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New OHSU president Sharif El‑Nahal outlines priorities, flags last year’s $133 million loss
Summary
At a pre-gavel appearance Oct. 1, OHSU’s new president Dr. Sharif El‑Nahal introduced himself to Portland City Council and described OHSU operations across the city, workforce-training programs, and financial challenges including a $133 million loss in the prior year.
PORTLAND — Oregon Health & Science University’s new president, Dr. Sharif El‑Nahal, briefed the Portland City Council on Oct. 1 in a pre-meeting appearance, outlining his background and priorities and describing OHSU’s role as a citywide health-care provider and major employer.
Dr. El‑Nahal, who said he most recently served as Under Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, noted OHSU operates across every Portland district and retains a flagship campus on Marquam Hill in District 4 and in the South Waterfront. He highlighted OHSU’s education and workforce programs — including medical, nursing, dental and pharmacy schools and youth STEM pipeline programs in Portland schools — and said the institution provides “the most complex care” and is an important source of training for local health professionals.
El‑Nahal described his public-service career and said his prior roles included leadership of University Hospital in Newark, N.J., and managing the nation’s largest integrated VA health-care system. He credited a recent landmark veterans law (the PACT Act) with enabling a major expansion of VA enrollments in his prior role and said the systems work matters for vulnerable populations.
On finances, El‑Nahal told the council OHSU “lost a $133,000,000 last year” and said making the organization more sustainable will require “tough decisions over the next year.” He said he has led hospital turnarounds in prior roles and pledged to work with employees, labor partners and the community to improve efficiency and outcomes in Portland.
“We will do that very diligently and meaningfully to lift up the public-health goals in this city,” El‑Nahal said, adding that OHSU will continue workforce development and partnerships while addressing financial sustainability.
Councilors welcomed El‑Nahal and thanked him for his service to veterans. Councilor Clark Green said he appreciated the president’s VA background and the Portland VA–OHSU collaboration; Green also identified himself as a veteran who receives care at the Portland VA.
Why it matters: OHSU is a major health-care provider, medical education institution and employer in Portland; the new president’s priorities on workforce development, public-health partnerships and financial sustainability will shape local health-care capacity and labor markets.
Next steps: El‑Nahal said he would meet with the mayor and with councilors in upcoming weeks; council members said they look forward to follow-up conversations about OHSU partnerships with the city, workforce training and fiscal plans.
