Dr. Durham became director of the CHR in 1995. She is an adjunct professor in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences University, and adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology, Portland State University. In addition to her roles as KP vice president for research and CHR director, Dr. Durham conducts her own research on chronic illness and disability.

Her work on mental health services for persons with severe and chronic mental disability is internationally known, and she is invited to lecture widely, with speaking engagements in Puerto Rico, Norway, Finland, France, Portugal, Canada, Italy, Macedonia, Albania, and the Netherlands, as well as throughout the United States.

Dr. Durham received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Oklahoma in 1978, specializing in medical sociology. She came to Portland in July 1995 from Seattle, Washington, where she was deputy director of Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound’s Center for Health Studies. While in Seattle, she was on the faculty at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine, in the Department of Health Services.

Dr. Durham is a former commissioner of the American Bar Association, where she served on the ABA’s Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law. She has published approximately 40 articles and book chapters on the topic of chronic illness. Her recent book with co-author John La Fond, entitled Back to the Asylum: The Future of Mental Health Policy and Law in the United States, won high praise from lawyers, health care policymakers, and state legislators for its analysis of current economic and political trends shaping mental health policy.

Dr. Durham served as chair of the board of directors of Wesley Homes, Incorporated, a 800-resident, continuing care retirement community in Des Moines, Washington. She currently serves as a member of the board for Self-Enhancement, Inc., a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of inner-city youth in Portland, Oregon.

Current Studies:

	Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Institute—OCTRI
	Work, Family & Health Network

Recently Completed Studies:

	Assessment Studies in Organized Health Care Delivery and Effective Prevention Strategies
	Managed Care Impact on People with Significant Physical and Mental Disabilities —COMPASS
	National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network
	Oregon Community Health Information Network
	Study of Transitions and Recovery Strategies—STARS

E-mail: Mary.Durham@kpchr.org