In an Infectious Disease: Special Edition story about improving treatments for multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, James Lewis, Pharm.D., says, “The issue that we run up against in conventional antibacterial drugs is that we’re still pretty slow at it, and the bugs are much faster about figuring out ways around the antimicrobials than we are at developing new antibiotics to deal with these more resistant organisms as they emerge.”

KDRV-TV (Medford) covers Klamath Falls high school students touring an OHSU nursing school through the On Track OHSU! program. During the tour they visited stations about blood pressure, burn cleaning and impaired vision.

In media coverage of a Multnomah County Health Department report about the rise of dysentery cases in the area, John Townes, M.D., says, “If you want to stop an outbreak of shigella, you give people toilets and soap and water. And you train them in how to wash their hands.”

Adventist Health Columbia Gorge and the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute have signed an agreement to provide collaborative cancer care at Celilo Cancer Center in The Dalles, Oregon. “The Knight Cancer Institute’s vision to eliminate the burden of cancer includes a commitment to team-based approaches for providing individualized care. We welcome opportunities to make it easier for more Oregonians to access the care they need most in their community,” says Brandon Hayes-Lattin, M.D.

In a story about proposed state legislation around the country to reduce the influence of corporate influence of health care decision making by physicians, The Wall Street Journal cites a 2023 study by Jane Zhu, M.D., and co-authors suggesting that existing state bans on corporate medicine dating back a century “have little practical effect” and should be strengthened.

Native American medical leaders were taken aback to see 22% fewer American Indian or Alaska Native students had enrolled last year when numbers were released in January.

In a story from Scientific American, Jae Corman, Ph.D., comments on a new study looking at the emotional health of transgender youth after taking hormones: “This adds to a body of literature that’s already shown improvements in mental health outcomes and safety. This is another important dimension: emotional health.”

In a USA Today article on early signs of skin cancer, Elizabeth Berry, M.D., recommends that if people notice any new or unusual changes to their skin, it warrants a check-up with a dermatologist.

Erik Brodt, M.D., discusses concerns about the steep drop in Native American medical school enrollment with STAT News. Brodt says, “What we are doing at OHSU is amazing, and it works, but it won’t make a difference unless 20 to 30 other schools are doing it too.”

BY K. JOHN MCCONNELL: "Oregon deserves policies that strengthen its health and economic resilience, not ones that gamble with its future."