Almost a third of physicians enrolled in Medicaid nationwide don’t actually care for a single patient covered by Medicaid insurance, according to new OHSU-led research. Jane Zhu, M.D., says, “If patients aren’t able to access the care they need, they may delay or forego care altogether, which is not only bad for patient outcomes, but also bad for the health system overall.”

KEZI-TV covers recognition of the White Bird Dental Clinic in Eugene for a decade-long partnership with the OHSU School of Dentistry, highlighting the clinic’s role in mentoring future dental professionals while delivering compassionate care to the community.

In a Quanta Magazine story about growing recognition of the importance of astrocytes in brain function, including research at OHSU, Marc Freeman, Ph.D., says, “We live in an age of connectomics, where everyone loves to say [that] if you understand the connections [between neurons], then we can understand how the brain works. That’s not true. You can get dramatic changes in firing patterns of neurons with zero changes in [neuronal] connectivity.”

Dennis McCarty, Ph.D., is named to a new National Methadone Access and Quality Commission at Yale University.

Running USA reports the Shamrock Half Marathon Run Fest on March 15 partners with OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital to generate donations for the Child Life Program.

Continued news coverage of a new federally funded OHSU research initiative to make the human eye a window revealing the earliest signals of Alzheimer’s disease. Lei Wang, Ph.D., says, “The retina is a neural sensory extension of the brain. If we can detect a buildup of amyloid in the retina, it may be possible to flag early-stage Alzheimer’s among patients who aren’t yet experiencing any symptoms.”

Becker’s Clinical Leadership reports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services awarded 400 new Medicare-funded residency positions to more than 130 teaching hospitals nationwide, including four slots at OHSU.

In a Willamette Week story about OHSU’s efforts to create a real-time statewide tool to track and ultimately help to place people in need of treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders, Matthias Merkel, M.D., says, “It’s a substantially more complex space than the hospital space. And we knew that.”

USA Today reports that New York may become the 13th U.S. state to allow aid in dying, following Oregon’s first-in-the-nation law approved in 1994. Charles Blanke, M.D., says, “I am helping patients who often don’t have any other option.”

OHSU selects Joel Helmke, M.H.A., to serve as chief executive officer of the Knight Cancer Group. Helmke says, “I am thrilled to be walking into an environment where there is a tradition of excellence, a nationally recognized brand, incredible resources, and where people want to do very ambitious things.”