Melinda Davis, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, Director of the Oregon Rural Practice-based Research Network and Director of the OCTRI Community and Collaboration Core at OHSU. Dr. Davis is a participatory implementation scientist who collaborates with patient, community, and health system partners to adapt and implement interventions to improve health equity in rural and low resourced settings. Dr. Davis conducts her work in ORPRN, often in partnership with the Community Health Advocacy and Research Alliance (CHARA), Oregon's Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs), and other state and national partners. Dr. Davis leads a portfolio of research and technical assistance contracts funded by the National Cancer Institute, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, American Cancer Society, and National Institute of Minority Health & Health Disparities.

If you would like to contact Dr. Davis, please email.

Paige is the Program Administrator for the OCTRI Community Research Hub, joining OHSU in2004. She has over 14 years of experience protecting human subjects in research; managing clinical trials, co-writing grants, implementing research projects in both university and Veteran Hospital settings and managing budgets. Her research interests focus on building community capacity for research in a few different ways; first, by conducting trainings in community settings with the goal of familiarizing individuals and research teams to the research process so community researchers can begin their own research studies more quickly, efficiently and ethically. She also conducts trainings around the use of Evidence-Based Approaches and the importance of protecting human subjects participating in research. Secondly, by working closely with community researchers, Ms. Farris is interested in providing technical assistance to community researchers in the design of research projects; assuring project outcomes are – sometimes creatively – met based on novel data collection tools or recruitment techniques (i.e.: Let's Get Healthy) She has a commitment to improving health policy through research and values collaboration and research partnerships in order to improve healthcare for all people.

If you would like to contact Paige, please email.

Laura is the Community Research Program Manager for the OCTRI Community Research Hub. She joined OHSU in 2018 as the Community Research Liaison for Central Oregon. She now leads the Community Research Liaison Team and is responsible for the Community Project Assistance Program. Her team connects and provides community organizations with resources, technical assistance, and expertise to support research-based practices and data-driven decision-making. They work to build the capacity of communities to participate in and conduct community engaged research.

Laura’s research interests are in Maternal and Child Health and Implementation Science. Her research experience includes implementing and evaluating an evidence-based intervention to prevent postpartum depression, implementing and evaluating coordinated community models to identify and respond to children who have been exposed to violence, and assessing community conceptualization of resilience, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Laura is also developing knowledge in the field diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a social justice advocate and works to bring diverse perspectives to her team, support the work of oppressed communities and individuals, and address health disparities.

If you would like to contact Laura, please email.