In a story about habit-making in the new year, Suzanne Mitchell, Ph.D., says, “Don’t declare, I’m going to be a better person. The better way to look at it is, specific behavior changes to create better habits.”

In an op-ed describing draft legislation that would require the OHA to develop a program for volunteer medical professionals to administer COVID vaccines, Oregon Rep. Brad Witt says, "Of the two largest systems in our county, Legacy and OHSU, OHSU has offered to administer the few available doses."

In a Q&A about the basic science underlying COVID-19 variants, Ben Bimber, Ph.D., discusses OHSU's Oregon SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing Center.

A story featuring a patient who continues to have symptoms from COVID-19 mentions OHSU's plans to launch a long COVID program.

An article notes OHSU's genome sequencing lab has identified two cases of the California variant.

In an interview about the "Californian variant" and mutations that are less worrisome, Brian O'Roak, Ph.D., says: "The lowest concern are new mutations that you just see one time in a sample that may or may not affect how the virus functions."

In an interview about the "Californian variant" and mutations that are less worrisome, Brian O'Roak, Ph.D., says: "The lowest concern are new mutations that you just see one time in a sample that may or may not affect how the virus functions."

The Portland Business Journal reports on the financial update presented by Lawrence Furnstahl at OHSU's Jan. 28 public board meeting.

An article asks, "What's Worse: Binge Drinking or Imbibing a Little Bit Every Day?; Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D., says: "Research suggests that alcohol influences how the teenage brain develops, both atypically speeding up and slowing down normal developmental processes. These alternations are in important brain regions for optimal adult functioning and decision-making. Changes related to alcohol use are even greater with more alcohol use, so binge drinking levels could be most detrimental."

Oregon's Vaccine Advisory Committee finalizes priority vaccination recommendations; committee member Kelley Gonzalez, Ph.D., says, "Our system is not yet prepared to center on the truth of structural racism and how it plays out."