Ruth Ann Tsukuda
Ruth Ann is Associate Director of the VA VISN 20 Northwest Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) and a faculty member in the OHSU Department of Psychiatry and the School of Public Health.
After several years as an R.N., Dr. Tsukuda has spent the majority of her career as an educator and administrator in academic or clinical organizations. Her primary interests are interprofessional education and interdisciplinary teams in complex healthcare settings. As an outgrowth of her clinical work, Dr. Tsukuda gained expertise in Clinical and Integrated Ethics and served for many years on as a member of the Consultation Ethics Team at the Portland VA Medical Center. From her earliest professional experience as a registered nurse throughout her various professional experiences, she has gained a respect for the importance of the foundation of values and ethical frameworks that guide our behaviors and inform decision-making in the complex environment of healthcare today.