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 Reporter Tools - Biographies and photos
Here are brief bios of people who fill high-profile positions in the Oregon Health Authority. If you wish further information, please call 503-947-5050.
 DirectorBruce Goldberg M.D., is a family medicine physician who has devoted his professional career to improving the organization, delivery and financing of public health services. He served as the Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services from November 2005 through February 2011, a position he says he was drawn to because of the opportunity it provides for making a positive difference in the lives of so many people. He led the formation of the Oregon Health Authority as the Director-designee and was permanently appointed as the Director by Governor John Kitzhaber in February 2011.
During his time with DHS he has led efforts to improve children's access to health care and reduce hunger and food insecurity among Oregonians, has been instrumental in developing plans for revamping the state's mental health system and constructing two new state psychiatric hospitals, and has promoted education and prevention as the most effective means of protecting and improving the health of Oregonians.
Dr. Goldberg's experience also includes serving as head of the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research, Medical Director for CareOregon, Health Officer for Columbia County in Oregon, and Director of Community Health Services in Zuni, New Mexico. He also was a faculty member at Oregon Health and Science University for more than 15 years.
Dr. Goldberg has published widely and has served on numerous regional and national advisory boards and committees. He currently is chairman of the American Public Human Services Association's National Policy Council.
He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 from the Oregon Public Health Association, the OHSU School of Medicine's 2000 Faculty Humanism Award, and in 1994 was named a U.S. Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellow.
Dr. Goldberg is a graduate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and completed his family medicine training at Duke University.
He and his wife, also a physician, are the proud parents of two daughters, one in college and one in high school. In his spare time he plays the harmonica in a rhythm and blues band and roots for the New York Yankees.
 Chief Operating OfficerSuzanne Hoffman was assigned as the chief of staff in January 2010. She started at DHS in 1998 as a human resources manager, and subsequently was promoted to the positions of assistant district manager for self-sufficiency programs in the Marion, Polk and Yamhill service area; health services deputy; human resources director; deputy chief administrative officer; and chief administrative officer in March 2008. During the final four months of 2007 she served as interim director of the Oregon State Board of Nursing. In December 2008 she was named the assistant director for the DHS Transformation Initiative. Before joining DHS she held several positions within the child support program at the Oregon Department of Justice. She graduated from Portland State University with a B.S. in social sciences.
 Chief of PolicyTina Edlund has worked for the last 25 years in health services research and health policy with the Oregon Division of Medical Assistance Programs, Providence Health System, the Oregon Health Policy Institute, and with the Office for Oregon Health Policy and Research (OHPR).
As Deputy Administrator of OHPR, Ms. Edlund was part of the management team for the Oregon Health Fund Board, established by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 2007 to develop a comprehensive plan for health reform in the state. She became the Deputy Director for Planning and Policy Implementation at the newly created Oregon Health Authority (OHA) in July 2009. The OHA brings most of Oregon's health and health care services into a single entity, and is responsible for purchasing health care services for over 850,000 Oregonians.
Ms. Edlund is a graduate of the University of Oregon and has a masters degree in Urban Affairs from Portland State University.  Director for Addictions and Mental HealthRichard Harris was appointed DHS assistant director of the Addictions and Mental Health Division (AMH) in September 2009. He was named interim assistant director in September 2008, after spending 29 years with the Portland-based Central City Concern, a non-profit agency that houses and serves homeless adults and families. He has more than 30 years of experience in mental health and addictions management.  Director for Medical Assistance Programs - State Medicaid DirectorJudy Mohr Peterson was appointed assistant director for the Division of Medical Assistance Programs (DMAP) in September 2009. She joined DHS in 1997, and her experience includes eight years in DMAP as a manager of the analysis and evaluation unit and in research. She also has administered the caseload forecasting and actuarial services team. Before working for DHS and OHA, Judy was on a team that researched and reported on children's mental health in Texas. She received her doctoral degree in sociocultural anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.  Director for Public Health - State Public Health OfficerMel Kohn, M.D., M.P.H. of Portland, is the Director for the State Public Health Division and State Health Officer at the Oregon Health Authority. Previously he served as State Epidemiologist and administrator of the Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Disease Prevention and Epidemiology. He has worked in the public health sector since 1993, including two years as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Before joining DHS in 1999 Kohn was Medical Director for a Section of the Louisiana Office of Public Health in New Orleans where he was also an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Kohn received a B.A. in Russian and East European Studies from Yale (1981), took pre-med courses at Columbia University, received his M.D. from Harvard (1990), and received his Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (1997). He completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at the Children's Hospital in Boston, completed a preventive medicine residency at Oregon Health and Sciences University, and is board-certified in pediatrics and preventive medicine.
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