Ann Turner, MD Co-President (she/her)
Ann Turner graduated from the University of Southern California School of Medicine. She is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and hematology-oncology. She was a founder of South Central Family Health Center, a community health center in Los Angeles, where she was medical director and physician for 12 years. In 1994, she moved to Portland Oregon and joined the staff as Medical Director and primary care physician at Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, serving migrant and seasonal farmworkers and other low income and vulnerable populations. She held this position for 20 years as Virgiinia Garcia grew from one primary care and a small satellite site to 5 primary care and 6 school-based health centers, providing primary care, mental and behavioral health, dental and pharmacy services to more than 40,000 individuals . She served on the Board of Directors of both the Oregon Primary Care Association and Northwest Primary Care Association. She was a longtime volunteer with the Metropolitan Alliance for Common Good, a broad based community organizing group, advocating for health care reform with the State legislature and other social justice issues. Since retirement, she has been an active member of Oregon PSR’s HCAT team, working on the intersection of climate, health and environmental justice. She has participated in writing several reports including Methane Gas: Health, Safety, Economic and Climate Impacts (http://bit.ly/methanereport-2022), and has been a voice in successfully advocating against new fossil fuel infrastructure projects in the Pacific NW. She represents OPSR in a national coalition, FossilFree4Health that is in process of launching a counter marketing media campaign against the fossil fuel industry.
Regna Merritt, PA Co-President (she/her)
A retired Physician Assistant, Regna built and directed Oregon PSR’s Healthy Climate Program from 2012-2019. She learned valued principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion while on staff. She worked as co-director of the regional Power Past Coal coalition (2017-2019) and served on leadership teams of Stand Up to Oil, Power Past Fracked Gas, and other local coalitions that successfully prevented the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoyed work with elected officials to maintain a stable climate and establish model policies that protect communities. With Kelly Campbell, she received National PSR’s Visionary Leaders Award in 2019. Regna previously served as Executive Director of Oregon Wild.
Elaine McKenzie, RN, MPH, Vice-President
Elaine is a public health nurse who worked in Alaska before moving to Portland in 2005. She worked as an expert direct service public health nurse, Fairbanks Health Center Manager, and as Deputy Chief for Alaska's public health nursing system. After retiring from the State of Alaska, she studied for a PhD in Nursing at University of San Diego and taught at University of Portland's School of Nursing. Studying the consequences of collective violence and war and using a public health framework became a focus during her PhD studies. Elaine currently leads Oregon PSR’s Peace Work Group and Membership Committee.
Patricia Kullberg, MD, MPH Treasurer
Patricia Kullberg graduated from OHSU medical school, trained as a family physician at UC Davis Sacramento, and was a Robert Woods Scholar at U of Washington, where she earned her MPH. She served for two decades as the medical director at Multnomah County Health Department, where she was also a primary care provider at a clinic for houseless, undocumented, and other marginalized folks. On the Ragged Edge of Medicine: Doctoring Among the Dispossessed, her memoir about her medical practice, (OSU Press, 2017) explores the challenges and rewards of working in a clinic of last resort within a broken health care system. Following her retirement in 2012 she's been active with Oregon PSR on a variety of climate justice issues in the hopes of building climate resilience and dismantling systems of injustice in her beloved home town of Portland. She is also part of a collective that produces a weekly public affairs radio show, the Old Mole Variety Hour, on KBOO community radio. She is the author of numerous articles in both the lay and academic press about the complicated intersections of health and medicine with politics. In 2020 she was awarded the Preuss Distinguished Alumni Award from OHSU.
Patricia Murphy, ND, LAc, Secretary
Pat received a BS in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, an ND from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, and is a graduate of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM). For several years, Pat was an instructor at the OCOM and currently presents guest lectures about environmental medicine to acupuncture students at the masters and doctoral levels, to practitioners, and to the public. Since 1984 she has created a blended private practice of acupuncture and naturopathic medicine. Pat takes to heart the naturopathic tenet “prevention is the best cure,” and is dedicated to helping people learn how to decrease toxic exposures.
Leslie Cagle, MD (she/her)
Patrick O'Herron, MD (he/him/his)
Pat attended the University of Arizona College of Medicine at Tempe and completed his residency training at Oregon Health Sciences University in Neurology. He practiced general surgery for one year in McMinnville prior to joining the Trauma and Acute Care Surgery service at Salem Health, where he is now a general surgeon practicing acute care surgery. His focus at Oregon PSR is climate change, which fits well with our mission of addressing the greatest threats to human health. Pat served as Oregon PSR's Board President 2015-2024. He currently lives with his family in Portland.
Hope Yamasaki, MS (she/her)
Hope has over 15 years of experience creating emergent anti-racist communities of practice. She holds a Master’s Degree from Portland State University in Educational Leadership with a focus on Sustainability and Equity. She was the recipient of the President's Diversity Award for taking a leadership role in creating a socially just and inclusive sustainability culture and co-created the annual Sustainability for All conference, which focused on the intersection of sustainability and social justice and highlighted non-dominant perspectives. She has extensive experience in developing curriculum, facilitating discussions, and leading group dialogues, has done outreach and provided crisis services for our houseless neighbors, and has worked with domestic violence survivors. She is passionate about solidarity and building community and dedicated to inspiring and supporting others as they find their role in creating a socially just and sustainable future while avoiding the perpetuation of dominant oppressive cycles within our collective past and present. She believes we really are better together.
Andy Harris, MD