OCTRI - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President of Institutional Affairs and General Counsel
- General Counsel for Oregon Health
Biography
Alice Cuprill Comas serves as general counsel for Oregon Health and Science University. In that role she serves as the University's chief legal counsel to the University's Board, President and other senior executives and advises on the legal implications of a wide variety of issues facing an academic medical center.
Prior to joining OHSU, Cuprill Comas spent 17 years in private practice, as a partner at Ater Wynne, LLP in Portland, and at Vinson and Elkins, LLP, in Austin, Texas. She also served as general counsel of a public, energy-sector company based in Seattle.
Cuprill Comas, originally from Puerto Rico, holds a B.A. from The University of Texas-Austin and a J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School. Cuprill Comas is a member of the Oregon State Bar, the State Bar of Texas, the Washington State Bar, the National Hispanic Bar Association and the National Bar Association. She is a Trustee of the Meyer Memorial Trust, serves as President of the Port of Portland Commission, and is a member of the International Women's Forum.
Job Titles:
- Communications Manager, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor / Physics
Job Titles:
- Instructor, Provost Office
Job Titles:
- Medical Director / Department of Radiation Medicine Medical Physics Faculty / Physics
Research in Rooney's group is focused on the development and application of quantitative magnetic resonance techniques to characterize tissue structure and function, specifically to phenotype brain blood vessels using dynamic MRI acquisitions combined with pharmaco-kinetic modeling.
Highlights of Dr. O'Roak's past research successes include: developing a chromosomal outlier approach to identify candidate genes for Tourette's syndrome and autism, pioneering trio-based sequencing in simplex autism, and developing new technologies for rapid and economical targeted resequencing.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel at Powin Energy
Chad Paulson is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law and holds an undergraduate degree from Oregon State University. He has more than twenty years of legal experience, starting as a commercial litigation Associate at Miller Nash in 1998 and practicing in-house for PacifiCorp, a public utility and Blount International, Inc., a global manufacturing company.
Chad is currently the General Counsel at Powin Energy. Chad has managed domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, acted as corporate secretary for a publicly traded company, actively engaged and advised regarding strategic planning, and has developed and implemented compliance and governance programs.
The long-term goal of the Allen Lab is to understand the functional properties of SCN neurons and how the circadian clock regulates these properties.
Christie Kesserwani, D.O. (she/her), is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and board-certified psychiatrist at the OHSU Resident and Faculty Wellness Program. She completed her B.A. at the University of Southern California and obtained her medical degree at Midwestern University prior to completing her psychiatric residency at the Valleywise Behavioral Health Center in Mesa, AZ. Dr. Kesserwani has a special interest in resident physician mental health and founded an inter-departmental therapy group at her training hospital during her final year of residency. Dr. Kesserwani understands the unique challenges faced by physicians in health care today, and utilizes an integrative approach which incorporates therapy, coaching, and/or medication management to help address these challenges.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director
- Transgender Health Program Founders
Job Titles:
- Research in the Kroenke Lab Utilizes Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) Techniques to Characterize Cellular - Scale Anatomy
Research in the Kroenke lab utilizes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to characterize cellular-scale anatomy.
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
- Chief of Staff
- Executive Vice President
- Chief of Staff. EVP and Chief Administrative Officer
Connie Seeley is the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief of Staff at OHSU. She brings with her over 20 years of experience as an administrator and public affairs strategist. In her current position, Ms. Seeley is responsible for the University's core administrative functions and is the chief external affairs strategist.
Ms. Seeley leads OHSU's efforts to connect with local, regional and national audiences - representing the University before a wide range of constituencies. Connie also serves as the Secretary to the OHSU Board of Directors.
She joined OHSU in 2010. Prior to 2010 Connie spent 13 years as senior leadership staff in the Oregon State legislature. Her primary role was Chief of Staff to Senate President Peter Courtney from 2003 to 2010, where she assisted in the administration of all aspects of the legislative branch of government.
Connie serves on the board of several community organizations, including: the Portland Business Association, the Oregon Business & Industry Association, and the University of Oregon Alumni Association. She is native Oregonian and graduate of the University of Oregon.
Job Titles:
- President
- President, OHSU / Ex Officio
Danny Jacobs, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., was named the fifth president of OHSU on May 8, 2018. He succeeded Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A., effective August 1, 2018.
Before joining OHSU, Jacobs was the executive vice president, provost and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch. At UTMB, Jacobs was the chief academic officer, responsible for approximately 3,800 employees and trainees for its schools of Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences.
A surgeon by training, Jacobs oversaw the institution's research programs, served as the head of the faculty group practice and was a principal partner in the UTMB health care system.
Jacobs grew up in rural Arkansas and is an avid cyclist who enjoys fly fishing and hiking. He is married to Nancy Jacobs, a nutritionist and Oregon State University graduate, with three grown children and three grandchildren.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Dean of the School of Medicine
The Hurtado Lab is committed to evaluating and impacting social determinants of health within the workplace.
Job Titles:
- Neurologist, Is One of Hundreds of Doctors and Researchers at the OHSU Brain Institute.
Dr. Delaram Safarpour, a neurologist, is one of hundreds of doctors and researchers at the OHSU Brain Institute.
Job Titles:
- Director of Admissions and Recruitment
Job Titles:
- Senior Media Relations Specialist
Job Titles:
- Education
- Senior Media Relations Specialist
Gillian Lashen, Psy.D. (she/her), is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry & licensed psychologist in the Resident & Faculty Wellness Program (RFWP). Dr. Lashen earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at The University of Denver & completed her internship at Denver Health Medical Center. Prior to joining RFWP she served as behavioral medicine faculty in an internal medicine residency program, with an emphasis on wellness & resilience. Dr. Lashen has also previously conducted research with family medicine residents & worked on an inpatient medical unit providing treatment to adults with severe eating & feeding disorders. Her interests include cultivating wellbeing at work, relationship issues, weight bias & body image, & antiracism. She utilizes an integrative approach with a focus on Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Relational-Cultural theory, & cognitive behavioral intervention.
James Carlson, who served as CEO of OHCA since 1997, retired from this position at the end 2020. He continues to be engaged with OHCA as a strategic advisor. With over 30 years of experience in health policy and association management, Jim is widely recognized as one of the leading long-term care and health policy resources in Oregon.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Joanne Chan, Psy.D. (she/her), is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and licensed psychologist in the Resident and Faculty Wellness Program. Prior to joining OHSU, Dr. Chan was a staff psychologist at Portland Psychotherapy specializing in ACT-informed exposure therapy for anxiety, obsessive-compulsive (OC) and related disorders. She also provided training in evidence-based approaches for anxiety and OC related disorders (including perfectionism) to postdoctoral fellows and practicum students. Dr. Chan earned her B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, and her Psy.D. from the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium. After becoming licensed in 2009, she ran a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years, conducted clinical research on the effectiveness of various evidence-based approaches for hoarding disorder and provided instruction to masters' level counseling students as an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco. In addition to her work with anxiety related issues, Dr. Chan enjoys working with clients who are experiencing issues related to culture, including cultural identity development or anxiety related to discrimination and marginalization. She supports all clients in developing skills to live a life based on values in a high-pressure, fast-paced culture.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of OHSU Health
Job Titles:
- Co - Director of Clinical Education
Job Titles:
- Administrative Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Doernbecher Gender Clinic Director
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Executive Vice President
Dr. Hammer's research is focused on improving the physical and mental well-being of workers through interventions designed to increase employee-supportive behaviors at all leadership levels.
Job Titles:
- Director of Academic Education
Mahtab Brar is currently a fourth-year medical student at OHSU.
Prior to medical school, he attended Oregon State University where he studied biology and served on various committees, such as the Relay for Life Committee and Sport Club Committee.
After graduation, he worked as a ReConnect Fellow in Southern Oregon and continues to advocate for rural healthcare with the Area Health Education Centers around Oregon during medical school.
He is involved on campus and in the community through running free health screenings around the state, managing the OHSU Asylum Clinic, and as a founding member of the Sikh Youth of Oregon. Mahtab has professional interests in the management of healthcare systems, global health, and immigrant health policy.
Dr. Sammi is currently working on MR spectroscopic measurements of energy metabolism in the human brain.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Program Director, Clinical Education
Marie Soller, M.D. (she/her), Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, OHSU School of Medicine, completed her undergraduate and medical education at Stanford University, and her psychiatric residency at San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. Dr. Soller has a strong interest in resilience, life work balance, and the role of self-care and social support. Dr. Soller is pleased to be a part the Resident and Faculty Wellness Program and working with physicians who might be having personal or professional difficulties. Dr. Soller uses medication evaluation and management, and psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and supportive therapies) to address these issues.
Dr. Pike's research is focused on studying the pathophysiology of brain diseases (malignant glioma, stroke) using MRI/MRS in tandem with other approaches.
Mary Moffit, Ph.D. (she/her), Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, is director of the OHSU Resident and Faculty Wellness Program and the Peer Support Program. A clinical psychologist who received her Ph.D. from the Wright Institute and completed a fellowship in Medical Psychology, Dr. Moffit was the first psychologist embedded in the OHSU Department of Internal Medicine. In 2004, she joined Graduate Medical Education leadership to design and develop a comprehensive wellness program that is now a national model for academic medical centers. Dr. Moffit and her team provide free, highly confidential coaching, counseling and medical consultation for all School of Medicine residents, fellows and faculty. In addition, she presents educational workshops directed at building a sustainable medical practice, preventing burnout and early intervention to prevent impairment. In 2016, Dr Moffit and her team developed the OHSU School of Medicine's Peer Support Program, modeled on Brigham and Women's innovative program, providing triage after an adverse event, referrals to trained physician peer supporters and resources directed at recovery from professional distress.
Job Titles:
- Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator
The goals of the Butler Clock Physiology Lab are the understand how endogenous clocks in the body are synchronized, and how uncoupling clocks from the environment or from each other can compromise health.
Job Titles:
- Clinical Education Coordinator
Mike Duncan, Psy.D. (he/him), is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and a licensed psychologist in the OHSU Resident and Faculty Wellness Program. He earned his B.A. in psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and his M.S. and Psy.D. in clinical psychology at Pacific University. Dr. Duncan has conducted research on risk and protective factors in LGB youth and on the relation between internalized sexual prejudice and sense of belonging in LGB graduate students. His clinical interests include mitigating stress and burnout, work-life balance, identity development and authenticity, navigating major life transitions, and improving intimate relationships. He also has a special interest in issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and ethical nonmonogamy, including experience providing letters of support for gender-affirming surgeries. His therapeutic approach is primarily existential, which means exploring questions of existence, identity and meaning to help his patients move toward more fulfilling and authentic lives lived with vulnerability, responsibility and inner consent. He also integrates cognitive-behavioral interventions and has an interest in mindfulness practices.
The Turker lab is interested in the mechanisms of abnormal gene activation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Media Relations Specialist
Job Titles:
- Neuroradiology
- Research Center
The Barnes Lab focuses on the fundamental cellular mechanisms that control the development of the cerebral cortex prior to and following birth.
Dr. Hogarth's research interests have focused on deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease and the natural history of Huntington's disease.
Job Titles:
- Chief Research Officer
- Executive Vice President
Peter Barr-Gillespie, Ph.D., is OHSU's chief research officer and executive vice president. Dr. Barr-Gillespie leads and manages OHSU's research enterprise - comprising dozens of internationally and nationally acclaimed basic, translational, clinical and public health research programs - and serves on the president's executive leadership team. He is principal adviser to OHSU President Danny Jacobs on research strategy and research resource allocation.
Dr. Barr-Gillespie leads OHSU Research & Innovation, which provides services and support to OHSU investigators; leads strategic initiatives in research; fosters collaboration; and moves our discoveries into the world. The office is home to OHSU's university-wide research administration, including OHSU Research Development, the Office of Proposal and Award Management, Research Integrity, Comparative Medicine, University Shared Resources, and Technology Transfer and Business Development.
Dr. Copenhaver's research is focused on the role of disease-associated genes in the control of cell migration, with an emphasis on the developing nervous system.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chairwoman
- Chairman of the Board of Regents of the OSU Honors College
Ruth A. Beyer, J.D. has been Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Precision Castparts Corp. since April 1, 2013. Prior to that, she was Principal in the Portland office at Stoel Rives LLP, and served as the Managing Partner from 1995 to 2005.
Beyer serves as chair of the Board of Regents of the OSU Honors College and is the co-founder of the OSU Women's Giving Circle. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Morrison Center since 2006. Beyer is a recipient of the Award of Merit from the Multnomah Bar Association.
Dr. Olson's research is focused on safety and health interventions for lone workers, and on behavioral self-management methods.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Media Relations
Sara Walker, Ph.D. (she/her), is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, core faculty member in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at OHSU, and licensed psychologist in the Resident and Faculty Wellness Program. Dr. Walker grew up in Portland, earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon, a Master's in Counseling Psychology and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. She returned to Portland to join the faculty at OHSU in 2011 and has been excited to join the RFWP team in 2021. Dr. Walker has also been active in disaster mental health preparedness and response, as well as sustainability efforts at OHSU, regionally, and nationally. She values acknowledging and addressing normal, healthy stress responses, as well as using a multicultural, existential lens to identify, navigate, and potentially grow from other challenges or experiences.
Job Titles:
- Division Head
- Program Director
The Soo Lee Lab's goal is to develop a comprehensive map of the complex gene regulatory networks that direct cell-fate specification and assembly of neuro-circuits.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director of Clinical Education
The Back Lab focuses on the development of novel strategies to promote regeneration and repair of injury to the developing brain.
The focus of Dr. Shea's research is to understand the biological basis behind the changes in disease severity across day and night; for instance, are they caused by the body clock or attributable to behaviors that occur on a regular basis.
Steven Zika is the CEO of Hampton Lumber, a family-owned forest products business headquartered in Portland, Oregon, employing about 1,600 people primarily in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.
The Hayflick group studies a group of rare, single gene disorders called Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA).
Susan is lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon. She has invested in both a professional nursing career as a clinician, administrator, lobbyist, health policy advisor and advocate - as well as a community activist on civic issues such as housing, neighborhood preservation and development, and election of leaders at the city, local, state and national level.
She is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Nursing and holds a Masters degree in Nursing from OHSU. In 2011, she was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing for her work on authority for Nurse Practitioners.
Her career in nursing has included delivering care to patients and families, and help shaping health care delivery and policy at the state and national level. She has experience holding regulatory and policy positions within Oregon as well as nationally.
From 1989 to 2017, she led the Oregon Nurses Association focused on the nursing workforce, promoting authority for Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists, addressing standards for hospital staffing and improving access to care for all.
Job Titles:
- Oregon National Primate Research Center
- Senior Director, Strategic Communications
Timothy Beecher, Ph.D. (he/him/his), is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and licensed psychologist in the OHSU Resident Faculty Wellness Program. He completed his BS at Loyola University Chicago, earned his M.Ed. at Washington State University and received a Ph.D. at the University of North Dakota. He has extensive experience working in higher education and is excited to join the OHSU Resident Faculty Wellness team. His areas of expertise include working with men in therapy, crisis work, and addressing substance abuse from a harm reduction and motivational interviewing perspective. Dr. Beecher incorporates a variety of treatment approaches in his work, including interpersonal process therapy, feminist therapy, and psychodynamic principles. He is committed to social justice and works diligently to provide culturally responsive treatment.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor / Anatomical Sciences Education Center
The Anger Lab's behavioral science research implements computer-based training based on behavioral education principles for safety or hazard prevention, skills acquisition, and well-being.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Senior Vice President, Global Tax at Visa
Wayne Monfries is Senior Vice President, Global Tax at Visa. Wayne joined Visa in April 2020. He previously was VP, Global Tax at TransUnion in Chicago, and prior to that served as VP & Chief Tax Officer for Nike in Portland, Oregon. A graduate of Georgetown University, he began his career in public accounting with PwC in Washington DC before moving on to work for food manufacturer, Mars, Incorporated in New Jersey and London, England, where he held various roles in tax and finance.