By Darby Kendall
Dedicated individuals at OHSU and OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital are building a future that brings health and well-being to everyone in Oregon and beyond. In the spring of 2026, some of OHSU’s brilliant professionals spoke about their innovations and groundbreaking work that propel healthcare forward.
These are the Changemakers. Hear their stories in their own words.
Creating a world-class care experience for cancer patients
Brian Druker, M.D.
Brian Druker, M.D., president of the OHSU Knight Cancer Group and JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research, revolutionized the treatment of cancer through research that led to Gleevec, the first drug to target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. His work launched the era of precision cancer medicine, leading to hundreds of other therapies while bolstering patient care.
Oregon: America’s health hub of the future
Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A.
Oregon’s unique offerings have long attracted a creative, educated and value-driven community that has cultivated a culture of innovation. OHSU President Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A., sees an opportunity to add to that innovation by capitalizing on the emerging sector of bioscience. He believes that OHSU can catalyze a transformation that seats Oregon at the heart of advanced healthcare in the United States.
Solving the problem of pediatric blindness
J. Peter Campbell, M.D., M.P.H.
J. Peter Campbell, M.D., M.P.H., the Edwin and Josephine Knowles Professor of Ophthalmology, researches and utilizes technology to improve the care of those with retinal disease, including pediatric patients. Following decades of the OHSU Casey Eye Institute’s leadership in retinopathy of prematurity research and screening methods, Campbell and his colleagues are addressing a critical gap in pediatric retinal care.
The focus of fetal care
Dana Braner, M.D., FAAP, FCCM; Andrew Chon, M.D.; Henry Lin, M.D., M.B.A.; Raphael Sun, M.D., FACS, FAAP; Jamie Warren, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP
OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital’s multidisciplinary teams collaborate to provide seamless, family-centered care across a child’s lifetime. The Doernbecher Fetal Care Program is the only one of its kind in the region that keeps pregnant patients and their babies in one place through diagnosis, treatment, delivery and recovery.
Research from bench to bedside and beyond
Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D.
Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D., is the interim chief research officer and director of the Center for Mental Health Innovation at OHSU. At a recent talk she gave, Nagel highlighted the work of three uniquely different researchers and discussed how their powerful work fuels new interventions, drugs and policies.
The importance of community eye care
Andreas Lauer, M.D.
The Elks Children’s Eye Clinic at the OHSU Casey Eye Institute has helped protect, improve and restore vision for tens of thousands of children and adults. Andreas Lauer, M.D., Margaret Thiele-Petti and August Petti Endowed Chair and director at the Casey Eye Institute, is proud of the institute’s work with children both at the Elks Eye Clinic and in rural Oregon communities.
A new era of neurology
Ahmed Raslan, M.D., FAANS
Ahmed Raslan, M.D., FAANS, John Raaf Chair of Neurosciences, is a neurosurgeon at OHSU who cares for adult patients with epilepsy, brain tumors and movement disorders. He works in the emerging field of bioelectronic medicine, where cutting-edge devices interface directly with the nervous system to treat previously untreatable conditions.
