Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Dear Joshua,

One of my favorite songs from the 1960s is The Byrds' “Turn! Turn!  Turn!” also known as “To Everything There is a Season”. Like the song says, there is a time to laugh and a time to weep; a time to gain and a time to lose, and a time for peace.” I am reminded of this song as stores begin displaying Halloween and Christmas decorations, far too early in my opinion. Back-to-school supplies fill the shelves, and as heat domes grip various parts of the country, the seasons continue to turn. Before long, those same stores will replace sunscreen and swimsuits with winter coats and boots. 

I mention all this because we too at OPSR are experiencing our own season of change and growth. The time has come for our incredible Healthy Climate Program Director, Samantha Marte, to begin a new chapter. Samantha has accepted an exciting opportunity with the Coalition of Communities of Color, and August will be her last month with us. Samantha has been one of the best people I have ever had the honor of working with. It is truly rare these days to find someone with as much work ethic, kindness, passion, and commitment to this organization, our cause, and this planet as her. While we are all sad to see her go and know she will be incredibly difficult to replace, I couldn’t be happier for Samantha and wish her nothing but success in this new role.

OPSR was lucky to be Samantha’s first job after college, over the past five years she built a healthy climate program that we are incredibly proud of. As an Executive Director, you pray you will have a chance to work with someone like Samantha. Our loss is truly CCC’s gain. I cannot wait to see the impact she has in her new position and I will always be her biggest cheerleader. So in short, thank you Samantha for your hard work, dedication, and for the professionalism you brought to everything you did. You will be missed but never forgotten, and we will still be in the trenches together, just in a different capacity.

But like the Byrds sang, with a time to weep also comes a time to gain. With Samantha leaving us, I am also looking forward to beginning the search for the person who will help us write the next chapter of our Healthy Climate Program providing another person who is passionate about the climate crisis an opportunity to grow and flourish with OPSR. We have been in a season of change and growth, but that is life. With that change comes new challenges but also new opportunities.

Continuing with our season of change, I would also like to thank Regna Merritt and Ann Turner, our two fearless board co-presidents, who have dedicated so much of their lives to making sure this organization thrives. There is no way OPSR would still be here today without these two extraordinary individuals. Rest assured, they are not leaving us. Their terms as co-presidents have simply come to an end, and I am grateful they will continue serving OPSR in other ways. I am also happy to announce that Leslie Cagle and Ava Scherlag will be serving as our new board co-presidents. I know they will build on the strong foundation Regna and Ann have helped create, and I look forward to working with them in their new leadership roles. 

I hope to see many of you at our Hiroshima/Nagasaki Remembrance on August 6 in Portland. As always, thank you for your loyalty and support. It means more than you know. I look forward to keeping you updated as we move into the autumn season and continue growing together.

This reduction of protections is in response to Executive Order 14300, which urged the NRC to weaken radiation standards and protections. Radiation exposure is harmful to our health and is linked to a wide variety of ailments, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and immune dysfunction, as well as infertility and disruption of pregnancy. 

You can find out more on this issue, including how to submit your comment and talking points, at protectbetter.org. The Protect Better Campaign is a coalition of organizations including PSR, working together to address the harms and impacts of radioactive pollution.

Join Physicians for Social Responsibility and allied organizations for a series of webinars that address health impacts and environmental justice harms of the rapid proliferation of data centers.

WEBINAR SERIES SCHEDULE & TOPICS:

Wed. Aug. 5 - 11:00 am PT
What are the health and equity impacts of data centers?

Wed. Aug. 19 - 11:00 am PT
Local, State, and Federal Policy Landscape

Wed. Sept. 2 - 11:00 am PT
Advocacy, Partnerships, and Building Effective Coalitions

Wed. Sept. 16 - 11:00 am PT
Combating Mis- and Disinformation and Industry Opposition

This August marks 81 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  You can find OPSR at several events across Oregon and the PNW in the coming weeks, as noted below. 

If you are not going to be in the area for these events but still would like to attend a remembrance event, CLICK HERE to learn about Hiroshima and Nagasaki memorials taking place across the country over the coming weeks. 

From Awareness to Action: Creating a Nuclear Weapons Free World
📅August 6, 2026
⏰6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
📍Japanese American Historical Plaza

Join Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and community partners on August 6 for an evening marking the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Through remembrance and education, the program will explore how awareness of nuclear dangers can be transformed into meaningful action.

This year's event, From Awareness to Action: Creating a Nuclear Weapons Free World, will feature keynote speaker Dr. Robert “Bo” Jacobs, with Oregon PSR Executive Director Dr. Vincent Intondi serving as host for the evening. The program will also include poetry by Pat Hoover, musical performances by Shakuhachi and Portland Taiko, and a dance performance by Tsubaki Buyo Doukoukai.

The event will take place from 6:00–7:00 PM at the Japanese American Historical Plaza in Portland. All are welcome to attend as we honor the victims and survivors of nuclear weapons and reaffirm our commitment to building a safer, nuclear weapons-free world.

Follow this link to donate specifically toward this event.

Thursday, August 6th, 2026, local filmmaker David Paul-Heberg will premiere his new documentary The Seeds of Peace about a survivor of the bombing who continues to spread a message of peace by collecting seeds from trees that survived the blast and spreading them across the Pacific Northwest. It will focus on the local connections to this story and how we can all continue to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki today. Come early for a special performance by Oregon Koto-Kai.

Following the screening, a post-film conversation will take place featuring:
Dr. Vincent Intondi // Executive Director, Oregon PSR
Hanako Wakatuski-Chong // Executive Director, Japanese American Museum of Oregon
David Paul-Hedberg // Director, Seeds of Peace

Enjoy live traditional koto music with Masumi Timson, International award-winning singer/songwriter Halie Loren, Stephen Pierce, Dances of Universal Peace, speakers, fold peace cranes, displays. Program culminates at dusk with a candlelight procession lantern-lit Flotilla on the Willamette River.

Enjoy live music, traditional koto music, fold peace cranes, and listen to inspirational speakers. Program culminates at dusk with a candlelight procession to watch a lantern-lit flotilla on the Willamette River.

All are Welcome!

For a full rundown of the schedule for this two-day event, including a presentation by OPSR's Vincent Intondi, along with Dr. Bo Jacobs, taking place on Sunday the 9th, please click here.

Here are a few more events where you can stop and chat with OPSR staff or volunteers over the coming weeks!

Swing by and say hello! Enjoy the community, activities, music, food carts and more, and make sure to grab a free copy of our Save-the-World Cup book while supplies last.

As always, we are deeply grateful for your continued support. The forces driving climate change and nuclear risk are powerful and well-resourced, but they are not unopposed. Together, we are building the power, relationships, and momentum needed to win. Your dedication makes it possible for Oregon PSR to protect community health, push back against these escalating threats, and continue working toward a more peaceful and just future.