Alumni Day Returns

James L. Brand, M.D., and Susan L. Chambers, M.D., honorees at this year’s Alumni Day, are pictured with Mary Zoe Baker, M.D., center, president of the OU College of Medicine Alumni Association. Not pictured is Friend of Medicine honoree Rep. Marcus McEntire.

OU College of Medicine Alumni Association Honors Two Physicians, State Legislator During Annual Awards

A family medicine physician at the OU College of Medicine, an OB-GYN in private practice, and a state legislator were honored at the 2022 Alumni Day Reunion.

James L. Brand, M.D., received the Physician of the Year-Academic Medicine award. Brand, an Oklahoman since age 4, grew up immersed in rural communities. He went to school all 12 years at Billings Public Schools in Noble County, and he spent summers experiencing rural America through the windshield of a truck and from the platform of a combine from Texas to Canada. His affinity for rural areas would come to play a major role in his career.

Brand planned to attend Oklahoma State University to further his education, but an application from the University of Oklahoma arrived in the mail first. He completed it and was accepted to OU, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in zoology, graduating with distinction in 1980. He then entered the OU College of Medicine, graduating in 1984, followed by his residency on campus in family and preventive medicine, finishing in 1987.

After graduation, Brand worked as a staff physician in the emergency department of then privately owned Columbia Presbyterian Hospital on campus, as well as the emergency department at Midwest City Regional Hospital.

In 1991, he changed course and returned to the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine in the OU College of Medicine. His initial academic responsibility as course director for the Rural Preceptorship for senior medical students took him on site visits to rural Oklahoma communities from Beaver to Grove to Ada to Altus, where community physicians volunteered their time and skill to help educate future physicians in a rural setting. Brand led the preceptorship for 27 years.

Since then, Brand has risen to the faculty rank of clinical professor. He has served in several leadership roles for the Physician Associate Program, including his current role as associate program director since 2019. He teaches several courses regularly for medical students and PA students. He is a former physician leader for Unity Clinic, a student-led interprofessional clinic that provides care to people from underserved populations in Oklahoma City. He maintains his own clinical practice at the Family Medicine Center on campus, where he also teaches medical students and family medicine residents.

Members of the Class of 1992 visiting at this year’s Alumni Day dinner are Jonathan Drummond, M.D., Janet Arnold-Clark, M.D., and Sherri Gordon, M.D.

Brand has been active with the Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians for many years, including serving as president from 2005-2006 and now as a board member. He also has been active nationally with the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, the Physician Assistant Education Association, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. In addition, he is a member of the American College of Physicians, the Society of Teachers of Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, Oklahoma County Medical Society, American Medical Association, and Oklahoma State Medical Association.

He has been honored with numerous awards, including Family Physician of the Year by the Oklahoma Academy of Family Physicians, and Physician of the Year from the Oklahoma Academy of Physician Associates.

OB-GYN Susan L. Chambers, M.D., received the Physician of the Year-Private Practice award. Chambers is a founding member and current managing partner of the private practice group Lakeside Doctors Gynecology & Obstetrics. She is also a founding member of Lakeside Women’s Hospital and has served as its board chair and chief of staff.

Chambers earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, then attended the OU College of Medicine, receiving her medical degree in 1982. She stayed on campus for her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology, finishing in 1986. Chambers began her career as a general OB-GYN at Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialists in Oklahoma City from 1986 to 1987. In 1987, she was a founding member of Oklahoma City Gynecology and Obstetrics, now known as Lakeside Doctors Gynecology & Obstetrics. In 1997, Chambers helped to launch Lakeside Women’s Hospital.

Chambers is a member of several professional groups, including the Oklahoma County Medical Society, Oklahoma State Medical Association and American Medical Association, and she is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Chambers’ community service is extensive. She is in her second nine-year term on the board of trustees for World Neighbors, currently serving as board chair. She is also an active member at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.

She serves as vice chair of the board of directors for the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women in Oklahoma City and, since 2006, has served as a volunteer, host and mentor for the organization’s Peace Through Business program. She is a member of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum board of directors and is currently serving as vice chair through 2024. She is also a member of the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure & Supervision, having served as board chair in 2019, as well as the OU Honors College Board of Visitors and the Oklahoma City Repertory Theater board of directors.

Previously, she served on local and state boards for the March of Dimes, as well as the Lyric Theatre board of directors for 12 years. She served on the board for the Oklahoma Policy Institute from 2017 to 2019 and was a member of Leadership Oklahoma Class 29. She was a member of the OU College of Medicine Admissions Board from 2012 to 2017.

She has received numerous honors, including being named the 2002 Woman of the Year by The Journal Record. In 2005, she was honored by the Oklahoma County Medical Society for her charitable work, and in 2010 she received the Namaste Award from World Neighbors. In 2018, she was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame.

She and her husband, Kyle Toal, M.D., have three children.

Oklahoma State Rep. Marcus McEntire was honored with the Friend of Medicine Award. McEntire is a fourth-generation resident of Stephens County. He attended both Comanche and Duncan Public Schools and, upon graduation from Duncan High School, attended the University of Oklahoma and earned a degree in communication. He then earned a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a master of arts in sociology from the University of Virginia. He received a full fellowship from the University of Virginia, where his main areas of concentration were sociology of law, religion, and the family.

In 2003, McEntire, his wife, Leigh, and their son Ian returned to Duncan to raise their family. The couple’s daughter, Ainsley, was born in 2006. They also worked to expand their business, Distinctive Decor, which was established in 1999. The company, which was launched with a $400 investment, now employs 13 full- and part-time employees and occupies a 17,000-square-foot space in downtown Duncan, along with a thriving online presence. It has been featured in numerous national publications and earned several accolades. In 2018, McEntire and his wife purchased Whitten Insurance, which has been in business in Duncan since 1956.

In 2016, McEntire was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives for House District 50 (Stephens and Jefferson counties). He serves as chair of the Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Health and is a member of the House Insurance Committee and the House Public Health Committee. He has worked to protect physicians’ scope of practice and to enhance the Physician Manpower Training Commission. He has also worked to improve telemedicine opportunities and develop Oklahoma’s Health Information Exchange. He has advocated for a more efficient and fair appeals process for denied insurance claims, and he has backed efforts to assure pharmaceutical cost savings are passed on to patients.

McEntire serves Duncan in many ways. He is a past president of the Duncan Rotary Club and has served on the Duncan Regional Hospital Foundation board. He has served on the advisory committee for the Business Development Services Program at Red River Technology Center, the Gifted and Talented Advisory Board, and STEM Advisory Board for Duncan Public Schools. McEntire has served as a Boy Scout leader for Troop 4434, where his son earned the Eagle Scout rank. He also worked as a board member to help establish the Christopher Lane Foundation named in memory of the Australian baseball player who was murdered in Duncan in 2013. The McEntires attend First United Methodist Church in Duncan.

Class of 1972 graduate Karen Reisig Myers, M.D., received her 50-year medal at this year’s Alumni Reunion. She is pictured at the ceremony with her husband, Jim.

Alumni Day 2023 is scheduled for May 5. Graduates of years ending in 3 and 8 will celebrate reunions. Nominations are being accepted for 2023 Alumni Awards. For more information, visit medicine.ouhsc.edu/alumni.