OHSU’s and UC Davis’ joint COMPADRE program, which aims to transform both graduate medical education and health care in Southern Oregon and Northern California, is mentioned during a roundtable discussion on improving rural health care.

In a post on Informatics Professor and republished by HealthIT Answers, William Hersh, M.D., highlights the limitations of the artificial intelligence app ChatGPT. He writes, “I have no doubt that systems like ChatGPT will continue to advance, and that human knowledge workers will find ways to use them beneficially in their work. But I cannot imagine there not being a human in the loop somewhere, especially in medicine when you might need the skills of a surgeon, not to mention a physician with empathy and grace.”

The Oregonian publishes an op-ed written by Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, Ph.D., RN, in her role as American Nurses Association president that encourages both state and federal governments to address the nurse educator shortage by increasing funding and student enrollment at nursing schools.

In a story where experts provide their thoughts on how COVID-19 vaccines could be designed and administered moving forward, Mark Slifka, Ph.D., says it would be helpful to reduce vaccine side effects, which may be the reason that “a whole portion of the population” hasn’t received the updated, bivalent booster shots.

Research by Fikadu Tafesse, Ph.D., and Marcel Curlin, M.D., finds immunity against COVID-19 gathers strength with more time between vaccination and infection and suggests vaccine boosters should be spaced no more frequently than a year apart.

Research by Fikadu Tafesse, Ph.D., and Marcel Curlin, M.D., finds immunity against COVID-19 gathers strength with more time between vaccination and infection and suggests vaccine boosters should be spaced no more frequently than a year apart.

An essay published on Ruffwear shares the touching story of a hospital volunteer and his therapy dog, known at OHSU for bringing a calming and joyful presence to patients and staff.

OHSU is mentioned in a New York Times story on U.S. hospitals beginning to charge patients for exchanging electronic messages with their providers. To both help patients receive the best and most appropriate kind of care for their specific situation as well as to help providers better balance patient care responsibilities, OHSU began a pilot in September 2022 that involves billing some patients for the time it takes clinicians at two outpatient clinics to respond to more complex inquiries that are submitted through the OHSU MyChart electronic health portal.

Researchers at OHSU are contributing to an international clinical trial exploring possible treatments for Alzheimer’s, specifically focusing on earlier intervention. The AHEAD Study looks at the treatment of a drug called Lecanemab, which could delay memory decline before symptoms of the disease appear.

In a story about FDA advisers possibly making the overdose-reversing nasal spray naloxone available over the counter, Emily Skogrand, Pharm.D., says it can be made more available by reducing its cost or even making it free, adding: “I also do think on some level, making it [available] over the counter so you don't have to go to the pharmacy and potentially feel judged or stigmatized. You can just buy it like you buy Tylenol or Ibuprofen that would still have a cost associated, should associated [be] with it, but hopefully less."