NEWS
OKLAHOMA CITY – Three physicians and a community supporter were honored during the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine’s 2026 Evening of Excellence. The annual gala was held Sept. 17 at the Omni Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel.
Mary Kay Gumerlock, M.D., Steven A. Crawford, M.D., and O. Joe Hines, M.D., were inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame, and MidFirst Bank was honored with the Distinguished Community Service Award. Each was recognized for exceptional achievements, service, and contributions to the medical profession and the mission of the college.
Mary Kay Gumerlock, M.D.
Now a professor emeritus at the OU College of Medicine, Mary Kay Gumerlock, M.D., dedicated more than three decades to advancing neurosurgery, medical education, research and faculty mentorship. A pioneering woman in a field historically dominated by men, she built a distinguished career defined by resilience, excellence and service. Beyond her clinical work caring for patients at OU Health and the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, she played a vital role in shaping the culture and future of the Department of Neurosurgery through her mentorship of faculty, residents and medical students.
Born in Virginia and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the oldest of eight children, Gumerlock’s fascination with science began early. Her experiences working in hospitals, first as a “candy striper” and later as a nurses’ aide, confirmed her calling. She graduated from medical school at the University of California, Irvine, and completed her residency at Oregon Health & Science University. Among her numerous contributions to neurosurgery, she was an early adopter of focused chemotherapy for patients with brain tumors requiring intravascular therapy.
Steven A. Crawford, M.D.
From the beginning of his affiliation with the OU College of Medicine in 1982 until his retirement in 2023, Steven A. Crawford, M.D., has had a legendary vision for healthcare at OU. He served more than 20 years as chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (the longest-serving chair in the department’s history), as well as associate director and director of the Family Medicine Residency Program. His contributions to family practice at OU and beyond are immeasurable.
Crawford earned his medical degree from the University of Illinois and completed his residency in Waco, Texas. When one of his professors moved to OU, Crawford was recruited to join him. In addition to his clinical leadership, Crawford was an active researcher, securing more than $38 million in federal funding for projects focused on vaccinations, heart health, pain management and other public health priorities. He was also active with statewide organizations, including the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and the Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians, where he served as president.
O. Joe Hines, M.D.
O. Joe Hines, M.D., is an OU College of Medicine alumnus and professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he has built a distinguished career as a surgeon, educator, researcher and national leader in academic surgery. He leads more than 160 surgeons and 120 trainees while advancing patient care across Southern California. He is also active as a researcher, focusing on pancreatic cancer and the role of diet in its development. He has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health and is the author of more than 240 peer-reviewed publications.
After graduating from the OU College of Medicine, Hines completed his surgical residency at UCLA, where he has spent his entire career. He is a 12-time recipient of UCLA’s Golden Scalpel Award for teaching excellence, received the UCLA School of Medicine Award for Excellence in Education, and was honored with the Sherman M. Mellinkoff Faculty Award, considered the medical school’s highest honor. He has held numerous national leadership roles, including chair of the American Board of Surgery and president of both the Society of University Surgeons and the American Pancreatic Association.
MidFirst Bank
For more than 40 years, MidFirst Bank has been a generous supporter of OU, including serving as a steadfast partner and champion of the OU College of Medicine. MidFirst has contributed or committed more than $35 million to OU, supporting athletics, health sciences and student success. Through the MidFirst OU MoneyCoach program, the bank also helps provide OU students with valuable financial knowledge; since its inception, the program has reached more than 90,000 students through financial education workshops and coaching sessions.
The bank also supports the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center and programs like the Pink Visa Debit Card, which has brought $2.6 million to fund breast cancer and early detection initiatives. Among the most significant early detection programs is OU’s mobile mammography unit, which has provided mammograms to 200,000 women statewide since its launch.
Headquartered in Oklahoma City, MidFirst is the largest privately owned bank in the United States with over $42 billion in assets. It operates banking locations in Oklahoma, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Utah, while providing commercial lending, wealth management, private banking and mortgage servicing nationwide.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and healthcare needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, the OU Health Campus is one of the nation’s few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. The OU Health Campus serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs spanning Oklahoma City and Tulsa and is the leading research institution in Oklahoma. For more information about the OU Health Campus, visit www.ouhsc.edu.
Experienced sonography students in the OU College of Allied Health work with students in the OU College of Medicine on how to utilize modern ultrasound systems. This interprofessional setting is made possible through a recently opened laboratory and cross-college collaboration on the OU Health Campus.
The Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma has launched a new Online Graduate Certificate in Bioprocessing, a forward thinking program designed to expand access to bioprocessing education while strengthening the nation’s biotechnology workforce.
Three physicians and a community supporter were honored during the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine’s 2026 Evening of Excellence. The annual gala was held Sept. 17 at the Omni Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel.
