House committee advances resolution honoring cancer researcher Brian Drucker

House Committee on Rules members voted to advance House Concurrent Resolution 3 recognizing Dr. Brian Drucker for his leadership in cancer research and patient care.

The resolution drew personal testimony from lawmakers, clinicians and survivors who credited Drucker with work that transformed treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia and helped build Oregon’s Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).

Representative Hai Pham, the resolution’s lead presenter, told the committee his own cancer diagnosis and treatment put Drucker’s work into personal context. "I can never thank Doctor Drucker enough for giving me the gift of life, and I want him to know that I won't waste it," Pham said. Dacia Graber, state representative for House District 28, said Drucker’s role in developing the drug Gleevec "revolutionized the way that we think about and treat this cancer today." Dr. Lisa Cousins, interim director of the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU, described Drucker’s role as principal investigator on the initial clinical trial that led to Gleevec’s rapid U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

Survivor testimony made the committee hearing emphatic. Rob Schick, a chronic myeloid leukemia survivor and longtime Knight Cancer Institute advocate, described the philanthropic "Knight Challenge" that raised $1 billion for cancer research and said that effort "simply would not have happened without Brian Drucker." Schick recounted life events made possible by extended survival since his diagnosis, adding that Drucker is "a treasure to the state of Oregon." Dr. Shivani Kumar, identified herself as interim chief executive for the Knight Cancer Institute, and highlighted Drucker’s work expanding patient navigation programs and recruiting physician-scientists to OHSU.

Committee staff reported the resolution would have "no fiscal and no revenue impact." Vice Chair Hai Pham moved HCR 3 "to the floor with a B adopted recommendation." The roll call produced six affirmative votes and one excused member; the committee recorded the motion as passing and designated Vice Chair Pham to carry the measure on the House floor. (Roll-call responses recorded in committee: President Foster Davis — yes; President Elmer — yes; President Crupp — yes; President Balderrama — excused; Vice Chair Draisen — yes; Vice Chair Pham — yes; Chair Bowman — aye.)

The committee closed the HCR 3 work session and proceeded with other agenda items.

Notes: The committee hearing included multiple spellings of Dr. Drucker’s name in spoken testimony; this article uses the established spelling Brian Drucker and corrects inconsistent renderings in the transcript.