Board of Directors and Staff

Please view Oregon PSR's philosophy on issuing position statements here.

Our Board of Directors

Michele "MiMi" Bernal-Graves, MS

Spending my childhood 5 miles outside my home-town of Vernonia, OR (where some of my best friends were tree frogs, plants and farm animals) gave me an appreciation of the relationship between our environment and our health early in life. My connection to our shared biosphere inspired a desire to help humans and the natural world co-exist in harmony, which is why I chose to study the environment and education. I have my BS in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Biology from Pacific University and my MS in Leadership for Sustainability Education from PSU. I live in SW Portland with my husband, dog, bunny and birds. I enjoy most anything outdoors, especially if the time is spent with family and friends! I joined Oregon PSR’s Board of Directors in Fall of 2010.

Charles Grossman, MD

Charles M. Grossman has been on the Oregon PSR Board of Directors since 1981. He is a former faculty member at NYU, Yale and OHSU, and has practiced internal medicine in Portland since 1950. He has been an activist throughout his career, working on peace, poverty and justice issues. Dr. Grossman helped in establishing a lunch program for poor children during summer months when they participated in schoolyard play activities. He has been a recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award of the Oregon Chapter, National Association of Social Workers, and the Albert Schweitzer Peace Achievement Award from IPPNW. To read Dr. Grossman's reflections on the first use of penicillin in the United States, go here.

Susan Katz, MD, Treasurer

I grew up in New Jersey, went to college at Brown University, and then moved west, first to Pasadena and then to Portland 40 years ago. I taught biology and chemistry, and worked as a research assistant before going to Medical School in 1977 at OHSU, so I have a significant identity before medicine. I have two grown children in Portland and Berkeley, and lost my second husband, the remarkable Jack Fellman, two years ago. Some of you may have known him, as he taught Biochemistry at the Medical School for many years.

After medical school, a Pediatrics residency, and a Child Psychiatry fellowship, I moved to McMinnville , where I had a private practice for 20 years. Jack and I built a house at Pacific City for weekends. Last year I moved to Portland for access to important activities, such as PSR and Powell's, but I still spend most weekends at the beach.

I joined PSR at the beginning, but was always too busy to participate. Now I am very happy to have the time and a great interest in the evolving research in the field of environmental health, especially toxins and neurodevelopment, so I am on the Environmental Health team. I expect to continue learning and communicating what I learn to fellow physicians and health practitioners, who may be too busy, as I was, to keep up with it all. And of course, peace and a non-nuclear world are on my mind, so I expect PSR to be a good fit for me, both to give to and to take from. 

Patricia Murphy, ND, LAc, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM), Secretary

I am originally from New England, and have enjoyed living in Oregon since 1979. I received a BS in psychology from of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, an ND from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, OR, and am a graduate of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine, Portland, OR. I also have postgraduate training in Environmental Medicine from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Tempe, AZ.

For several years I was an instructor at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine and currently present guest lectures about environmental medicine to acupuncture students at the masters and doctoral levels, to practitioners and to the public.

Since 1984 I have created a blended private practice of acupuncture and naturopathic medicine. A love of being outside in nature and a desire to help people led me to naturopathic medicine. Over the years I have become more and more concerned about effects of toxic chemicals on human health, and am dedicated to helping people learn about how to decrease toxic exposures. I take to heart the naturopathic tenet “prevention is the best cure.”

I have been a member of the PSR Environmental Health Committee since 2007, and am a new member of the Board.

Joan Nugent, RN, MN

I am new (2011) to both Oregon and the Oregon Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.  

My educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Master’s degree in Community Health Care Systems with specialty as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Washington, Seattle, WA.  In addition to work in a number of clinical areas (critical care, pediatrics, and emergency care) I was privileged to work for twenty years in Public Health with the State of Alaska.  Prior to relocating to Portland I served the Southeast Alaska region of PeaceHealth for twelve years as a member of the executive team, in business development, human resources and organizational development.

I am extraordinarily pleased to join the Oregon PSR board and to work with an amazing team of passionate, socially conscious professionals who are committed to making a difference through their education and advocacy efforts around environmental health and peace issues.  The fact that Oregon PSR is comprised of a professionally diverse group of individuals, led by physicians (using only evidence based, scientific data within a public health construct to support their positions and work) makes PSR a good fit for me.  I am currently serving as the Chairperson for the Peace workgroup.

John Pearson, MD, President

Dr. John Pearson is a retired Pediatrician specializing in Pediatric Neurology. He retired in 2000 after being chief of pediatrics for Kaiser Permanente in Portland for the previous ten years. He is currently an Investigator in Epidemiology at the Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente and adjunct professor at OHSU. Dr. Pearson has been active on the board of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility for over since 2003, was Board President in 2007-2008 and re-elected in 2010, and has contributed significantly in outreach and education about the Health Effects of War and solutions to the issue of terrorism.

Joy Spalding, PhD

Joy Spalding, PhD has degrees in anthropology, social work and social research. She has specialized in aging and mental health and is known for her advocacy work and long term care policy. She has been Family Medicine faculty at UVA and OHSU. Dr. Spalding is currently working on an Oregon PSR 30 Year History project.

Our Advisory Board

John Bartels

Sonia Buist, MD

Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP

Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health at Portland State University and senior physician at Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Hospital. He serves on the Board of Advisors of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) and was Chief Scientific Advisor to Oregon PSR’s Campaign for Safe Food from 2003-2011.

He received his BS and MD from UCLA, completed internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, and was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at Stanford University. His career has included clinical practice in academic medical centers, community hospitals, and clinics for homeless and un/underinsured patients.

Martin has taught courses in public health, medical humanities, social justice ethics, women’s health, and the history of medicine at UCLA, UCSF, Stanford, OHSU, Clark College, and Portland State. He has published articles and frequently lectures on public health and social justice, activism, and the medical humanities.

His articles, course syllabi, and open-access PowerPoints are available at Public Health and Social Justice.

Andy Harris, MD

John Howieson, MD

Philip Newman, MD

Bonnie Reagan, MD

Bonnie Reagan, MD, RN started her career as a high school teacher, became a nurse and nurse practitioner, and then attended what is now Oregon Health and Science University for medical school and residency in family medicine. She practiced for 22 years at Portland Family Practice, including obstetrics in her practice. She has always been involved in community activities as well as other professional activities.  She was a longtime member of the PSR Board of Directors, was the chair of the Ethics Committee at Adventist Medical Center for many years, and was on the Task Force to Improve the Care of Terminally-Ill Oregonians, a group convened by the OHSU Center for Ethics in Health Care in response to the passage of the Death with Dignity Act. She also was a member of the Choral Arts Ensemble for 20 years.

Now in retirement, she Is involved in many activities, including the Medical Advisory Committee of Komen for the Cure, the Health Matters Committee, the Outreach Committee of Baby Blues Connection (a group offering free services to women and their families with postpartum depression or anxiety), the Board of Directors of the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians, the Board of Directors of Pilgrims' Partner Foundation, the Steering Committee of Healthy Kids (the insurance program for low income children in Oregon). She will also be working with the START program of the Oregon Pediatric Society.  She has been on humanitarian trips to Ukraine, has been on health delegations to Nicaragua and Guatemala with Witness for Peace and to Sweden(with IPPNW).

Bonnie was selected as the Oregon Family Physician of the Year for 2010 and was a finalist for the American Family Physician of the Year this year. She Is married to Pete Reagan, also a family physician,  is the mother of two physicians, Josh Reagan and Anika Denali Luengo, and is very involved with her four grandchildren.

Peter Spencer, PhD

Peter Spencer received baccalaureate and doctoral degrees from the University of London and, beginning in 1971, carried out postdoctoral research in the neurosciences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he later served as Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology and Pathology (Neuropathology), and founding director of the Institute of Neurotoxicology. In 1988, he moved to Portland to found the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET), a new research institute of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) that he directed for more than 20 years. He is presently Professor of Neurology, School of Medicine, CROET Senior Scientist, and founding director of the OHSU Center for Global Health. Dr. Spencer has published extensively on mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of natural and synthetic chemicals in food, fragrances, drugs, workplace and environment, and on the role of exogenous agents in the genesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Spencer holds a number of honorary international university appointments, and his research contributions have been recognized nationally and internationally in neuroscience, neurology, pathology, and toxicology. His pioneering role in establishing neurotoxicology as a scientific discipline is his major contribution and has enabled him to win individual, program and center research grant support from federal agencies, notably the U.S. National Institute of Health. His special expertise has been tapped by the World Health Organization, the National Academy of Sciences and its Institute of Medicine, the Food and Drug Administration’s National Center for Toxicological Research, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

Karen Steingart, MD, MPH

Frances Storrs, MD

I am a 70 year old OHSU academic dermatologist. I work 3 days a week. I have been very active in my national and local dermatology associations and chaired committees and held offices. I have a long standing interest in civil liberties and peace. I have sat on the ACLU board and been a VP for education. I remain active in ACLU committees. I chaired a committee for the City of Portland that resulted in a ballot measure and institution of an oversight committee for the Internal Affairs Division. I have been president and board member for the City Club of Portland. I have also sat on boards for Outside In, Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette, and the Portland Baroque Orchestra. I am active in the Collegium of the Foundation for Medical Excellence, the Oregon Womens’ Forum, and a committee working on a history of medicine in Oregon for the Oregon Medical Association. I have lived in Portland since 1964. My husband, deceased, was a local architect. I have a son, 3 step-children, 5 grand children and 3 sons or daughters in law. Much of my family is in Portland or close by and I spend important time with them. My principal hobby is gardening. I grow flowers, vegetables, and plants that cause skin disease (not poison oak). I also have 7 chickens and 2 cats. Friends are very important to me as well. I am pleased to be serving as the chair of the Peace Working Group for Oregon PSR.

 Our Staff

Kelly Campbell, Executive Director

Kelly Campbell is thrilled to join Oregon PSR, bringing together her experience and passion working for both peace and environmental health. She was previously the Portland Area Peace Program Director for the American Friends Service Committee and is a founding member of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. In January 2002, Kelly traveled along with three other 9/11 family members to Kabul, Afghanistan to meet with Afghan families affected by the US bombing and returned to the US to advocate on behalf of civilian victims of war. She has served on the steering committees of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and the national coalition United for Peace and Justice. Kelly worked in the environmental health and justice field as Communications Director for Pesticide Action Network North America, and as Campaign Coordinator for the statewide coalition, Californians for Pesticide Reform. She was born and raised in the Midwest and has a BA in Anthropology and English from the University of Iowa. She lives in Portland with her husband and baby boy.

Email: kelly@oregonpsr.org  Phone: 503-274-2720

Maye Thompson, RN, PhD, Environmental Health Program Director

I am so glad to be doing this work. By way of introduction, I have worked as a volunteer on environmental health issues for the past 10 years with Oregon Nurses Association, Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Oregon Center for Environmental Health, Oregon Environmental Coalition, and PSR. I'm familiar with many of the issues before us. My PhD is in nursing, with a focus on women's health and policy. I managed to get out of graduate school as a generalist rather than a specialist, which was hard to do.

My interest in Environmental Health started during nursing school. I became fascinated by the cultural aspects of health and health care. So after graduating, I worked in a small town populated largely with Spanish-speaking agricultural workers in California's Central Valley. There were many kids and adults with asthma, with dermatological problems, with malnutrition. What was surprising, considering the level of pesticide and herbicide use in the area, was how few people we saw with acute poisoning from these chemicals. One of my coworkers explained that workers who thought the "plant medicine" had made them sick waited to seek treatment for fear of getting fired.

My goals at PSR are to educate and mobilize health care professionals about environmental toxicants and strategize about how to use the Precautionary Principle in policy-making. I'm inspired by health care professionals and scientists who are willing to step out and express the potential policy implications of their work. PSR is a wonderful resource.I was recently featured on the CHE website. If you are interested in reading more, go here.

Email: maye@oregonpsr.org  Phone: 503-274-2720

Emma Sirois, Health Care Without Harm Program Director

Emma Sirois directs Oregon PSR’s Health Care Without Harm Program. Health Care Without Harm is a international environmental health campaign working with hospitals to green their facilities and operations. Emma is currently working with Oregon hospitals on efforts to improve the ecological sustainability of their operations, with a particular focus on sustainable foodservice operations. Emma worked with HCWH supporting Oregon hospitals for 2 ½ years prior to joining PSR in January 2010. 

Before moving to Oregon in 2005, Emma worked in Arizona, building accessible and sustainable food resources and regional food systems through direct marketing opportunities for local farmers, urban agriculture projects, food and nutrition education, advocacy and public policy work. Emma holds a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from Arizona State University.

Email: emma@oregonpsr.org  Phone: 503-274-2720

 Gretchen Miller, Healthy Food in Health Care Project Coordinator

Gretchen Miller is the Program Coordinator for the Oregon Healthy Food in Health Care Project. She has helped coordinate and assist in the execution of sustainable food education and procurement at Oregon hospitals since 2008. Prior to this, she worked for organizations promoting the proliferation of sustainable agriculture, healthy eating, and community food security. As a teaching assistant and project aid at the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project she co-taught classes to immigrants and refugees on creating viable farm businesses in New England. At the Oregon Food Bank she created a Farm to Pantry program, taught fresh vegetable based cooking classes, and supported the development of a farmers’ market in a low-income neighborhood. Ms. Miller has a Master of Science in Agriculture and Food Policy from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

Email: gretchen@oregonpsr.org  Phone: 503-274-2720 

Sean Tenney, Communications and Development Associate

I began my work as the Communications and Development Associate with Oregon PSR in March of 2010, and am very happy to be here! I am a longtime peace, environmental and social justice activist, having previously worked with such great organizations as American Friends Service Committee, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and the Sierra Club. Originally from Georgia, I moved to Oregon in 2006, and have spent my time since then engaging in my favorite hobbies: reading and learning, traveling the world, making art and writing, stargazing, hiking, biking, and camping, and community activism. In my current role with Oregon PSR, I very much look forward to working with our wonderful volunteers and staff to make the world a more just, healthy, and peaceful place for all of us. Peace!

Email: sean@oregonpsr.org  Phone: 503-274-2720