Celebrating 10 years
Skourtes Tower at the Robertson Life Sciences Building
The building that houses the School of Dentistry almost never was.
More than 10 years ago, a 1956-era building on Marquam Hill that served as the home of the School of Dentistry was deteriorating and in need of being replaced. The concept of a new collaborative building was underway on 20 acres of the South Waterfront thanks to a land gift. However, there was not enough funding to build a new dental facility.
According to OHSU Interim President Steve Stadum, J.D., that all changed within one month.
Stadum, who rejoined OHSU on Nov. 5, was working at the university in June 2011 when a “transformational gift” was made.
On Friday, Nov. 15, President Stadum joined Executive Vice President and Provost Marie Chisholm-Burns, Pharm.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., FCCP, FASHP, FAST, FACHE and J.S. Reinschmidt Endowed Professor in the OHSU School of Medicine; School of Dentistry Dean Ron Sakaguchi, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., M.B.A.; Foundation President Kate Azizi; and donors, employees and friends to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Skourtes Tower at the Robertson Life Sciences Building.
“Many here tonight were part of the ‘Our Moment is Here’ campaign,” said Stadum.
School of Dentistry Dean Ron Sakaguchi, Eugene Skourtes ’68, OHSU Executive Vice President and Provost Marie Chisholm Burns, Bonnie Skourtes, OHSU Interim President Steve Stadum and OHSU Foundation President Kate Azizi, at the 10th anniversary event celebrating the opening of the Robertson Life Sciences Building and the Skourtes Tower.
Seven hundred and fifty donors propelled the fundraising campaign. One major donor changed the school’s destiny with their $10 million gift: Eugene D.M.D. ’68, and Bonnie Skourtes.
Greatest hits 2014-2024
The festive mood was palpable as 110 guests embraced, laughed and enjoyed a few hours of celebration in the atrium of the South Waterfront Robertson Life Sciences Building at the Nov. 15 celebration.
Chisholm-Burns introduced Sakaguchi as a compassionate, energetic and innovative dean.
“He encourages students to ‘think outside the box’ with ideas and to give back by offering their skills at dental clinics to help the most vulnerable populations,” she said. “It is not merely what he does, but how he does it.”
The School of Dentistry dean took the audience on a journey from the past, emphasizing the greatest hits from 2014-2024. He presented a litany of photos, such as when the South Waterfront land was used in the 1940s as a location to dismantle ships. The vessels traveled the Willamette River, anchoring at the Alaska Junk Company Schnitzer & Wolf Machinery Company, to be dismantled.
Sakaguchi paused on photos from Oct. 13, 2011, showing attendees scooping the first shovels of dirt onto the property during a groundbreaking ceremony.
Among the guests that day were the Skourtes.
“Education drove me. It’s that simple,” said Skourtes, who took to the stage during the Nov. 15 event to share why he was moved to donate a significant gift.
“Gene and Bonnie Skourtes saved the project,” said Sakaguchi.
Shot heard around the world
Since the buildings opened, OHSU and the School of Dentistry have played a central role in medical and oral health in the region. During the turbulent 2020-2023 COVID years, dedicated clinicians used the space to provide critical care.
Oregon House Bill 2220, which passed in 2019, authorized Oregon dentists to administer and prescribe vaccines in the U.S. The legislation turned out to be a blessing.
Soon after “the shot heard around the world” happened. On Dec. 16, 2020, School of Dentistry orthodontics resident Jacqueline Ryan Thrower, D.M.D, was the first dentist in the world, it’s believed, to administer a COVID-19 vaccine. The patient was Ansumana Drammeh R.N., B.S.N. ’18, an OHSU cardiovascular intensive care nurse.
Dean Ron Sakaguchi applauds the guests during a program observing the 10th anniversary of the Skourtes Tower and Robertson Life Sciences Building facilities.
Greatest achievements
Sakaguchi also spoke about current highlights, such as the nearly $7 million in research funding the school secured in 2023, making the school the 12th in the nation for funding from the National Institutes of Health and 8th from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
For patient care, the clinic had nearly 3,500 patients who made 63,000 visits in fiscal year 2024, half of whom were patients with Medicaid benefits.
The students enrolled in the doctor of dental medicine program routinely achieve first-time pass rates of 96-100% on dental board and licensing examinations.
Talking about the future, Sakaguchi predicted the School of Dentistry will be fully digital by 2034, the Russell Street Dental Clinic will undergo a remodel, and a new prosthodontics graduate program will be added.
The evening was a time for friends and colleagues to remember how far the School of Dentistry has come in the past 10 years and the advances that are ahead for its students, patients and employees.
Story by Rhonda Morin, APR. Photos by Aaron Bieleck and the School of Dentistry
