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Office of the OUHSC Vice President for Research

Research Updates

Research Funding

TOTAL SPONSORED AWARDS - State FY 24                                                                                 TOTAL FEDERAL AWARDS - State FY 24
$217.3 MILLION                                                                                                                                $132.8 MILLION


OU Health Sciences has achieved its highest-ever ranking in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings, reaching No. 102 nationally for NIH funding—a 27-spot climb in two years—placing it among the top 3.6% of institutions receiving NIH support. With $75.2 million in NIH funding in FY2024, this recognition reflects the dedication of faculty, researchers, and staff in advancing biomedical and clinical research that improves patient outcomes and strengthens the university’s impact. 


TSET Health Promotion Research Center and Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Partner to Address High Rates of Tobacco Use in Oklahoma

TSET Health Promotion Research Center and Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Partner to Address High Rates of Tobacco Use in Oklahoma


Published: Wednesday, August 3, 2022

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Dr. Darla Kendzor, Co-Director of the TSET Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC), and Dr. Jon Hart, Director of the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline (OTH), are leading a study to address exceptionally high rates of cancer and cancer mortality in areas of Oklahoma that experience persistent poverty.

In Oklahoma, 16 counties meet the criteria for persistent poverty, which means that at least 20% of residents have been living in poverty since 1980. Although the smoking prevalence rate has declined to 14% nationally, the prevalence of smoking remains elevated in these 16 counties with a range of 19% to 32%. Smoking is known to be a major cause of cancer and a contributing factor to high rates of cancer and cancer mortality in counties that experience persistent poverty. Kendzor and Hart have initiated a new study to evaluate the addition of incentives for completing tobacco cessation counseling sessions and quitting smoking for Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline callers.

The target counties in this study are Adair, Caddo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Greer, Harmon, Haskell, Hughes, Johnston, McCurtain, Okfuskee, Payne, Pushmataha, Seminole, Sequoyah and Tillman. The study will combine Kendzor’s expertise in incentives-based interventions with the standard treatment offered through the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline, directed by Hart. The study will enroll 160 adults seeking smoking cessation treatment through the OTH who live in any of the 16 counties. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the OTH or the OTH plus incentives program.

The goal is to evaluate whether the incentives-based OTH intervention will increase smoking cessation rates in comparison with standard OTH treatment which includes counseling and nicotine replacement therapy. If successful, Kendzor and Hart’s goal is to sustain this innovative program for all callers from counties experiencing persistent poverty. For more information about this study, please call: 1-800-QUIT NOW or visit OKhelpline.com.

The HPRC is an integral component of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program of the NCI-Designated OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. Over the past six years, the HPRC has become a nationally-recognized tobacco research center. Modifiable health risk factors that substantially impact the health of Oklahomans have increasingly become a research focus of center investigators (e.g., sedentary lifestyle, risky alcohol and other substance use).

The HPRC receives funding from OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center via an NCI Cancer Center Support Grant (P30CA225520) and the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust contract number R23-02.

Research Newsletter

Past Newsletters 

May 19, 2025, Newsletter 

This Week's Documents to Download and Full Newsletter
Announcements

TSET Legacy Grants are due on Monday, June 16th by Noon.  Due to the number of OUHSC applicants ALL TSET Legacy Grants will have a five (5) day deadline for submission to ORA for review.

They will be due to ORA no later than Noon on Monday, June 9th.  Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.

An Important Note from ORA – this is to notify the campus that the GRANTS team in ORA is currently three people short.  

Please be patient and ensure your applications are submitted on time as required while we work through all proposals/requests and acquire new team members

WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS

The next Oklahoma Data Science Workshop is next Friday May 23 at noon via Zoom. This is the Zoom link:

https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/94661289236?pwd=WHdLYkRhMHFFQmlPUHhqQU1uNDRoZz09&from=addon

Title: "OU IT Research Computing Capabilities Update"

Speaker: Henry Neeman, PhD, Director of OSCER (the OU supercomputing center)

Abstract: The OU Supercomputing Center for Education & Research (OSCER), a division of OU Information Technology, provides machines and people to facilitate OU researchers' computing/data-intensive investigations.  In this talk, we'll walk through OSCER's resources, and give an update on extant, emerging and planned capabilities. This will include a discussion of GPUs, especially for AI, and interactive access options such as Open OnDemand and OURcloud.

The Native Nations Center for Tribal Policy Research (NNCTPR), would like to announce an event that the NNCTPR, in collaboration with Tana Fitzpatrick, Associate Vice President of Tribal Relations, and the Center for Faculty Excellence will host as part of our Ethical Tribal Engagement Series. This event will be held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 12:00 to 1:30 at the Robert M. Bird Library Inasmuch Foundation Atrium room on the OUHSC campus as well as virtually. This ETE traveling event will be offered as part of the Improving Cancer Outcomes in Native American Communities (ICON) Grant. See attachment for additional information.

The Department of Pediatrics and College of Medicine is presenting a national award, The Patricia Price Browne Prize in Biomedical Ethics Award, on Wednesday, May 21st, at Pediatric Grand Rounds, 12:15-1:15 p.m. 

See attached flyer for additional information.  

Inaugural Annual Neurology Research Symposium – Hosted by the Department of Neurology, University of Oklahoma, School of Medicine – Date & Location: Friday, June 13, 2025, at the Basic Sciences Education Building (West Lecture Hall).

This year’s theme is Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI), with a keynote lecture by Farzaneh A. Sorond, MD, alongside presentations from leading researchers in the field. The event will include panel sessions, oral and poster presentations, and networking opportunities.

Visit for more information: https://medicine.ouhsc.edu/academic-departments/neurology/neurology-symposium

Registration is now open – https://medicine.ouhsc.edu/academic-departments/neurology/neurology-symposium/registration