THIS IS MORE THAN A CAMPAIGN. THIS IS A MOVEMENT.
WINTER 2015
A publication for friends and supporters of Oregon Health & Science University
IMPOSSIBLE NEVER BEEN DONE DON’T BOTHER At Oregon Health & Science University we’ve heard it all before. But being a leader in science and health care means having the vision and courage to take chances on big ideas with outsized potential for impact. >>>>
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Oregon Health & Science University has a long tradition of taking on the impossible — and delivering. Take the Knight Cancer Challenge, for example. With the support of more than 10,000 donors, we raised $1 billion to fight cancer. In 22 months. It was an unprecedented accomplishment, and many of you reading this were key to achieving it. People from across the globe rallied around the cause, inspired by a simple but audacious vision: to create better methods for detecting cancer at its earliest, most curable stage. It is truly awe-inspiring to think about how this infusion of philanthropic dollars will transform lives (see page 8 for more on the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute’s vision). This victory is not an invitation to relax; it is instead a mandate to use the momentum we created to take on new challenges. We are putting the power of philanthropy behind a new set of big ideas that will transform human health. Welcome to ONWARD: The Campaign for OHSU. What will our ONWARD campaign support? For starters, we aim to eradicate AIDS. A lab led by OHSU’s Dr. Louis Picker is getting very close to a vaccine that could not only prevent but cure HIV/AIDS. With a significant infusion of philanthropic investment now, Dr. Picker’s team can assemble the resources they need to move faster — and save millions of lives every year (see story on page 14). Here is another example. The OHSU Casey Eye Institute has set a bold goal: to eliminate preventable blindness and bring sight-saving new treatments to people all over the world. And they have the clinical and research expertise to follow through on it. The ONWARD campaign will introduce Casey to a wider circle of people looking for the right place to invest their philanthropic dollars and provide crucial funding for a new facility slated for construction in 2018. Throughout this publication, you will learn more about these initiatives, our continued innovative work in cancer, and other aspirations in the neurosciences, cardiology and pediatrics. We know what we can achieve when we match passionate individuals with an inspiring vision. Many thanks for your continued support in keeping our momentum moving ONWARD.
J oseph E. Robertson, Jr., M.D., M.B.A. President, OHSU
L. Keith Todd President, OHSU Foundation
ONWARD WINTER 2015 / 3
OHSU: WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? Always ONWARD OHSU itself began as a big idea more than 125 years ago as the first medical school in the still-wild frontier of the Pacific Northwest. Ever since, OHSU has challenged the status quo in pursuit of better care and quality of life for people of the region and beyond. More recently, OHSU has become distinguished for its record of bold breakthroughs in health and science — innovations that have brought sweeping improvements to the treatment of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and neurological disorders. OHSU is a magnet for creative researchers and clinicians unafraid to take big risks and unorthodox 4 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
approaches to accelerate progress. Here are just a few examples of big ideas that have transformed lives. A pill that stops cancer OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Director Brian Druker, M.D., developed the world’s first molecularly targeted treatment able to kill cancer cells while sparing healthy cells. That drug, Gleevec®, turned a deadly form of cancer — chronic myeloid leukemia — into a manageable, chronic condition. Most patients who take Gleevec not only survive, but also avoid chemotherapy and other harsh treatments, greatly improving their quality of life. Druker altered the course of cancer research by proving for the first time that cancer can be stopped at the molecular level. If we understand what’s causing it to grow, we can develop ways to shut it down. Today, Gleevec has saved more than 100,000 lives. A new part for damaged hearts OHSU heart surgeon Albert Starr, M.D., co-invented and also implanted the world’s first successful artificial human heart valve. His groundbreaking collaboration with engineer M. Lowell Edwards resulted in an elegantly simple device —
the Starr-Edwards valve — the first true cure for lethal valve disease. Patients who had been given no hope of survival 55 years ago are still alive today, many with the original StarrEdwards valve keeping their hearts pumping normally. The company established to market the innovation, now Edwards Lifesciences, remains an industry leader. Light waves that reveal eye disease David Huang, M.D., Ph.D., co-invented an imaging tool called optical coherence tomography (OCT) that has been heralded as the most important diagnostic advance in ophthalmology in more than 100 years. OCT is a non-invasive test that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures with micron resolution. Ophthalmologists around the world use OCT to head off vision loss in patients with the most common causes of blindness: glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetes. Dr. Huang, a professor of ophthalmology at OHSU Casey Eye Institute, along with several of his colleagues, received the 2012 Champalimaud Vision Award, the largest prize in ophthalmology, for the invention. OHSU is not the largest academic health center in the U.S., but it is widely recognized as one of the best. OHSU invests in people with big ideas. The results speak for themselves.
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WHY PHILANTHROPY MATTERS At OHSU we have discovered that when we provide the right setting, our greatest minds think bigger and reach farther — and change the world. Big ideas translate into longer lives, stronger families, more vital communities and a healthier world. Your support makes it possible. No one can predict when the next “Eureka” moment will occur. But we do know that philanthropy improves the likelihood that the light bulb will switch on. Philanthropy allows OHSU to attract exceptional people, and then frees them to innovate. In today’s competitive climate, even the most successful scientists have to compete for funding. Individuals, foundations and corporations have never been so crucial to filling the gaps — and accelerating the pace by which a great idea becomes a life-changing treatment. Through the ONWARD campaign, we will raise more than $2 billion for OHSU by the end of 2020. Thanks to the success of the Knight Cancer Challenge, we are already more than halfway toward that goal. By investing in OHSU, you are helping us set the stage for greatness. Thank you for pushing us ONWARD.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE ONWARD / WINTER 2015
TAKE DOWN CANCER
STOP HIV/AIDS
HEAL FAMILIES
BEAT HEART DISEASE TRANSFORM BRAIN HEALTH
END BLINDNESS
HEAL KIDS
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ONWARD
TAKE DOWN CANCER
CANCER MEETS ITS MATCH AT OHSU 8 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
hen Phil and Penny Knight issued their bold fundraising challenge, some said it couldn’t be done. No one had ever raised $500 million in two years to meet a match. Thanks to supporters like you, we met the challenge in 22 months – and made history with the largest successful fundraising challenge on record. Armed with $1 billion, we are now launching the world’s first grand-scale program to radically improve our ability to detect cancer early, before it becomes deadly. >>>>
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“We have a formidable foe in cancer. We have to attack it as aggressively as it comes after us. And we’ve been given an opportunity. We’ve got to move forward as quickly and as effectively as we possibly can.” – Brian Druker, M.D., director, OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
What began as a race to meet a deadline is now an unstoppable movement. More than 10,000 donors from all 50 states — and the world beyond — share OHSU’s vision to defeat cancer. And new supporters continue to join the cause. Dr. Brian Druker and his team are now launching an ambitious research program to go after the biggest unmet need in cancer care today: early detection. As shown in the chart on the right, the earlier you can identify cancer, the more likely it can be stopped. OHSU launched the targeted therapy revolution with Gleevec. Now, it is time to realize the full potential of precision medicine by finding new methods of detecting lethal cancers at earlier stages. Leading the charge The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is recruiting about 30 of the world’s top researchers to lead the charge. Each of the 30 will bring a team of experts, which adds up to between 250 and 300 scientists devoted to transforming the way we find and treat cancer. Freed from the constraints of grant-writing, those scientists will be able to devote their time and energy to innovation and results. And, thanks to support from the State of Oregon for needed infrastructure, they’ll be working in a new facility slated to begin construction in summer 2016 on OHSU’s South Waterfront campus. The building will allow us to launch more clinical trials — and deliver promising new tests and treatments to patients as quickly as possible. The success of the Knight Cancer Challenge will lead to more discoveries, new tests and treatments and expanded clinical trial opportunities. And we need to be ready. OHSU is also planning to build a guest house to serve patients and families who must travel long distances to the Knight Cancer Institute and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital for care. (See story on page 20) >>>>
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5-year survival rate, depending on early or late diagnosis: PROSTATE CANCER
WE FIGHT CANCER DIFFERENTLY. HERE’S HOW: The Knight Cancer Institute’s vision is to develop new ways to catch lethal cancers when they’re just beginning to form and are most curable. This approach will improve survival rates, reduce the need for harsh treatments with long-term side effects and prevent over-treatment and unnecessary treatment. Here’s how we’ll do it:
OVARIAN CANCER
BEND THE CURVE
BEAT THE CLOCK
by tracking cancer to i ts source and stopping it short.
with enough resources t o make a difference in a decade.
BREAST CANCER
LUNG CANCER
PROVIDE THE TOOLS
BUILD THE TEAM
to accelerate discovery a nd pursue the most promising paths in cancer science.
focusing the top minds i n cancer to address this critically important problem.
“We will continue raising money for the Knight Cancer Source: SEER Cancer Statistics, National Cancer Institute, 2013 ©Oregon Health & Science University
Institute until no one dies from cancer and those treated are able to enjoy normal, healthy lives.” — L. Keith Todd, president, OHSU Foundation ONWARD WINTER 2015 / 11
“We can turn a process that’s agonizing and uncertain for countless millions of people into a predictable, highly tailored, one-day diagnosis and treatment recommendation.” – Brian Druker, M.D.
MOVING ONWARD
You can help us meet our next challenge Our success in the Knight Cancer Challenge does not mean that our work is done. We will continue to need new resources to fight and defeat cancer. Cancer is not one disease; it is hundreds of distinct diseases. As we create more effective ways to detect lethal cancers, we will be driven to develop more effective, less toxic treatments. This work will be propelled forward by the resources so generously contributed through the Knight Cancer Challenge. But we will not rest until our work is done.
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In the cloud Imagine a future in which doctors could order a DNA test for their patients and use the results to create a treatment plan individually tailored to go after their particular cancer — all within 24 hours. That future may not be far off, thanks to a new partnership between OHSU and Intel. These longtime collaborators recently teamed up to create a computing and analytics platform that aims to make it far faster and less costly to use an individual patient’s genetic data to find and treat the root causes of cancer. The Collaborative Cancer Cloud will enable doctors to share vast amounts of genetic and clinical data while protecting patient privacy. Securely sharing large pools of data among multiple institutions will lead to potentially life-saving discoveries and could ultimately advance precision medicine in all disease areas. The project has an ambitious goal to benefit patients by providing “all in one day” treatment plans by 2020.
ONWARD
STOP HIV / AIDS
TIME’S UP, AIDS 14 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
HSU is getting close to a vaccine that stops HIV/ AIDS. But we want to move faster. Philanthropic support will speed the way to a vaccine – and save millions of lives. After more than 30 years and 30 million lost lives, there is now reason to believe that an end to HIV/AIDS is in sight. OHSU’s Dr. Louis Picker made international headlines when he announced that his vaccine not only prevented monkeys from contracting SIV, the virus that causes AIDS in monkeys, it completely cleared the virus from their bodies — as if they had
never been infected. Picker expects that this vaccine will also work in humans, and will begin testing it for human safety in 2016. With support from donors like you, OHSU can clear the scientific hurdles more quickly. The preventive vaccine discovery has given rise to a hope that the same approach might also cure an established HIV/AIDS infection. As Picker’s lab continues to refine the preventive vaccine, they are simultaneously pursuing a vaccine that can cure AIDS. Clearing the virus after someone has become infected is more difficult than preventing an infection, but they are already making significant progress. A vaccine is the ideal way to eradicate AIDS once and for all — a safe, affordable injection that can be made available to anyone living anywhere. >>>>
Looking beyond HIV/AIDS The team at OHSU’s Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute is using what they learn with the HIV/AIDS vaccine to develop vaccines for tuberculosis and malaria. Using the same approach, they have already developed a TB vaccine that is more effective at protecting rhesus monkeys from infection than the most successful vaccine currently in use around the globe. The lab’s work on a malaria vaccine is still preliminary, but shows promise. It’s impossible to overstate the dramatic impact these three vaccines could make on world health.
“The approach we’ve developed at OHSU is unique and has the potential to be a huge game-changer not only in HIV/AIDS but in many other diseases.” – Louis Picker, M.D., associate director, OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute
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HIV/AIDS: It’s not over yet For those with access to regular health care, an HIV positive diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. Advanced retroviral therapy has made it possible to live a normal lifespan with an HIV infection, and new preventive medications offer new hope to those at risk of infection. And yet for millions of people around the world without access to health care — and even for some with access — HIV/AIDS is as devastating as it ever was.
Around the world:
In the U.S.:
• There are approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV. • Approximately 50,000 people become infected every year, and about 1 in 4 of those new infections occurs in young people aged 13 – 24. • As of 2014, less than a third of Americans with HIV had their virus under control through effective care and treatment. It’s too soon to know how the Affordable Care Act will affect that number.
• It’s estimated that more than 650,000 people in the U.S. have died of AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic.
• Globally, nearly 37 million people are living with HIV, and more than 30 million have died from AIDS since the earliest cases were detected in the 1980s. • In countries such as Swaziland and Lesotho, more than 20 percent of the population is either HIV positive or living with full-blown AIDS. • Internationally, the number of newly-infected people each year outnumbers those who gain access to treatment by two to one. Only about half of those who need treatment for HIV are currently receiving it. >>>>
“We have a vaccine that elicits a unique kind of immune response. It keeps the immune system perpetually ‘armed and dangerous,’ prepared to attack HIV. With our vaccine, the immune system can intercept the virus more quickly and stop it cold.” – Louis Picker, M.D.
“The AIDS epidemic is not gone, it has simply fallen from our attention here in the U.S.” – Louis Picker, M .D. 16 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
Why this vaccine could be the one that works Picker’s lab at OHSU is one of only a handful of teams around the world making real progress on an HIV/AIDS vaccine. His team has invested more than 15 years in refining a vaccine that is close to being ready for safety testing in humans. His approach carries several advantages:
PERSISTENCE
CMV VECTOR
PEOPLE
RESOURCES
Most vaccines lose their effectiveness over time, but Picker’s vaccine keeps the immune system on constant alert for life, continually preventing the virus from emerging and ultimately eliminating it from the body. Almost everyone lives with small levels of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in their bodies. At low levels, the virus poses no threat. Because of its ubiquity, permanence and safety, CMV offers Dr. Picker an ideal conduit for introducing vaccines into the body. Picker is backed by a world-class team of scientists and researchers, including immunologists, virologists and veterinarians who have been collaborating under his direction since 2001. These specialists have come to Portland from around the world to work in his lab. OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center is among the largest, longest established and most respected facilities for animal research in the world. The primate center has been central to Picker’s breakthroughs in vaccine research.
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MOVING ONWARD
You can help speed the pace of discovery There is little doubt that, step by step, Picker’s team will develop a safe, effective, affordable vaccine for HIV/AIDS. The real question is: how soon? In today’s climate of declining government funding for research, the answer to that question is largely dependent upon philanthropic dollars. With a significant infusion of philanthropic support, Picker can expand his team, focus on research and launch new studies that will find answers to key questions more quickly.
“I spend 80 percent of my time writing grants. Philanthropy will allow me to spend that time in the lab and make progress faster.” – Louis Picker, M.D. We will invest donations in these priority areas:
Lead scientists We will recruit approximately five lead scientists and their teams — each a world leader in a specialty such as vaccines, virology, immunology or clinical trials.
Early career scientists Pulling from the best universities in the world, we will recruit approximately five early career scientists and their teams. Each will be chosen for early research promise and expertise in a key area, such as clinical trials.
Oregon National Primate Research Center Continued investment in OHSU’s primate center is central to Picker’s scientific approach.
Facilities OHSU is considering various options for building new facilities to house the expanding team.
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A life’s work Dr. Louis Picker’s career — and life — has intersected with the AIDS epidemic since the 1980s, when he saw some of the first cases of the disease while attending medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. As a pathology resident, he performed autopsies on some of AIDS’ first victims. His wife, Belinda Beresford, covered the spread of AIDS as a journalist in South Africa. Their family includes six children, one of whom lost his biological parents to AIDS.
ONWARD
HEAL FAMILIES
A NEW HOME AWAY FROM HOME 20 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
very year, thousands of patients travel from across the region for advanced medical care only available at OHSU and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Many are quite ill, and face difficult treatments that can require many weeks to complete. Managing the logistics and expense of temporary housing places more stress on families already coping with a difficult situation. OHSU is building a new guest house on Portland’s South Waterfront to provide a comfortable, affordable home base for those who must put their lives on hold while their loved one heals. >>>>
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Hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices are but one part of the healing process. To recover and thrive, patients need to be surrounded by loved ones and free from stress. Convenient family housing is a key element of patient- and family-centered care, eliminating a major source of worry for patients and families who must leave home for specialized care. The OHSU Guest House is a crucial lifeline to patients and families in crisis, providing the means to stay rested, strong and consistently available to support the ill family member. It is widely acknowledged that both children and adults recover more quickly when they have strong family support nearby. The OHSU Guest House will provide a sanctuary to a wide range of patients and families, including: • Parents of fragile premature infants • Children undergoing epilepsy surgery • Bone marrow transplant patients facing a months-long recovery time • Cancer patients participating in Phase I clinical trials Architectural plans are still evolving, but OHSU plans to offer more than 80 beds in 68 units, allowing us to house more than 3,000 patients, families and caregivers every year — a significant increase over current capacity.
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ZGF Architects and Edward M. Weinstein Architecture and Planning are working with OHSU to design an environment that welcomes patients of all ages, builds a sense of community and provides access to nature. The current design includes:
• Two floors devoted to pediatric patients and families • Two floors for adult patients and their families or caregivers • Communal kitchen • Movie room • Library • Computer room • Meditation room • Roof-top garden • Indoor and outdoor play areas • Laundry
MOVING ONWARD You can help build a new home base for families in crisis The OHSU Guest House will be 100 percent funded by philanthropy. With your help, we can create an oasis of peace and healing for patients and families facing the stress of a medical emergency.
ONWARD
BEAT HEART DISEASE
WE CAN SAVE 110,000 LIVES A YEAR 24 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
he OHSU Knight Cardiovascular Institute is leading a new revolution in cardiovascular medicine that will make heart attacks and strokes more preventable, childhood heart defects more correctable and life-long vitality more achievable for people of all ages. What if we could prevent more than 110,000 premature deaths every year? In theory, at least, we can. That’s how many people are struck down before their time by avoidable heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular catastrophes. In practice, however, prevention is hard. Cardiovascular disease has reigned as the world’s leading cause of death for nearly a century. We may know its main causes, but there’s a wide gap between our knowledge and how we use it to save lives. Those 110,000 premature deaths are only the tip of the iceberg of cardiovascular disease’s devastation, but they are emblematic of the power of prevention to save lives. >>>>
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Stopping disease before it starts Better prevention and earlier treatment of the underlying causes of heart disease are the first steps toward a dramatically lower death rate. OHSU is a global leader in advanced biomedical imaging, high-performance biocomputing and specialized genetic testing. All three of these areas of strength have significant potential to reveal the earliest, molecular-level signals of a cardiovascular problem before it becomes lifethreatening, and to diagnose and treat pediatric heart defects earlier than ever before. The following research programs top our priority list: Pediatric cardiology/fetal therapy: Emerging technology now enables pediatric cardiologists to identify and address congenital heart diseases and defects in utero — yes, before the baby is even born. Why is this critical? Early intervention has the potential to boost survival and later quality of life. The sooner we fix a problem, the sooner these tiny patients can recover and continue their normal development. With investment in Oregon’s first fetal cardiology research program, supporters can advance OHSU’s search for the genetic basis of these conditions so we can predict and treat them even earlier.
Cardiovascular Institute will accelerate the discovery of new treatments and methods of prevention that attack the underlying causes of blood clots and tissue damage. Rhythm of success The Knight Cardiovascular Institute is emerging as one of the nation’s premier cardiovascular centers as a result of Phil and Penny Knight’s $125 million founding investment in 2011. OHSU is launching ambitious research projects, enhancing our patients’ clinical experiences and expanding our research internationally. Since receiving the Knights’ gift we have: ecruited faculty leaders in priority areas such as vascular •R biology •E xpanded our patients’ access to major clinical trials tarted construction of one of the nation’s few PET imaging •S centers equipped with an on-site cyclotron (particle accelerator) •O pened the only around-the-clock cardiac intensive care unit on the West Coast staffed by both an onsite cardiologist and intensive care specialist
MOVING ONWARD Vascular biology: Many of the most devastating cardiovascular diseases — heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms — are caused by leaking or obstructed blood vessels. OHSU is breaking new ground in understanding the chemical and genetic traits of the vascular system at the molecular level. Investment in a dedicated stroke research and care unit within the Knight
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You can help take cardiovascular disease out of circulation Through your gift, you can help us beat cardiovascular disease. Philanthropic support now will help transform the health, quality of life and economy of communities across Oregon and around the world.
ONWARD
TRANSFORM BRAIN HEALTH
WE’RE RETHINKING BRAINS 28 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
rom developmental disorders such as autism to degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, we are creating new hope for patients young and old. OHSU neuroscientists are rewriting the story of brain disease. They reject the notion that there’s no cure on the horizon for people living with debilitating neurological or psychiatric disorders. At least 50 million Americans live with some form of limiting or life-threatening brain disorder. That’s 50 million stories we can rewrite through advanced biomedical research. >>>>
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Thought leaders in brain research We are positioned for leadership in this new era of neuroscience because, year after year, OHSU ranks among the nation’s largest and most productive centers of brain research. Working together, our neuroscientists have made breakthroughs revealing the way brain cells develop and function, why they die or degenerate and how to regrow them. We have some of the world’s most powerful scientific imaging instruments, and more are on the way to help us dive more deeply into the secrets of the nerve cell. We are also reimagining the potential of non-invasive surgical technologies in the routine care of chronic diseases such as pain, depression and Parkinson’s. And we are investing in the neurosciences thought leaders of tomorrow by supporting graduate scholars and up-and-coming faculty stars. Your support provides the catalyst for this comprehensive vision to close the book on brain diseases once and for all. Brain health across the lifespan Researchers and clinicians across OHSU’s neuroscience community are exploring the early development and later 30 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
decline of the cells that form our brain and nervous system. Their work couldn’t be timelier. Among children, diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity and autism spectrum disorders are increasing dramatically. As the nation’s over-65 population continues to increase, the incidence of later-life diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s will escalate. By focusing on the brain’s genetic and molecular blueprints, we are finding commonalities between groups of diseases once considered unrelated. This positions our neuroscientists to make discoveries that benefit people at all stages of life.
MOVING ONWARD You can help inspire the next brain science breakthrough With your support our world-class neuroscientists can leverage state-of-the-art tools to explore their boldest ideas. We can involve more patients in clinical studies of exciting new treatments. And we can invest in tomorrow’s brightest minds in neuroscience – the graduate students and early-career faculty who will take this work forward in the future.
ONWARD
END BLINDNESS
BUILDING MOMENTUM 32 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
s the region’s premier eye care center and research hub, OHSU Casey Eye Institute is determined to eliminate preventable blindness and bring new sight-saving treatments to people around the world. Today we have a unique opportunity to expand our worldclass research and educational programs and treat more patients with innovative therapies. >>>>
“There has never been a more promising time for eye research. We are on the cusp of new cures we could not have dreamed of 20 years ago.” – Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A., president, OHSU
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Imagine a future without blindness At the OHSU Casey Eye Institute, one of the world’s most elite teams of research leaders and clinical care experts is creating a future in which no one has to go blind. We have earned our reputation for innovation with some of the field’s most important breakthroughs: • Created world’s first gene therapy treatment for juvenile macular degeneration and Usher syndrome • Discovered world’s first stem cell therapy for retinitis pigmentosa • Co-invented a diagnostic tool called optical coherence tomography that has been heralded as the most important advance in ophthalmology in more than 100 years
MOVING ONWARD Help us accelerate progress A $15 million gift from the Elks Youth Eye Service and a $5 million gift from private philanthropist John Wold made it possible to start planning, but we will need to raise a total of $50 million in philanthropic support to complete this facility and provide support for our innovative programs. With your philanthropic support we can complete this new research and patient care facility — and speed the pace of innovation.
In 2014 the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research ranked Casey 5th in the nation for federally funded eye research. Today, OHSU is building a state-of-the-art facility that will expand our world-class research, enhance educational programs and allow us to treat more patients with innovative therapies. Making room for innovation OHSU is building a 60,000-square-foot building that will house some of Casey’s most important programs, including the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic, the Macular Degeneration Center, the Gene Therapy Center and the Casey Eye Institute Reading Center. The facility will enable: • New facilities for subspecialty care for children with glaucoma, and retinal and orbital disease • Shorter waiting times for children receiving care at the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic • Expanded programs in gene therapy and ophthalmic imaging • Enhanced collaboration among research teams Zeroing in on macular degeneration Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is by far the leading cause of legal blindness in the United States, and it is on the rise as our population ages. There are two main forms, “wet” and “dry” AMD. Although treatments are available for wet AMD, they are not long lasting and require monthly visits to the eye doctor. There are virtually no treatment options for dry AMD, which affects the vast majority of macular degeneration patients. The new facility will house Casey’s Macular Degeneration Center, where researchers are undertaking some of the most important AMD research in the world. The center’s accomplishments include: • Establishing an ongoing study involving more than 4,500 patients, which has revealed crucial insights into the genetics underlying AMD • Serving as one of two research sites in the U.S. testing a gene therapy for wet AMD, to replace current treatments using eye injections • Developing new stem cell therapies for macular degeneration 34 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
A visionary partnership Since 1949, the Oregon State Elks Association has been one of OHSU’s most steadfast partners. Its philanthropy established the Elks Children’s Eye Clinic, which provides more than 16,000 child eye visits each year. In addition to financial support, the Oregon Elks provide more than 7,500 volunteer hours at the clinic every year, equivalent to more than three full-time positions.
ONWARD
HEAL KIDS
EVERY CHILD DESERVES THE BEST 36 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
HSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital’s combination of world-class expertise and family-centered care makes us the region’s most important resource for children’s health. Indeed, U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked us as one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals. With your help, we can ensure that all children in Oregon and our region can benefit from the exceptional care and research breakthroughs Doernbecher has to offer.
>>>>
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A tradition of hope and healing Doernbecher has been providing hope and healing to children and their families for nearly 90 years. Since we opened our doors in 1926, we have never turned away a sick child for inability to pay. We have a clear-cut mission: caring for children and saving their lives. Our patients come from Alaska, Idaho, northern California, rural Oregon and elsewhere for specialized care that other regional hospitals don’t offer. We are a Level 1 trauma center and our 151-bed hospital has the largest pediatric intensive care unit in Oregon. In addition to our facility on Marquam Hill, Doernbecher offers primary care and specialty services in locations throughout the Portland metro area and in outreach clinics across the state. We also use a state-of-the-art telemedicine network to provide patients in community hospitals throughout Oregon immediate access to Doernbecher’s Portland-based pediatric critical care specialists. Doernbecher scientists in the Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute are making scientific breakthroughs in dozens of areas offering new hope to children contending with hard-to-treat illnesses. For example, Doernbecher doctors were the first in the world to use the anti-cancer drug Gleevec® to treat patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Today, thanks to Gleevec, children with that rare form of leukemia can expect to live a normal lifespan. (See story on page 6).
MOVING ONWARD You can change the world for children With your philanthropic support, we can bring better care and new hope to children throughout the region. Your philanthropic dollars can help us expand the range of services available to kids, accelerate new cures for hard-to-treat children’s diseases and provide an excellent education for the next generation of pediatric specialists. Our current philanthropic priority is to fund the construction of a new guest house on Portland’s South Waterfront, which will create a home away from home for Doernbecher patient families facing a medical crisis (see page 21). Our next priority is to build a stable long-term source of support for our Department of Pediatrics through endowed funds. Endowed funds are ongoing funds that donors establish for a specific purpose, such as a professorship or research fund. We invest the money, which in turn generates an annual income for Doernbecher. Endowed funds allow us to attract top clinicians, support excellence and innovation in the Department of Pediatrics and accelerate progress towards new cures, like Gleevec. Endowed funds are an excellent way for donors to leave a legacy for generations to come, and are often named after the individual donor, his or her family or a loved one. Doernbecher 38 / ONWARD WINTER 2015
exists today because Frank S. Doernbecher left $200,000 in his will in 1921 to benefit the people of Oregon ($2.4 million in today’s dollars). The Doernbechers were convinced of the need for a special hospital that would improve our ability to care for children and prevent childhood diseases. The Doernbecher family specified that patients would be treated in this hospital regardless of their ability to pay. Today Doernbecher is the Northwest’s premier pediatric hospital, providing exceptional family-centered care to the children of the region and beyond.
Doernbecher points of distinction: Families travel to Doernbecher for specialized services that other regional hospitals don’t offer: • Advanced cancer care • Access to Phase 1 clinical trials • Pediatric bone marrow transplants • Pediatric epilepsy surgery • Advanced fetal therapy • Pediatric brain tumor surgery
THIS IS MORE THAN A CAMPAIGN THIS IS A MOVEMENT Thanks to supporters like you, OHSU has earned a reputation for taking on the impossible — and succeeding. Join us as we take on a new set of bold challenges. Together we can innovate faster, save more lives and give hope to millions.
JOIN US OnwardOHSU.org 503-228-1730 | 800 462-6608 | ohsufinfo@ohsu.edu Call our main switchboard or contact our general email address and we will connect you to the right person for your area of interest. 1121 SW Salmon Street | Suite 100 | Portland, OR 97205
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OnwardOHSU.org 1121 SW Salmon Street, Suite 100 | Portland, OR 97205