of unprecedented challenges, including federal research cuts and high operating costs.
“It really has been an honor and a privilege to return to OHSU – one of the great experiences of my life has been to serve the university and the state of Oregon,” Stadum said. “Despite some interesting challenges along the way, it has been a fulfilling experience, and I have great hope for OHSU’s future.”
In other business:
- Lawrence Furnstahl, OHSU executive vice president and chief financial officer, gave a financial update, noting the Fiscal Year 2025 May Year-to-Date operating loss is $106 million, roughly in line with last year’s performance. He said while revenue is up more than 10%, expenses are also up more than 10%. One of the largest factors impacting earnings is $62 million of additional financial assistance to patients, due to Oregon House Bill 3320. Next year’s proposed budget seeks to cut OHSU’s operating loss in half and keep a negative margin of no worse than negative 1%. He noted continuing to grow services and treatments for complex conditions will help with revenue growth. Although falling short of a balanced budget, the Fiscal Year 2026 plan shows progress toward a sustainable financial position over time. OHSU will fund fewer capital projects and will draw down cash balances otherwise intended for future investment.
- Angela Fleischer, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., CFP-A, vice president of the Office of Civil Rights Investigations and Title IX Coordinator, and Anais Keenon, M.A., Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, gave an update on the Office of Civil Rights Investigations and Compliance. They noted a new accommodations appeal process policy went into effect in January 2025, and a new digital accessibility web page was developed as part of a plan to comply with federal digital accessibility rules.
- Provost Marie Chisholm-Burns, Pharm.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FCCP, FASHP, FAST, FNAP, FACHE, gave the annual presentation on OHSU tuition and fees, including a recommendation for a 2% increase for the 2025-2026 academic year; no university fee increase; and that the OHSU Tuition Promise be applied to students in eligible degree programs in 2025-2026. The board approved the recommendation.
- The Research Restructuring Commission delivered its final report. The RRC was tasked by Stadum to develop a plan for potential changes to the research mission that would be necessary to operate within new financial constraints the university may be facing. The report also has other key recommendations, including:
- Creating an emergency research funding mechanism
- Prioritizing faculty and program excellence
- Protect junior scientists and scientists-in-training
- Reduce the research footprint as changes in funding are made, rather than preemptively
- Maximize efforts to maintain people and expertise, at the expense of infrastructure
- Regularly assess and communicate the finances and impact of all research programs
- Immediately start a strategic planning process for the research mission.
- Stadum shared a change that aligns closely with the Research Restructuring Commission recommendation related to reporting structure. Effective July 1, all freestanding research centers and institutes, and all research within the School of Medicine, will be aligned in a unified leadership and accountability structure, reporting up through the interim chief research officer, who will report to the dean of the School of Medicine. Researchers in the schools of Dentistry, Nursing and Public Health and in the College of Pharmacy will not be directly affected by these organizational changes, but Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D., interim chief research officer’s charge includes engagement with those researchers as part of a more strategically aligned research mission.
- Stadum also shared results from the Employee Engagement Pulse Survey conducted in June. More than 7,500 employees responded, and five key drivers of engagement surveyed showed positive progress. The engagement categories are: feeling valued and respected, communication, confidence in senior leadership, trust in OHSU conducting business in an ethical manner, and senior management action aligning with OHSU’s mission and values. The biggest gains were in treating employees with respect and honest communication. Stadum said confidence in senior management was up slightly, and that more work needs to be done in this area.