NEWS
OKLAHOMA CITY – National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya visited the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center on Friday, Aug. 29, to tour the facility and discuss the university’s efforts to improve health outcomes across the state. Bhattacharya was joined by the NIH Acting Director for Legislative Policy and Analysis, members of the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation and University of Oklahoma leadership.
“We are thrilled to welcome Director Bhattacharya to the University of Oklahoma and showcase the incredible momentum we've built as the state’s leading academic health system,” said Gary Raskob, Senior Vice President and Provost, OU Health Sciences. “Partnership is essential to create lasting change for Oklahoma, and today's visit demonstrates our shared commitment with the NIH to advance discoveries, expand access and improve lives across our state for generations to come.”
Lifting the health of Oklahoma is a key component of the “Lead On, University: The Next Phase” Strategic Plan. Despite ranking 49th nationally in overall health outcomes, Oklahoma has seen significant progress since the creation of OU Health in June 2021. The academic health system has grown from $1.5 billion to $3 billion in three years, with $52 million invested in life-saving research last year alone. University and NIH leaders also discussed the importance of continued research funding to drive discoveries and improve health outcomes statewide. OU currently educates approximately 80% of Oklahoma's healthcare workforce and has doubled nursing graduates while increasing medical education capacity. By expanding the Stephenson Cancer Center to both Tulsa and Norman, OU Health now treats one in four Oklahomans with cancer, up from one in six.
The day began with a luncheon and roundtable discussion, followed a tour of the Stephenson Cancer Center, presentations on various facets of the University of Oklahoma healthcare system and presentations on NIH-funded research projects.
Director Bhattacharya's visit highlights the critical partnership between OU and the NIH as the university pursues ambitious goals to improve the state's health, including reducing cancer mortality by 10% and doubling the number of patients enrolled in clinical trials.
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 health care needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, OU Health Sciences is one of the nation’s few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. OU Health Sciences 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 OU Health Sciences, visit www.ouhsc.edu.
Three University of Oklahoma graduate students have been named winners of the 2025 Three Minute Thesis competition, which challenges participants to explain their research in three minutes to a non-specialist audience.
Sarah Sharif, a researcher with the University of Oklahoma, has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to create innovative light detectors that pick up mid-wave and long-wave infrared signals at higher temperatures than previously considered achievable.
A team from OU and WVU recently earned a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study how concept cigarillos influence the potential for addiction. The results will be used to inform the FDA’s impending flavor ban on cigar products and could have wider-reaching implications for other tobacco products that come in flavors, such as e-cigarettes and tobacco-free nicotine pouches.
