History
The university can trace its roots back to the 1860s when the predecessor Willamette University School of Medicine was started in Salem. Willamette University and the University of Oregon merged their medical programs in 1913, creating the University of Oregon schools of Medicine and Nursing. In 1945, the North Pacific College of Dentistry was merged into the school, becoming the University of Oregon School of Dentistry.
This lasted until 1974 when the state mandated the combination of those three schools into one freestanding University, independent of the University of Oregon. Its primary campus was established in 1917 by the donation of 20 acres (8.1 ha) from the Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company and 88 acres (36 ha) from C.S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of the now-defunct Oregon Journal. The land had originally been bought sight-unseen for the purpose of building a railroad yard. The area being on a hill, however, made this impossible.
In 2006, the animal rights group PETA incited some controversy over OHSU research involving sheep. The research, which is being conducted in conjunction with Oregon State University is designed to understand the biological mechanisms involved in sexual partner preference. These experiments are being funded through public grants through the year 2008.
On October 29, 2008, OHSU announced its largest philanthropic gift to date: a $100 million gift from Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny Knight. The gift went to the OHSU Cancer Institute, renaming it the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
Read more about this topic: Oregon Health & Science University
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