People who are diagnosed with head and neck cancer often receive a standard type of chemotherapy as part of their treatment. If they are exposed to secondhand smoke during chemotherapy — even if they have never smoked themselves — the treatment may be far less effective at killing cancer cells. That finding, considered the first of its kind, was revealed in a study recently published by researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences.

The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine is proud to announce the appointment Jason S. Lees, M.D., as the new associate dean of Graduate Medical Education (GME) and the college’s Designated Institutional Official (DIO), effective immediately. Lees brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to excellence in medical education, clinical practice, and research to his new role.

Despite the high prevalence of substance abuse and its often devastating outcomes, especially among disadvantaged populations, few Americans receive treatment for substance use disorders. However, the rise of mobile health technologies can make treatments more accessible.

Health professionals regularly screen for five types of cancer — breast, colon, lung, prostate and cervical — yet those five comprise only half of all cancer deaths. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are studying a new blood test that potentially can identify more than 50 types of cancer, notably the ones that might otherwise go undetected until after the cancer has spread.

David Ciesla, D.D.S., M.S., MAS, clinical assistant professor and director of the pediatric dentistry residency program at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, was recently awarded the Ann Page Griffin Humanitarian Award by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.