The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents today approved several updates to academic programs in the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, designed to expand access, streamline degree completion, and ensure alignment with accreditation standards and workforce needs. Driven by a commitment to lift the health of Oklahoma, these updates directly support key priorities OU has set forth in its “Lead On, University” Strategic Plan.

University of Oklahoma Health Campus Ph.D. candidate Alex Arreola has earned a prestigious National Cancer Institute grant – one of only 15 awarded nationwide this year. He is the first trainee from OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center to receive the honor, which will support his doctoral and postdoctoral training in experimental oncology and pathology.

A University of Oklahoma study published today in JAMA Surgery reports that acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) – a blood-saving method in which a patient’s blood is collected before going on heart-lung bypass and reinfused near the end of cardiac surgery – remains underused in the United States at 14.7%. Yet the study found that ANH lowered the likelihood of a transfusion by 27%, a decrease in blood use that could cut costs substantially while still protecting patient safety and outcomes.

National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya visited the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center on Friday, Aug. 29, to tour the facility and discuss the university’s efforts to improve health outcomes across the state. Bhattacharya was joined by the NIH Acting Director for Legislative Policy and Analysis, members of the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation and University of Oklahoma leadership. 

Scott Davis, research administration director in the Office of Research Administration at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences campus in Oklahoma City, has received the Julia Jacobsen Distinguished Service Award from the National Council of University Research Administrators.