NEWS
OKLAHOMA CITY – Beginning July 1, physicians from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine will provide medical direction to the Oklahoma Poison Center, a free, 24/7 helpline administered by the OU College of Pharmacy. The physicians, who have specialty training in medical toxicology, will be available to consult with the pharmacists and registered nurses who staff the helpline, as well as participate in educational, research and administrative activities.
“The Oklahoma Poison Center is a multidisciplinary effort, and we are proud to be joining an amazing team already in place,” said Azeemuddin Ahmed, M.D., MBA, professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and an emergency medicine physician at OU Health. “Our medical toxicologists are emergency medicine physicians who have completed a two-year fellowship in medical toxicology, and they are experts in everything from medication overdoses to hazardous materials to snake bites.”
Muhammad Masood Khalid, M.D., will serve as medical director of the Oklahoma Poison Center, and Jessica Shenoi, M.D., will serve as assistant medical director. Both are OU Health emergency medicine physicians working at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center Emergency Department.
“We believe this collaboration between the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Oklahoma Poison Center will strengthen toxicology support for providers across the state and create meaningful opportunities for excellent patient care, staff education, training and program development,” Khalid said.
Shenoi added: “As someone from Oklahoma who went to OU for medical school, I feel honored to come back and serve my community through the Oklahoma Poison Center. All of us in the Department of Emergency Medicine hope to continue the great work that the Oklahoma Poison Center is doing, in addition to increasing community engagement and strengthening research, teaching and clinical duties.”
Beyond providing consultation on Poison Center cases, the toxicologists will participate in statewide community education, teach health professions students who rotate through the center, and conduct research to improve the prevention and treatment of poisonings and other toxic exposures.
Kristie Edelen, Pharm.D., managing director for the Oklahoma Poison Center, said the toxicologists will help ensure the center remains at the forefront of poison care. National accreditation standards require poison centers to have 24/7 access to a medical toxicologist.
“This partnership enhances the expert guidance we provide every day,” Edelen said. “Our medical toxicologists will help ensure we continue using the latest evidence-based approaches to caring for patients and advising healthcare providers.”
Each year, thousands of Oklahomans turn to the poison center for immediate help with medication errors, chemical exposures, bites, stings and drug information questions. In 2025 alone, the Oklahoma Poison Center managed more than 31,000 human exposure cases and handled over 70,000 total call interactions with families and healthcare providers across the state. The helpline number is 1-800-222-1222.
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, 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.
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