May 16, 2017

Gregory Blaschke, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.P., was appointed May 4 as the inaugural holder of the Shirley R. Kuse Professorship in Pediatrics. Interim School of Medicine Dean John Hunter, M.D., F.A.C.S., and Interim OHSU Provost Elena Andresen, Ph.D., presided over an investiture attended by Dr. Blaschke and his family, members of the Kuse and Ehlen family, faculty members and leaders from the OHSU and Doernbecher Foundations.

Dr. Blaschke, who is also division head of general pediatrics in the OHSU School of Medicine, is a general and developmental, behavioral pediatrician who joined OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital after retiring from Navy pediatrics in 2009. He obtained his medical degree at the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed residency training at Naval Hospital in Oakland, Calif. After completing a General Academic Pediatrics Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital and obtaining his master's in public health at Harvard School of Public Health, he returned to Naval Medical Center San Diego where he was a pediatric residency program director for six years. During his final three years in the Navy, he was the founding medical director for the Medical and Surgical Simulation Center serving all trainees at the Naval Medical Center.

Dr. Blaschke has taught and practiced around the world. Dr. Blaschke is also an expert in faculty and curriculum development and residency education, and he received the 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics Education Award. In 2011, the Association of Pediatric Program Directors awarded him the Walter W. Tunnessen, Jr. MD Award for the Advancement of Pediatric Resident Education. He is the immediate past president of Oregon Pediatric Society and has worked on many national policy committees, including improving care for the LGBTQ community.

"One of Shirley's favorite causes was OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital. This remarkable family has long been involved in Doernbecher's mission to care for kids, and we are tremendously grateful to the James R. Kuse Family Foundation for creating an enduring and fitting tribute to Shirley's life, with an endowed professorship in her name," said Jim Ervin, executive director, Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation, who presented a framed medallion to Nick Ehlen, a Kuse Family Foundation trustee and a Doernbecher Foundation board member.

Shirley Rae Kuse (1931-2015) and her husband James R. Kuse (1931-2001) were generous philanthropists with a shared commitment to the lives of all children. The Shirley R. Kuse Professorship in Pediatrics was established in 2016 to honor her legacy and advance Doernbecher's mission to attract and retain the nation's best physicians, specialists and researchers for years to come. Led by three generations of the Kuse family, the James R. Kuse Family Foundation supports organizations that improve the lives of children, enhance education, advance medical research, and build dynamic communities.

Pictured (top): Drs. John Hunter, Gregory Blaschke and Dana Braner, Credit Unions for Kids Chair of pediatrics

(bottom, left): Dr. Hunter and Dr. Elena Andresen present the Kuse Professorship to Dr. Blaschke 

(bottom, right): Jim Ervin (at right), presents a medallion bearing the Shirley R. Kuse Professorship in Pediatrics name to Nick Ehlen and Kate Ehlen, grandchildren of Shirley and Jim Kuse