AUG/SEP 2006
Volume 12 - No. 3
SRNT Newsletter
August/September 2006, Volume 12, Number 3
The Oregon Research Institute
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ORI was founded in 1960, and began with just a few scientists and staff conducting research projects out of one small office in Eugene, Oregon. Since that time, we have opened three satellite research offices in Oregon and one in New Mexico. We now have 300 employees, including 50 scientists whose ongoing achievements have earned ORI a reputation as an international leader in socially relevant research. We currently have nine research "workgroups" conducting more than 70 research grants, and an operating budget of over $17 million. We are primarily funded by the National Institutes of Health but also receive funding from other Federal agencies, foundations, and private sources.
ORI is a membership corporation and boasts a unique participatory governance system in which all employees have a voice. Decisions affecting workplace policies and procedures are made from the ground up at ORI, with everyone – from office assistants to senior scientists – contributing equally to the process. Employee-led committees make policy recommendations to the ORI Board of Directors, which consists of 10 employees and five community members, and which has final approval on organizational issues. This system, in place since 1986, has been successful in fostering employee pride and in ensuring that organizational decisions reflect the desires of employees.
In addition to our distinctive governance system, ORI fosters an environment of exceptional collaboration and collegiality. Researchers are encouraged to pursue independent, yet trans-departmental research agendas. Scientists meet both formally and informally to discuss possible collaborations in response to funding priorities as well as mutual scientific interests. Individual scientists have the autonomy to follow their own path, and the flexibility to cross into complementary lines of research. These factors have allowed both the scientists and the body of research from ORI to grow and flourish for over 40 years.
Tobacco Research at ORI
For 25 years, ORI has conducted significant research in tobacco use prevention and cessation. Earlier work developed and evaluated a wide range of quitting techniques and explored such related issues as relapse prevention, partner support, and the challenges facing special populations, such as teenage smokers, pregnant women, and new mothers. Working with communities has been an ongoing theme in ORI's tobacco research, ranging from efforts to reduce the onset of tobacco use among teens, to evaluating a community-wide quitting program.
Tobacco research at ORI is led by six scientists (SRNT members listed in bold): Edward Lichtenstein, Ph.D. (recipient of the 2001 Ferno Award and current Chair of the SRNT Publications and Communications Committee); Herbert H. Severson, Ph.D.; Anthony Biglan, Ph.D., Judith S. Gordon, Ph.D. (Current Chair of the SRNT Electronic Communications Committee); Judy A. Andrews, Ph.D. (current member of the Finance Committee); Brian G. Danaher, Ph.D., and Garth McKay, Ph.D.
ORI researchers are using new technologies, such as the Internet, to deliver and evaluate tobacco cessation programs. ChewFree.com, a web-based smokeless tobacco cessation program, has been shown to be effective in a randomized trial of over 2,500 smokeless users. Quit Smoking Net (QSN) randomized over 2,000 smokers to either a tailored, interactive cessation website or to a web-program (also with some interactive and tailored features) aimed at increasing physical activity. Six-month follow-up data are now being collected and analyzed. Through the Internet, ORI scientists are able to provide individualized assistance to large numbers of people who may not otherwise have access to other cessation resources.
Our researchers have conducted seminal research on the development of tobacco cessation programs for use by healthcare professionals with their patients. These clinic-based cessation programs have long been used by private practice dentists and dental hygienists, and are now being disseminated to underserved tobacco users through public dental clinics. ORI scientists are also working with doctors of chiropractic to create a cessation program for their patients who wish to quit tobacco.
ORI scientists are also working to help tobacco users quit through the use of telephone counseling. One study focuses on prompting and assisting military personnel to quit using spit tobacco through the use of telephone counselors, and another aims to strengthen the referral relationship between dental professionals and their local state tobacco quit line.
Tobacco prevention research is also a major focus of ORI researchers. The Center on Early Adolescence is a collaborative effort among Oregon Research Institute and others to promote evidence-based programs and practices to improve the well-being of early adolescents. Another project seeks to identify and track the factors that influence the health of Oregon youth, and to test an innovative direct mail campaign and an anti-tobacco website, in which teens themselves help create the intervention and appear as spokespersons.
A novel tobacco prevention program aimed at fifth graders uses intranet technology and a virtual world to allow students to share experiences with, and receive immediate feedback from, their peers. The program's 3-D interface provides an engaging environment in which participants are exposed to effective prevention program components and receive normative feedback from their peers about tobacco use attitudes and behaviors.
Summary
Throughout its history, ORI has strived to conduct methodologically rigorous research, while being an asset to our community and a great place to work. The goal of ORI research scientists is to continue to conduct ground-breaking research, and disseminate their findings within their community and throughout the United States. For more information about ORI, log on to our website at www.ori.org.
About the Author: Judith S. Gordon, Ph.D., is currently Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on six federally-funded research grants. She receives support from the National Cancer Institute, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Department of Defense.