OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

11/21/2025

Today, our researchers, clinicians, and staff showed up in purple for World Pancreatic Cancer Day. 💜

We’re proud to stand together to raise awareness, honor patients and families, and push for earlier diagnosis and better treatments.

Every photo represents hope, solidarity, and the shared commitment that drives the team at OHSU.

Thank you to everyone who wore purple today—you’re helping raise awareness for a disease that urgently needs it. 💜✨

11/20/2025

Where great discoveries are made 🧠🔬

📸

11/14/2025

: Paul Schipper, Professor of Surgery, Medical Director for Lung Cancer, Program Director Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency, Section Chief for General Thoracic Surgery

What is your favorite part about working in your field?

Helping people get better and get back to life.

What inspired you to become a surgeon, specializing in thoracic (chest and lung) surgery?

My mom was an elementary teacher, and my dad was a Lutheran minister; I liked fixing things and helping people.

What is the importance of screening/early detection?

We’ve been able to cure lung cancer for a long time; we just have to find it early. Screening is what lets us find it early.

What was your “Dream Job” as a kid?

This is it!

What do you like to do for fun or as a hobby outside of work?

I enjoy mountain biking, road biking, cyclocross, river rafting, hiking, traveling, scuba, snorkeling, and playing the ukulele and banjo.

What is your favorite thing to do/eat/explore in Oregon?

Exploring the forest, the mountains, and the streams. I follow forest roads and trails to see where they go.

11/14/2025

11/14/2025

We’re excited to announce that OHSU has received funding through the American Cancer Society-Pfizer Addressing Barriers to Cancer Care for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Individuals Grant Program.

“American Indian and Alaska Native people have higher rates of cancer and worse clinical outcomes than other populations,” says Dr. Amanda Bruegl.

“This project empowers our team to support AI/AN patients and their families by educating them about the cancer center and teams, in addition to providing cultural education to cancer treatment team members.”

Dr. Bruegl, whose family background includes the Oneida and Stockbridge-Munsee tribes, is one of the first Native American gynecologic oncologists in the U.S.

“Engaging in this work will allow our team the opportunity to provide culturally based navigation into our existing treatment teams to help support patients and their families as they navigate a cancer diagnosis."

11/13/2025

11/12/2025

11/07/2025

: Rajat Thawani, an Asst. Professor of Medicine and a thoracic and phase 1 medical oncologist at . Basically, I get to fight lung cancer and help bring innovative, targeted therapies to patients 🚀.

What is your favorite part about working in your field?

The progress we see every single day. Watching a molecule on paper transform into a treatment that changes lives ✨

What led you to ?

I trained at OHSU, so coming back felt like a full-circle moment. My mentors here shaped me as an oncologist, and now I get to work alongside brilliant teams who share the same mission of making life better for cancer patients 🌎.

What inspired you to become a medical oncologist, specializing in lung cancer?

Lung cancer causes the most cancer-related deaths. We’ve made huge strides, but there’s still so much more to do. My dream is to help rewrite the story of lung cancer—from despair to resilience 💪.

What is the importance of screening/early detection?

“Screening saves lives.”

Catching lung cancer early can mean the difference between a cure and a crisis. If you’re eligible, screening gives you a head start in the race against cancer 🏃‍♂️.

What was your “Dream Job” as a kid?

Ice-cream taster! Luckily, Portland’s ice cream shops let me live that dream on weekends…just not getting paid for it 🍦.

What do you like to do for fun?

Exploring Oregon’s trails, swimming, and testing out new coffee spots ☕️.

What is your favorite thing to do in Oregon?

Hiking wildflower trails, trying new restaurants, my all-time favorite is Shalom Y’all.

What is the best emoji to describe you? Or one you use often?

🤗 When in doubt, hug it out.

11/07/2025

New research at OSHU offers a promising way to treat triple-negative breast cancer, which is a form of cancer that is notoriously aggressive and lacks effective treatments.

Researchers describe the effect of a molecule (SU212) in restricting an enzyme critical to cancer progression.

Could someday also be useful in treating other cancers influenced by same enzyme, such as glioma, pancreatic cancer, thyroid carcinoma.

11/07/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Lisa Coussens on being honored with the 2025 Metastasis Research Society's Women in Science Research award for her exceptional, demonstrable contribution to scientific discovery in the field of metastasis research.

On the honor, Dr. Coussens says, “Tremendous gratitude to all past and present members of my laboratory and our collaborators for their passion, commitment and bravery that has impacted our understanding of mechanisms regulating cancer progression.”

11/06/2025

Despite years of cancer research, scientists know relatively little about what happens in the body during the early stages of cancer.

Without samples of early cancer, it’s difficult to understand the changes that occur as healthy tissue becomes cancerous.

Tissue engineering is helping close that gap.

And recent technologies have enabled scientists to mirror the complexity of cancer in the lab ⤵️

Scientific review discusses how new advances in 3D bioprinting, organoids, organs on-a-chip aid in the fight against cancer.

11/05/2025

In a significant advancement for childhood cancer care, Dr. Jennifer Raybin and Family Nurse Practitioner Kelly Anderson detail the creation and rollout of a virtual, interdisciplinary survivorship clinic, launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative aimed to break down barriers to specialty care for childhood cancer survivors — an objective that, according to the study's findings, has been met with notable success.

What the study found:

The virtual model proved not only feasible and sustainable, but also highly favored among families who cited flexibility, reduced time off work, lower costs, minimized travel, increased comfort at home, and the avoidance of traumatic hospital experiences as major benefits.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/47yeyyJ