OUHSC Centers of Excellence

The OU Health Sciences Center has several strategic research centers, institutes and initiatives that support advanced research and foster collaboration among researchers from many different disciplines.

OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center

Researchers across the OU Health Sciences Center and OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center focus their investigations in several key areas, including cancer biology, cancer prevention and control, cancer therapeutics, gynecologic cancers, tobacco treatment and tobacco regulatory science. As Oklahoma’s only National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center, Stephenson Cancer Center is one of the nation’s leading research institutions and offers hundreds of clinical trials for all types and stages of cancer.

OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center

Diabetes research across campus and at OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center has a strong focus on the first 1,000 days, from conception through early childhood. During that time, important physiological processes underlying the risk for childhood obesity and diabetes are taking place. Other areas of focus include gestational diabetes and obesity, maternal obesity and the infant microbiome, and diabetes and cancer. Researchers from diverse disciplines are dedicated to examining the causes and complications of diabetes and translating their findings into improved patient care.

Oklahoma Center for Geroscience

Because aging itself is one of the biggest risk factors for disease, geroscience research is a crucial area of study for the prevention and treatment of many types of conditions. Geroscience research is highly collaborative and includes several federally funded centers, including the Oklahoma Center for Geroscience and Healthy Brain Aging, the Oklahoma Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, and the Oklahoma Dementia Care Network. Scientists and clinicians also work to bridge laboratory science and patient care through the high-tech Translational Geroscience Laboratory.

Oklahoma Center for Microbial Pathogenesis

The Oklahoma Center for Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunity is a hub for research into many types of infections and how the immune system recognizes and destroys them, or succumbs to them. Researchers focus on various fungal, bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, advancing their knowledge of what makes the immune system successful, but also finding the weak links that can be exploited by pathogens. Another focus is how the microbiome of the intestinal tract — which is filled with thousands of bacteria, good and bad — influences infection and immune responses.

Dean McGee Eye Institute

Vision research at the OU College of Medicine and Dean McGee Eye Institute, the home base of the Department of Ophthalmology, is not only one of the most highly funded research programs at the OU Health Sciences Center, but also one of the most multidisciplinary. Ophthalmology researchers study a wide range of conditions, including macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, bacterial and viral eye infections, fungal keratitis, and much more. Collaborations between vision and non-vision researchers are common and include the disciplines of ophthalmology, physiology, pathology, cell biology, microbiology and immunology, pharmaceutical sciences and others.

Oklahoma Children's Hospital OU Health

Research in pediatrics, primarily originating in the OU College of Medicine, covers many areas of childhood diseases and conditions. Key areas include the molecular interface between environmental toxins and biological systems; rare diseases; necrotizing enterocolitis; infant critical care; children’s cancers; and diabetes and endocrinology. Through the OU Health Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Health, physicians and scientists collaborate to improve health outcomes for mothers and their babies.

Oklahoma Clinical and Translational Science Institute

Unites non-profit organizations, American Indian communities, public agencies and primary care providers in research addressing the poor health outcomes of Oklahomans. The OSCTI serves 34 federally recognized tribes; two major medical schools; dental, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, public health and graduate colleges; two private non-profit research foundations; and a total of 27 separate organizations.