College of Medicine Magazine Fall/Winter 2019

Page 15

MEDICAL EDUCATION

interact with healthcare professionals and researchers. Programs like Club Scrubs and Mini Medical School have already seen success in sparking interest among young people. Robert Salinas, M.D., a family medicine physician and assistant dean for diversity, said the success of such programs hinges on supporting students for years along the pathway to medical school. “We believe that we can address the inequities in healthcare by bringing in students from diverse backgrounds – women, people from rural Oklahoma, the Latino and Hispanic communities, Native Americans, African-Americans and others who have traditionally been under-represented,” Salinas said. “Data suggests that if you bring in a more diverse workforce, you have better health outcomes. Those better outcomes may happen for a number of reasons – understanding the patient, culturally and linguistically, understanding their belief systems – but the overall goal is to bring in more students from around the state who want to go back and serve their communities, specifically in primary care.” Faculty from both campuses plan to reach out to primary care physicians in communities across the state to enlist them in mentoring young people who dream of becoming physicians or other healthcare providers. Doctors across Oklahoma are especially positioned to identify young people, perhaps their own patients, who are interested in medicine. “This grant asks us to be innovative and to create strategies – how do we reduce health disparities by bringing in students from under-represented groups who want to go back and serve their communities?,” Salinas said. “In what ways can we expose our current medical students to the importance of primary care? I believe this type of work is an institutional responsibility. As an academic health system, we have an obligation to provide leadership for the state.”

Brain Tumor Center in San Francisco in the laboratory of Shawn L. Hervey-Jumper, M.D. Almeida’s project focused on primary brain tumors in adult patients, who often lose the ability to speak, read or write. In particular, he explored tumor cells that affect the pathways controlling cognition in the brain. Findings from the study will lead to better understanding of the brain’s ability to repair and modify itself in response to brain tumors. “Understanding the pathophysiology of this disease is critical for developing the next generation of cutting-edge treatments,” he said. Almeida said he has long had a goal of becoming a physician-scientist. Working in an internationally recognized research laboratory is a significant opportunity on that path. “Improvements to medical care don’t occur in a vacuum,” he said. “Translational research has always been fundamentally important in bringing advancements from bench to bedside. For this reason, I find it fascinating to be involved in work that could potentially lead to novel treatment options and bring about tangible benefits.” Recipients of the AOA research fellowship are excellent students who want to increase their understanding of scholarly discovery, said Annie Moreau, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and AOA councilor for the OU College of Medicine. “We are very proud of Nyle’s academic excellence and his enthusiasm for this research fellowship,” Moreau said. “He will no doubt be a wonderful physician who understands the value of research in providing the very best care for his patients.”

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of an award totaling $4,704,476 with 10% financed with nongovernmental sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.

AOA Awards Research Scholarship to Medical Student OU College of Medicine student Nyle C. Almeida, a member of the Class of 2022, spent the summer participating in a research fellowship made possible by a grant from the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Almeida was awarded the AOA’s 2019 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship, which provides a $6,000 award for medical students to undertake a research project with an academic mentor. Almeida conducted his research at UCSF

Associate Dean for Student Affairs Mark Fergeson, M.D., presents a check to medical student Nyle C. Almeida for his participation in the AOA summer research fellowship.

[ Fa l l / Wi n t e r 2 019 ]

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Articles inside

Supporting the Basic Sciences

1min
page 51

Wisdom Family Foundation Makes Gift Toward Translational Research

2min
pages 50-51

Letter to Alumni

1min
page 49

Letter to Alumni

1min
page 49

Alumni Association Reunion Day Set for May 1

1min
page 48

Evening of Excellence Honoring Two at 2020 Gala

4min
pages 46-47

Stephenson Cancer Center Physician Proposes New Clinical Trial Concept for Ovarian Cancer

1min
page 45

College of Medicine Magazine Fall/Winter 2019

1min
page 44

Gynecologic Oncologist Honored for National Advocacy

1min
page 44

OU Medicine Enterprise Quality Officer Honored By Good Shepherd Clinic

1min
page 43

Researchers Earn PHF Grants

1min
page 43

Medical Oncologist Chosen for Clinical Trial Development Workshop

1min
pages 42-43

Medical Oncologist Chosen for Clinical Trial Development Workshop

1min
page 42

Bonner Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

1min
page 41

Educators Honored by Academy of Teaching Scholars

2min
pages 40-41

Tulsa Surgeon Brings Robotic Liver Cancer Surgery to Oklahoma

2min
page 39

Physician-Educator Gives Implicit Bias Workshops on Campus and Beyond

3min
page 38

PA Program Graduates 10th Class

5min
pages 36-37

OU College of Medicine Researchers Discover Trigger for Muscle-Wasting Condition Associated With Pancreatic Cancer

2min
page 35

OU College of Medicine Researcher Discovers Gene Mutation That Contributes to Addiction

3min
page 34

Interaction Between Genes, Lifestyle Could Point to Earlier Discovery of Diabetes

3min
pages 33-34

OU Medicine Tobacco Cessation Researcher Receives Career-Launching Federal Grant

3min
pages 32-33

Stephenson Cancer Center Physician Is Lead Author of Study Showing Drug Prolongs Life for Patients With Ovarian Cancer

3min
pages 31-32

Stephenson Cancer Researcher Awarded Large Grant To Study Role of Aging, Inflammation in Cancer and Other Diseases

2min
pages 30-31

Cutting-edge Treatment and Research Gives Patient Opportunity to Live Life to the Fullest

3min
pages 29-30

Cutting-edge Treatment and Research Gives Patient Opportunity to Live Life to the Fullest

3min
pages 28-29

Stephenson Cancer Center Welcomes Hundreds to Outpace Cancer

1min
page 27

Lung Cancer Survivor Gives Thanks With Every Step During Stephenson Cancer Center’s Outpace Cancer Event

2min
pages 26-27

Cancer Survivor Encourages Other Survivors to Return to Those Things That Inspire Their Passions

4min
pages 24-25

The Children’s Hospital Completes PICU Expansion

2min
page 23

Center on Child Abuse and Neglect Partners with DHS to Develop Screening for Youth in Foster Care

3min
page 22

Pediatric Surgeon Performs Lifesaving Surgery on Infant With Urological Condition

4min
pages 20-21

Thoracic Surgeons Offer Minimally Invasive Lung Cancer Surgery

3min
pages 19-20

Stephenson Cancer Center Offering CAR-T Immune Therapy

3min
pages 18-19

Topping Out Ceremony Marks Construction Milestone for New Patient Tower

5min
pages 16-17, 52

AOA Awards Research Scholarship to Medical Student

1min
page 15

College Aims to Boost Numbers of Primary Care Physicians from Diverse Backgrounds

5min
pages 14-15

Student Participates in NIH Research Program

1min
page 13

Clinical Transitions Course Guides Students Into Third Year of Medical School

2min
pages 12-13

Connect+Cure Gala Raises Record Amount for Diabetes Research

1min
page 11

Federal Grant Allows OU Health Sciences Center to Enhance Dementia Care Across Oklahoma

4min
pages 10-11

OU Health Sciences Center Receives $18.7 Million Grant for Biomedical Research, Workforce Development

2min
page 9

OU Medicine Plays Significant Role In New Legislation Protecting Organ Donors

2min
page 8

Surgeon General Visits Campus

1min
page 7

OU Medicine Receives High Rankings From U.S. News & World Report

3min
pages 6-7

College Names Two Assistant Deans

1min
page 5

College Accreditation Renewed by LCME

2min
pages 4-5

Dean’s Message

2min
page 2
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