PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon Health & Sciences University is hiring again, thanks to federal stimulus money.

The university received $51.5 million in federal stimulus funding so far this year. (Background on where stimulus dollars have been gone in our region.)

It has hired 116 new workers so far. Jobs include research assistants, critical care nurses, lab technicians and scientists. (Get the full list of openings, and apply.)

Earlier this year OHSU laid off about 500 people because of "the down economy." In January, OHSU President Joe Robertson made the announcement of the lay offs.

"I explained to OHSU employees that the economic downturn will result in the loss of at least 500 and perhaps as many as 1,000 positions by the end of the current financial year," he said to KATU.

Job reductions included the university's central services departments of approximately 110 to 120 positions. Central services functions include human resources, facilities, public safety, information technology support, communications, government relations and legal. Reductions also included about 140 OHSU Hospital workers. 

In December, OHSU had announced a university hiring freeze, a university and OHSU Healthcare salary freeze, the postponement of a major expansion of the Kohler Pavilion and other reductions in capital spending. OHSU's top executives also went without 20 percent of their base pay and all of their incentive pay.

KATU has yet to discover what parts of those cuts are being restored with stimulus funds.