Mark Bajorek, M.D. is the Director of Health Services at the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC). He completed his doctorate of medicine from The Ohio State University, residency at the University of Michigan, and a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University. Prior to coming to Portland State University as a consulting physician in 1996, Bajorek served as faculty and received teaching awards at both the University of Michigan and Oregon Health and Sciences University.
Since becoming Director of Health Services in 2010, Bajorek has demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and shown commitment to enhancing the health and wellbeing of PSU students. His ability to identify the needs and barriers of students has led to new services being offered, such as gender-affirming care and post-exposure prophylaxis as primary care for PSU students. He worked with SHAC to meet the requirements for accreditation through the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and achieved full certification for three years. Additionally, he supported the prescription identification project of the Vietnamese Scholars of the PSU computer science program, which won the Cornell Cup in 2012. He has also continued his teaching commitment, bringing in OHSU medical students and residents.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Bajorek has given policy recommendations based on emerging scientific data to PSU’s Incident Management Team. His medical staff continued to deliver healthcare through the pandemic, whether telehealth, onsite testing, in-person exams, exposure notifications, vaccination clinics, or antiviral treatment. Brian Roy, Associate Vice President for Risk Management and Contracting, wrote, “[Bajorek] was a calm, authoritative presence at a time we all sought confidence in what we were doing. But what separates him from other skilled and knowledgeable leaders [is] his unfailing empathy and compassion... He was instrumental in creating a new environment in which students could continue to safely learn during the pandemic, all while educating leaders across campus on public health practices.”
The Mary H. Cumpston Award for Service to Students is given annually to an academic professional or university administrator, without academic rank, who has demonstrated excellence in the area of service to students. Mary H. Cumpston was a beloved colleague who truly embodied the meaning of excellence in service to students at Portland State University.