College of Medicine Magazine Summer 2022

Dean’s Message

This spring, the OU College of Medicine graduated the Class of 2022, a dedicated and passionate group of young people who spent their clinical education years during a global pandemic. They, like the college itself, have been changed by the hardships of COVID-19, but have infused their outlook with optimism about how they can serve others through their profession.

The College of Medicine finds itself at that same junction, having emerged from a very difficult time, yet still invigorated about academic medicine. In this issue of the magazine, you will read about many of the education, research and patient care activities that are furthering our mission.

In the research section, we are proud to announce a historic first for the college and campus — a new cancer drug, developed without the help of a pharmaceutical company, is being tested for the first time in humans in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The drug shows tremendous promise as a cancer treatment without causing toxic side effects, as well as a preventive cancer drug.

Other research news is similarly exciting. I hope you enjoy the feature on our adult and pediatric diabetes research programs, which have increased in federal funding from $2 million to $20 million in just the past three years. We are also glad to participate in two federally funded clinical studies that aim to better understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 infection in adults and children.

In the patient care section, you’ll read about a novel clinical study created by one of the college’s hematology-oncology faculty members. It aims to gather evidence that blood infusions, when administered by hospice in a patient’s home, greatly improve quality of life. Currently, when patients with blood cancer decide to start hospice treatment, they must still go to a hospital or clinic for transfusions, rather than receiving them at home.

In the OU-TU School of Community Medicine section, you’ll find a story about one of our students who, as an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, created a project to increase COVID-19 education and vaccination among Spanish-speaking patients at Bedlam Clinic.

Finally, be sure to check out the stories on Evening of Excellence and Alumni Day, both of which faced cancellations because of the pandemic but were ultimately held earlier this year.

The activities and accomplishments you’ll read about in this magazine are what make me hopeful about the future of medicine. Our tripartite mission is what sets us apart in academic medicine and allows us to care for those who need us today, while also transforming the future of the profession. As always, I am grateful for your support of the OU College of Medicine.