The University of Oklahoma recently hosted its inaugural Real-World Data and Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics training workshop through the Office of Clinical Research Informatics and the Biomedical and Behavioral Methodology Core, bringing together a multidisciplinary group of clinical and data scientists from across the university's three major campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The workshop was designed to build institutional capacity for conducting large-scale real-world evidence research using the international OHDSI network.

Beginning July 1, physicians from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Department of Emergency Medicine will provide medical direction to the Oklahoma Poison Center, a free, 24/7 helpline administered by the OU College of Pharmacy. The physicians, who have specialty training in medical toxicology, will be available to consult with the pharmacists and registered nurses who staff the helpline, as well as participate in educational, research and administrative activities.

Muhammad Furqan, M.D., professor of hematology-oncology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Associate Director of Clinical Research at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, is leading a national clinical trial evaluating whether immunotherapy can improve outcomes for patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following surgery.

For 46 years and counting, G. Frans Currier, D.D.S., M.S.D., M.Ed., has been a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. This year, the American Association of Orthodontists recognized his service with a conference named in his honor and the opportunity to give a lecture to his fellow orthodontists from around the nation.

Scientists at the University of Oklahoma have identified a previously unrecognized immune system pathway that helps explain how cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The findings, published in Circulation Research, show that cigarette smoke activates immune cells that trigger widespread inflammation throughout the body, accelerating the buildup of plaque in arteries.