Experts from public health, clinical practice, bioethics, and law meet to discuss the pros and cons of "Right to Try" legislation (Oregon House Bill 2300) with the stated goal of expanding access of experimental drugs to terminally ill patients in Oregon. Join us and help shape the conversation: Should Oregon join 13 other states in adopting expanded access?


Time: Monday, April 20, 5:30-7:15pm (light reception from 5:30-6:00pm, panel from 6:00-7:15pm)

Location: OHSU Collaborative Life Sciences Building, Room 2S060
Physical Address: 2730 SW Moody Ave., Portland, OR 97201


Moderator: Alan Melnick, MD, MPH, CPH is Public Health Director/Health Officer for Clark County, Washington, and Adjunct Associate Professor at OHSU School of Medicine.  As Director of Clark County Public Health, Dr. Melnick works with the Clark County Board of Health on public health policy issues affecting the community and the department.  As Health Officer, Dr. Melnick has overall responsibility for the medical direction of the department, including controlling and preventing communicable disease, protecting the community from environmental hazards and working with community partners to promote health and prevent chronic disease.  Dr. Melnick is a former member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Ethics Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee to the Director.  He has published several papers on public health ethics, and recently published a book with three coauthors, “Essentials of Public Health Ethics.”

Panelist: Kurt Altman, JD, is the National Policy Advisor and General Counsel for the Goldwater Institute.  He was one of the original drafters of the model “Right to Try” legislation currently running throughout the nation.  Before joining the Institute, Kurt operated a private litigation and appellate practice, focusing on criminal law in state and federal courts

Panelist: Chandra Basham, MD, is an attending physician in Primary Care at the Portland VA Medical Center. She is currently studying for her JD at Lewis and Clark Law School and is completing an externship at the Oregon State Legislature. Views presented are not expressly or impliedly endorsed by any institution in which I am currently, or have ever been associated, including, but not limited to, the Veterans Affairs, Lewis & Clark Law School & the Oregon House Republican Office.

Panelist: Jeremy Cetnar, MD, MSHPR, is an Assistant Professor for the Department of Medicine at OHSU and is board certified in internal medicine and hematology/oncology

Panelist: Christopher Griffin, MD, MBA, FACHE, is a physician executive and radiologist with over 25 years of health care experience and leadership who recently decided to go to law school.  He is an alumnus of Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine and currently attends Lewis and Clark Law School.

Panelist: Lissi Hansen, RN, PhD, is an Associate Professor for the School of Nursing at OHSU and has worked extensively in bioethics, palliative medicine, and end-of-life care.


Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support in making this event possible: OHSU AMA-MSS, Benjamin Rush Institute, and Arthur N. Rupe Foundation.