Giving
Private contributions fuel the OHSU Department of Dermatology.
There are two key visions at the core of everything we do as a department — one is promoting optimum skin health, and two, is freeing the world of human suffering caused by disorders of the skin. We do this by striving to provide the best care possible to our patients, to train the next generations' physicians to reach their highest potential, and to advance the science of skin disorders through research. The reality is, this work is incredibly intensive and expensive, and we can do this important work because caring people support these programs with their gifts.
If you or a family member has been personally touched by the care they received here, want to see the next generation of skin health physicians reach new heights, or believe in the value of cutting-edge basic and translational research, we hope you will consider making a charitable gift to our department. You can designate your gift to benefit any area of OHSU dermatology, and you can give in any manor you would like. The OHSU Foundation team can help you create a gift that achieves your philanthropic and personal goals. Thank you for considering us.
Learn more about some specific funds you can support:
Your gift supports our basic and translational science program and their research on skin disorders of all kinds. In a tough scientific climate, researchers are forced to bolster grant-funding with gift contributions to keep their essential work running smoothly.
- We currently have six basic science labs dedicated to advancing knowledge on melanoma, two researching non-melanoma skin cancers, and five more on inflammatory skin diseases.
- Our clinical trial program offers dozens of clinical trials per year, giving patients additional treatment options for their conditions while testing the efficacy to benefit future sufferers.
Your gift supports:
- Programs and specialty clinics that offer our patients with rare and difficult conditions the specialty attention they deserve
- Professorships and recruitment tools to attract and retain world-class scientists and physicians
- Facilities to provide our services, including expansion to increase patient access and decrease time until patients can be seen
- Maintenance to existing locations and meeting spaces
- The ability for our faculty and staff to provide outreach and services to those in need
Your gift supports:
- Educational programs designed to train the next generation of dermatology providers
- Ongoing improvements in curriculum and learning opportunities for our residents
- The amount of residents we are able to train per year
- Resident benefits, such as pay, retirement, health benefits, and supplies
Frances J. Storrs, M.D., professor emeritus of dermatology, has established an amazing legacy within the medical community, the field of dermatology and the city of Portland. The OHSU Department of Dermatology and Dr. Storrs' friends and peers are proud to present an opportunity to honor Dr. Storrs for her many groundbreaking and remarkable accomplishments.
With so many great physicians in the dermatology specialty, it is truly amazing when one noticeably shines so brightly. Our goal is to create a professorship in her name. While this professorship will be only the second named position for a female physician in dermatology across the country, and the first named professorship in the Department of Dermatology at OHSU, this is more than just a great honor for a great woman. This is a deserved honor for a wonderful physician, talented researcher and inspiring mentor of so many young physicians, both male and female.
Distinction in medicine
The specialty of dermatology and OHSU have been the fortunate beneficiaries of Dr. Storr's dedication. She blazed a trail right from the outset, as the first female resident accepted in the OHSU dermatology training program by Walter C. Lobitz Jr., M.D. Her passion and tireless dedication to evidence-based medicine gained her immediate respect and she moved quickly into prominence as a faculty member and expert in her chosen sub-specialty of contact dermatitis. Her determination as a clinician and educator brought about discoveries of new allergens in the workplace and new therapeutic options and paved the way for her peers to nominate her for important leadership roles in dermatology, contact dermatitis and medicine overall. This dedication has made her a sought-after visiting professor, with requests from nearly every continent.
She's received more than 30 awards from every area in which she has dedicated herself; from medicine to women and civil liberties, including the AAD's Master Dermatologist Award, the OHSU Humanism in Medicine Award, the City Club of Portland's Citizen of the Year, and the American Contact Dermatitis Society's Alexander Fisher Lectureship Award, to name just a few. In recognition of her lifetime commitment to mentoring women in dermatology Fran received the Women's Dermatology Society's most prestigious honor, the Rose Hirschler Award. And, she was also awarded the AAD's highest honor, the Gold Medal in 2009.
An impassioned mentor
Following in the footsteps of her esteemed mentor, Walter C. Lobitz Jr., M.D., Fran has also distinguished herself through unwavering commitment to and passion for the education of young people. But Fran's legacy has been built on more than just her commitment to individuals; her mentorship is sought because of how she lives her life. Her enduring commitment to ethical behavior, her industrious challenge of what is known, and her unmatched enthusiasm for every aspect of life, make people around her want to be better people, better doctors, and generally, to enjoy life in a deeper way.
In 1959, Jesse Ettelson, M.D., a Portland dermatologist, was honored by his son with the establishment of an endowment in his name. George W. Ettelson established the Dr. Jesse Ettelson Fund for the Advancement of Dermatology to honor his father, Jesse Ettelson, M.D. (1884-1968), on his 75th birthday. Throughout the years, George Ettelson and his wife, Helene, contributed to the fund and have encouraged others in their family to do the same. Regretfully, on January 27, 2007, George Ettelson passed away at the age of 81. A true philanthropist, George further grew the fund through a generous bequest. His wife has even continued to support the fund, which the Department of Dermatology uses to support innovative research. We applaud and thank the Ettelsons for their vision and philanthropic spirit. George Ettelson’s vision and generosity will continue forever through the ongoing life of the endowment fund named for his father.
In 2022, Helene Ettelson sadly also passed. Shortly after, OHSU Foundation learned that OHSU would be the beneficiary of her generous giving once again, with an unprecedented estate gift of nearly $13 million to support cancer. Part of which was dedicated to OHSU Dermatology innovation and faculty research. Read more: Couple leaves $13 million gift to support cancer, dermatology research at OHSU.
This endowment is a vital resource for the department’s research mission: dedication to finding tomorrow’s dermatologic advances.
Learn about Ettelson Award Recipients and their work by visiting our awards page.
2023 - Erin Grinich, M.D. — Bathing Frequency and the Development of Atopic Dermatitis
2021 - Alex G Ortega-Loayza, M.D., M.C.R. — PyGaS (Pyoderma Gangrenosum Study)
2021 - Jesse Keller, M.D., M.C.R. — Exploring inflammatory cytokines of Morgellon's Disease
2020 - Meghan Woody, M.D. — The Dermatology Free Clinic - collaborating with the med-student-run Bridges Care Clinic.
2019 - Sabra Leitenberger, M.D. — Inter-SPORE and International Pediatric Melanoma Outcomes Project.
2019 - Annalise Abiodun, M.D. — Evaluating suction epidermal blister grafting technique using an automated and minimally invasive tool for treatment of vitiligo: A pilot study.
2018 - Julie Dhossche, M.D. — An examination on similarities and differences between allopathic and naturopathic providers in treatment of atopic dermatitis.
2018 - Tamar Hajar-Serviansky, M.D. — Laboratory monitoring in dermatology and rheumatology patients treated with low dose methotrexate
2017 - Kelly Griffith-Bauer, M.D. — The SCAR Project
2015 - 2016 - Alla Yarmosh — Identifying obstacles and barriers to melanoma diagnosis and treatment.
2013 - 2015 - Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D. — Exploring a role for piperine in the treatment of vitiligo
2011 - 2013 - Melissa Wong, Ph.D. — Researching epithelial cell differentiation, stem cells and β-catenin signaling in development and cancer
Your gift supports the following War on Melanoma™ efforts:
- The statewide early detection media campaign and all collateral produced for this effort
- Ongoing development and support for the MoleMapper™ phone application
- The development and implementation of critical research surveys
- Database and other technical support expenses
- Labor and manpower to maintain and push War on Melanoma™ efforts forward
- Melanoma-related research projects associated with the War on Melanoma™
- The collaboration and partnership with other states and institutions to widen the War on Melanoma™