

Donate to ORPRN
Support community-engaged research, education, and health policy in Oregon.
Donate now using the button above to ensure that ORPRN’s projects continue to impact health in rural and low-resourced communities throughout the state.
Mission Statement
ORPRN's mission is to improve health for all Oregonians through community engaged research, education, and policy.
Letter from the Director: Navigating Change and Uncertainty
I’ve long appreciated the quote, “be kind as everyone is fighting a difficult battle,” (unknown). When I look back at the director’s post from January 2025 it brings a smile and then a frown to my face. I highlighted the opportunities this year would bring, and our productive partnerships with rural communities to improve health and conduct research.
We are now in a different context. The rules of the game changed seemingly overnight.
Yet despite that frown, I am grateful to work side by side with ORPRN’s program leaders and our clinical, community, and health system partners who are also navigating a new context and uncertain terrain. Relationships still anchor the work we do at ORPRN, which enables us to find new ways to continue to advance health for all Oregonians through research, education, and health policy. I am impressed by the way our team, and our partners, are choosing courage even as federal programs, partners, and guidelines transition and shrink in size and scope.
While I am not minimizing the changes to US health care and research that are facing ORPRN this year, I am impressed by the way we are navigating shifts. The whole team at ORPRN is working to find opportunity even in challenge, such as by:
- Standing up new and ongoing Extension for Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) programming with diverse funding streams and partnerships.
- Holding rural listening sessions to support our goals for the Primary Care Rural and Frontier Clinical Trials Innovation Center (PRaCTICe), a CARE for HealthTM Primary Care Network Research Hub, and through a partnership with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Action Collaboration on Community Practices Engaging in Clinical Trials.
- Leading ongoing work to advance the ability of clinics and community-based organizations to address unmet social needs.
- Partnering with programs and schools across OHSU, such as the Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute and Knight Cancer Center, to engage with partners across the state and nationally. Some of that work includes supporting deflection programs, cancer screening and prevention, atopic dermatitis, and person-centered care for patients with multiple chronic conditions.
- Partnering with Oregon Office of Rural Health to plan and deliver the 2024 Rural Listening Sessions. Please see the report here.
One of the biggest opportunities for us at present is to connect, articulate impacts, and stay focused on our goals. I’m grateful for each of your ongoing work to lead and thrive in this space of uncertainty, and to offer community-based solutions to overcome the challenges of our time.
— Melinda Davis, PhD, ORPRN Director
ORPRN Impact Report
We are pleased to announce the release of the 2023-2024 ORPRN Impact Report. Primary care and public health continue to face enormous challenges with health care workforce shortages, shifts in funding structures, growing population health needs, and unwieldy administrative burden. And yet, we are making progress. One of the most rewarding aspects of my work at ORPRN has been seeing long-term investments come to fruition, and new creative opportunities arise to improve the health of some of the most at risk Oregonians.
As highlighted in the Impact Report, our team spans three complimentary areas: Research, Education, and Health Policy, all working on more than 50 active projects to advance our mission of “improving health for all Oregonians.”
ORPRN’s work aligns with the Oregon Governor’s priorities, and with the Oregon Health Authority’s strategic plan; we work both within clinical practices and beyond those boundaries in areas such as houselessness, early learning, access to care, and fostering healthy families and environments.
Some of the highlights we achieved between 2023 and 2024 include partnering with almost 180 clinics in our research and quality improvement work; working with 98 community partners, payors, and local health departments; and engaging directly or indirectly with thousands of individuals in clinical and implementation research and education.
In addition to our clinical practice and community partners, we work actively with 15 affiliated and core academic researchers, and others across the nation. Last year, ORPRN staff and collaborators produced 45 publications and national or regional presentations and held 77 technical assistance events for health care practitioners, funders, and policy audiences. All of this work aims to provide evidence about what works in primary care across the state and provide resources to front-line providers and practices about ways to address challenges in the current healthcare landscape.
I hope you take a moment to review the Impact Report and celebrate these achievements. On behalf of ORPRN Leadership, I want to thank all our partners throughout the state and beyond who dedicate themselves to making people healthier. We all would not be able to accomplish so much without you.
— Jennifer Coury, Sr. Research Project manager and Co-Director, ORPRN Research Program