The holiday season is a time to reflect on the year that was and look forward to the year ahead. Unfortunately, many of us have heavy hearts this year in light of recent setbacks in our country in the area of diversity, one of OHSU’s core values.

National recognition is nice, but OHSU's key mission is caring for patients and "fulfilling the mission to improve the health of all Oregonians."

OHSU has a long and honorable relationship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in pursuing its important research mission, and is disappointed that the Justice Department has filed a lawsuit, challenging OHSU's use of an overhead rate that was approved by the appropriate government agency.

Dr. Brian Gibbs, Ph.D., M.P.A., urges "us all to step up, hold the torch and commit to navigating a pathway toward a more equitable healing community as our contribution to this nationwide challenge."

OHSU is a community of people dedicated to healing others and advancing the frontiers of scientific knowledge. Many of us choose to work at OHSU because it offers the opportunity to protect the most vulnerable in our society and improve the world around us.

OHSU has signed a resolution agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights following an investigation of two breaches of electronic protected health information that occurred in 2013.