A systematic review led by researchers at OHSU and the VA Portland Health Care System finds that Black and Hispanic populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Devan Kansagara, M.D. says: “The information we've seen so far suggests the disparities were likely related to exposure-related factors rather than other factors, like underlying health issues.”

Mary Pat Califano, R.N., speaks about OHSU’s dental vaccination training program, which – so far - has trained more than 200 Oregon dentists who could help to deliver COVID vaccines when they become available. She says: “To help not only improve the immunization rates in Oregon, but potentially help in this pandemic is huge.”

Grace Bradley, R.N., shares the toll of caring for COVID patients, saying “I’ll leave these shifts so dehydrated because you get so in the zone and you’re taking care of this patients and you’re doing the work of three or four people, if you can, because you’re putting their needs above your own.”

Story highlights the growing demand – and long wait times - for COVID-19 testing potentially tied to the Thanksgiving holiday.

In a story explaining the leading COVID vaccine candidates and how some could be distributed soon, Marcel Curlin, M.D., explains why it’s important to have more than one candidate: “If you have four vaccine products that are showing good efficacy, and we find out that one of the vaccines doesn’t particularly work well in elderly populations, one of the other three might.” And Mark Slifka, Ph.D., notes the candidates are undergoing the same rigorous scientific processes of other vaccines, albeit in an accelerate fashion.

In a story about the leading causes of blindness, Mitchel Brinks, M.D., says vision loss can be prevented if caught and treated early.

In a story about the state suspending the license of a Dallas physician who disregarded masking, Gopal Allada, M.D., says: “On balance, the benefits in preventing virus transmission far outweigh the potential risks of wearing a mask.”

Peter Graven, Ph.D., comments on the safety of outdoor dining during the pandemic.

David Huang, M.D., Ph.D., is awarded a Greenberg Prize for co-inventing optical coherence tomography, an eye imaging technology.

A new study co-lead by Archie Bleyer, M.D., finds cancer cases among U.S. teens and young adults have risen nearly 30% since the 1970’s. Bleyer says contributing factors for the increase include “the increase in HPV [human papillomavirus] infection, that can cause oral and rectal cancer; cannabis use that has been linked to testicular cancer; and sunburn and/or indoor tanning that is well known to cause melanoma.”