The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences grew its funding from the National Institutes of Health to $64.4 million in 2022-23, an increase of more than $4 million over the previous year. That improves the campus’s ranking to 122 out of 2,886 institutions and other entities that receive NIH funding. The listing is compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, which is regarded as the gold standard for ranking biomedical research institutions. Funding from the NIH is considered the key benchmark for research productivity and reputation for health sciences.

Leremy Colf, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, has been named a senior adviser to the newest agency in the federal government, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H. He will focus on health system resilience, a concept of critical importance as the world faces crises like climate change and emerging infectious diseases.

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 Dentistry provided free cleanings, fillings and crowns to over 100 children during the annual Kids’ Day. The event was sponsored in part by the Delta Dental of Oklahoma Foundation.

Vitamin B6 is beneficial in many ways, notably for its role in maintaining a strong immune system. However, when pancreatic cancer develops, its cells also need vitamin B6 to replicate. During the ensuing tug of war over a limited supply of vitamin B6, pancreatic cancer almost always emerges as the victor. A researcher at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine is following a promising trail of clues in an effort to reverse that reality.