Dr. Jennifer DeVoe appointed chair of family medicine
June 28, 2016
OHSU School of Medicine Dean Mark Richardson has appointed
Jennifer DeVoe, M.D. R '04, MCR '10, D.Phil., as chair of the Department of
Family Medicine, effective July 1. As announced
last November, John Saultz, M.D., is stepping down June 30, after 17 years
as leader of the department.
"The School of Medicine is fortunate to have a highly-qualified and well-established member from among our faculty to succeed Dr. Saultz," said Dean Richardson. "I look forward to seeing OHSU's commitment to family medicine in Oregon and the nation continue to grow under the leadership of Dr. DeVoe."
Dr. DeVoe's connection to the Department of Family Medicine began during her residency training, which she completed in 2004. She then served for two years as a clinical instructor/health services research postdoctoral fellow before joining the faculty in 2006. During her career, she has become known internationally for research that achieves a number of things: informs community practice, works to eliminate health disparities and seeks to advance innovative health policy interventions, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations.
"I am inspired every day by the caring, compassionate people at OHSU who are working together to achieve excellence in everything we do. I'm honored and excited to serve in this leadership role and to continue collaborating with OHSU colleagues and others in our communities to improve the health of Oregonians," said Dr. DeVoe.
Dr. DeVoe's leadership is also reflected in her work with community organizations and through scholarly contributions to the field. She was a leader in the development of a practice-based research network at the OCHIN community health information network and an author on more than 130 peer-reviewed publications. She currently serves as the principal investigator (PI) on five large, federally-funded research studies and serves as co-PI of the ADVANCE Clinical Data Research Network. ADVANCE is part of PCORnet, which is integrating electronic health record data from nearly 1,000 community health centers across the country, creating a unique community laboratory for including disadvantaged and vulnerable patients in patient-centered outcomes research.
In 2015, she received the OHSU School of Medicine Alumni Association's Early Career Achievement Award. She also serves on the National Board for Family Medicine for America's Health and is president of the North American Primary Care Research Group. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine) in 2014 – an honor at that time given to only seven other members from Oregon, four of whom are OHSU faculty members.
Dr. DeVoe earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1999. Selected as a Rhodes Scholar in 1996, she also earned an MPhil and DPhil from Oxford University in 1998 and 2001, respectively. She holds joint faculty appointments in the OHSU Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology and at Kaiser Permanente Northwest Center for Health Research. Dr. DeVoe will continue her clinical practice at the OHSU Gabriel Park Family Medicine clinic.
The Department of Family Medicine is home to about 125 faculty members and 300 volunteer faculty who are active across the state in primary care delivery and research. The department currently sponsors four family health centers in the Portland area, including a Federally-Qualified Health Center, a residency program in Klamath Falls, a residency partnership with Kaiser Permanente Beaverton, and a student wellness center in collaboration with Benson Polytechnic High School. The department's university-based residency program is noted as among the most competitive in the nation, attracting a large and diverse pool of applicants. Research and scholarship are also core to the departmental mission; current emphases include clinical and chronic disease; health policy and population health; medical education; dissemination and implementation science; and primary care innovation and transformation – themes poised to be strengthened with Dr. DeVoe as chair.