OPB Think Out Loud speaks with Ben Hoffman, M.D., in his new role as the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics — the first Oregon doctor to serve in the position in 84 years. When asked about the legacy he hopes to leave after his three-year tenure, Hoffman says, "That during my tenure we continued to do the amazingly good work that the academy has done for almost 100 years, and that we kept to our North Star, which is to do what's best for kids."

Brian Druker, M.D., is among the National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center Directors attending the third annual Nixon National Cancer Conference to “shape the future of cancer research and care.”

OHSU is among the 50 U.S. hospitals that Healthgrades lists as being the best for cardiac surgery.

An OHSU human trial examines effects of the botanical Gotu kola on memory and cognitive decline, investigating whether its purported benefits withstand scientific rigor. Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D., says, “It might lead to manufacturers making better botanical products similar to this. Because we know precisely what’s in here, they might even be able to standardize production with the active compounds.”

In Women's Health coverage of a menstrual pad that inventors say could collect blood for the purpose of testing and diagnosing conditions, Lisa Bayer, M.D., says, “Generally speaking, when we empower women in different ways to engage in their health care, it can improve outcomes.”

Andrew McHill, Ph.D., describes sleep inertia, the hazy feeling people have shortly after waking up, saying, “It takes us a little while for our brains to come back online after we’ve woken up.”

Physician's Weekly covers a new publication by Amy Cantor, M.D., establishing the definition and measurements of effective respectful maternity care. She and coauthors say, “Tools to measure RMC demonstrate consistency but lack a gold standard, requiring further evaluation before implementation in U.S. settings.”

The Portland Business Journal covers a new finding that a Medicaid requirement to cover mental and physical health together did not lead to significant changes in access or quality of health services in the state of Washington. “There was a hope that this would be a significant catalyst,” John McConnell, Ph.D., says. “The idea was that integrating care within managed care organizations would drive positive changes at the clinical level, and that didn’t really happen — at least not yet.”

While discussing his research, which found Medicaid coverage of behavioral health care did not lead to significant changes in access or quality of health services in Washington, John McConnell, Ph.D., says “The idea was that integrating care within management care organizations would drive positive changes at the clinical level, and that didn’t really happen – at least not yet.”

Oregon Tech announces that AMR Northwest, a provider of emergency medical services in the Portland-metro region, is providing scholarships to all current paramedic students entering an externship in the Oregon Tech/OHSU paramedic program at the Wilsonville campus.