May 29, 2015

Paul Gorman, M.D., has been named assistant dean for rural medical education in the OHSU School of Medicine. The appointment is effective July 1, 2015. This is a new leadership position in the School of Medicine.

Reporting to the senior associate dean for education in the School of Medicine, the assistant dean will oversee existing programs and help develop innovative new programs in collaboration with rural partners that help meet the need for a diverse, highly trained workforce for rural health care.

“As we develop new programs, increase the number of students in rural rotations and expand rotation disciplines, it became clear that a leadership role focused on rural collaborators was important,” said George Mejicano, M.D., senior associate dean for education. “Paul brings a great deal of knowledge and direct experience to this new role, and I am confident he will help us all in our mutual goal to assure a strong rural health care workforce.” 

Working closely with community groups, students, preceptors, OHSU faculty involved in rural medicine, and others, Dr. Gorman will lead efforts within the M.D. program to develop and expand rural medical education and interprofessional education opportunities, integrating these with the evolving OHSU rural campus and the new OHSU YOUR M.D. curriculum. A key element of this program will be the focus on supporting a robust regional faculty as part of the OHSU community, with professional development and access to OHSU resources.

Dr. Gorman is a professor with joint appointments in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology in the School of Medicine. Before joining OHSU in 1990, Dr. Gorman was a primary care doctor in Astoria, Ore. and served as chief of medicine at Columbia Memorial Hospital.

In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Gorman is an educator and researcher. He serves as chair of the School of Medicine curriculum committee, the faculty body charged with ensuring the quality and consistency of learning outcomes for all medical students. He has been deeply involved with the faculty teams developing the new medical school curriculum. Working in partnership with the Oregon Rural Practice Based Research Network, Dr. Gorman’s research studies the intersection of information technology and patient care, with an emphasis on the needs of primary care and rural practices.

“I am honored and excited by this opportunity,” said Dr. Gorman. “I firmly believe in embedded rural education programs as a critical way to ensure that students understand the rewards and realities of rural practice, the breadth of rural health care, and the deep connection to communities with their unique needs and resources. This knowledge will help them serve rural Oregonians, whether they ultimately provide direct care as rural physicians or provide support and consultation to rural colleagues.