Teaching and research partnerships between physicians and the University of Oregon will continue and expand with the launching of the Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute in spring 2004.

• Research in the area of cardiovascular physiology under the direction of Chris Minson, Ph.D., and John Halliwill, Ph.D., co-directors of the Exercise and Environmental Physiology Laboratories at the U of O in the Department of Human Physiology, can be characterized as the investigation of factors and interventions that contribute to cardiac and vascular health, spanning the spectrum from molecular-based research to direct patient care. The positive outcome of the research partnership generated by the founding of OHVI is the creation of a unique public/private model in which it becomes possible to do biomedical research of the type done in medical schools outside of such a specialized environment. The four major areas related to cardiovascular health supported by physicians and clinical personnel that will continue under OHVI are: exercise studies, women’s health, altitude-hypoxia and thermoregulation.

Other on-going projects include the following:

• Identification of factors responsible for reducing blood pressure during recovery from a single bout of exercise. Related to identifying better ways to manage hypertension through physical activity. Funded by American Heart Association.
• Identification of controlling factors for cardiovascular responses during exposure to reduced oxygen levels, similar to what happens at altitude or in patients with sleep apnea. To understand more completely the effects of stress on blood pressure. Funded by the National Institutes of Health.
• Identify of controlling mechanisms that underlie the increased risk of fainting in young women compared to men. Related to understanding the independent and combined effects of estrogen and progesterone on blood pressure regulation. May lead to a better understanding as to why women tend to faint more often than men, and why women tend to have decreased rates of cardiovascular disease than men. Funded by American Heart Association; Pat Bergin. MD, of Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute serves as a co-investigator.
• Discovery of neurotransmitters that regulate skin blood flow, particularly in response to hot environmental conditions. Such regulation is diminished with advanced age and in patients suffering from certain diseases, including hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes, significantly raising the risk of heat-related illness and death in these groups. Work will lead to better understanding of why changes in skin blood flow in the elderly that culminate in increased cardiovascular strain and risk during climactic stress. Funded by the National Institutes of Health.
• Identification of the vascular changes in heart failure patients who have improved cardiac function from treatment with a new technique called External Enhanced Counter Pulsation. Clinically, many patients who receive this therapy show improved heart function but the underlying causes of this improvement remain equivocal. Collaboration with Jay Chappell, MD, of Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute.

OHVI’s partnership with the University of Oregon extends beyond research to include teaching and training:

• The Department of Human Physiology at the University of Oregon has a clinical faculty composed of nearly thirty physicians and health care providers who routinely contribute to courses offered by the department. This number will grow as OHVI develops.
• The Department of Human Physiology and Sacred Heart Medical Center have joint-sponsored medical education/research seminars directed at U of O research faculty/students and Eugene/Springfield area physicians. Medical staff continuing education credits are often attached to these talks.
• Discussions are under way for the creation of a graduate program in Clinical Physiology that will rely heavily on the physicians and OHVI staff for clinical experience and practical training. Students will do rotations through various clinics and laboratories. They will leave prepared to take the certification exams qualifying them for hospital and clinical work and leadership positions.
• Department of Human Physiology graduate and undergraduate students are routinely placed with physicians for clinical/surgical observations and research projects. The Institute will create infrastructure to facilitate and expand these opportunities for students to apply the basic science they have learned in the classroom in the types of clinics in which they hope to practice.
• The Institute staff will work with U of O multimedia experts and students to develop non-traditional ways to deliver student and patient education as well as new ways to disseminate information to the general public, allowing the university to extend its mission beyond its geographical borders into communities throughout Oregon and beyond.