Roger Chou, M.D., is part of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which updated its recommendation to only screen at-risk teens and adults for Hepatitis B infection.

Ryan Thrower, D.M.D., became the first dentist in the U.S. to administer a COVID vaccine when she gave the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to cardiovascular ICU nurse Ansu Drammeh, R.N., B.S.N., during Gov. Kate Brown’s livestreamed press conference on Dec. 16.

In a story about hospital preparations for COVID-related patient surges, James Heilman, M.D. says that, in a crisis scenario, it is ideal to “ share patients and redistribute patients so that we maintain access for everyone.”

More than 13,000 people have volunteered to participate in the AstraZeneca and Oxford University COVID vaccine trial at OHSU. Enrollment is being prioritizing for those at higher risk for infection.

OHSU is one of only a few hospitals in Oregon to receive the first shipments of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The first doses will be given to high-risk, frontline health care workers.

Story profiles the architecture and construction behind the Center for Health & Healing Building 2 noting OHSU has been “at the forefront of the last decade’s building boom in Portland’s South Waterfront district.” Stephanie O’Brien says: “The construction of this project enabled front line staff to become involved in reviewing their own workflows, identifying waste and improving the patient experience. We were able to implement a new performance improvement system across the hospital.”

Mark Slifka, Ph.D., says that while obesity is a leading risk factor for severe coronavirus disease, the Pfizer vaccine trial’s results thus far indicate that the vaccine works just as well for people who are obese as those who are not.

A decade after the birth of the first primates born with the aid of a gene therapy technique pioneered at OHSU, a long-term study of the monkeys and their offspring reveals no adverse health effects.

Andrew McHill, Ph.D., speaks to NPR’s All Things Considered regarding a new statistical analysis revealing the importance of paying attention to circadian rhythms, using the NBA’s travel-free “bubble” as a natural experiment.

Connie Seeley is tapped by Gov. Kate Brown to serve as a special adviser for Oregon’s COVID-19 vaccine implementation.