Welcome to the University of Oklahoma Emergency Medicine Residency 

As an Oklahoma native and graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, I have long recognized the tremendous potential for emergency medicine training at OU. As Oklahoma's flagship academic medical center, the University provides the patients, clinical complexity, and educational environment necessary to train outstanding emergency physicians. With accreditation achieved in 2026, I am honored to help launch a residency program that reflects the excellence in clinical care, education, and innovation that has long been a hallmark of the University of Oklahoma.

Our residency also begins with a unique charge. When the University established the Department of Emergency Medicine, it did so with a vision extending well beyond the creation of another academic department. Emergency medicine was identified as integral to OU's goals of becoming a top-tier research-driven academic health center, improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities across Oklahoma, and developing the physician workforce our state needs. The University's vision specifically included the creation of residency training and the opportunity to strengthen emergency medicine education across the state. We therefore have the unusual privilege of building a residency not simply because a training program belongs within an academic department, but because its creation is part of a broader institutional commitment to the people of Oklahoma.

That charge shapes the scale of our ambition. We intend to build one of the finest emergency medicine residency programs in the country. We deliberately chose a four-year model because it gives us the time and flexibility to pursue that goal without compromise. Our residents will develop exceptional clinical skills while also having the opportunity to explore the breadth of our specialty, develop areas of expertise, grow as educators and leaders, and begin defining the contributions they want to make during their careers. Of course, there is no meaningful ranking that can tell us when we have become a "top" program. We will measure ourselves instead by what matters: the physicians we train, the care they provide, the communities they serve, the careers they build, and the contributions they make to our specialty.

Building that kind of program requires us to be intentional about both how we train and the culture in which that training occurs. The Oklahoma Standard, with its emphasis on service, teamwork, resilience, and commitment to those around us, provides a natural foundation for that culture. Those values are reflected in an educational philosophy centered on active learning, critical thinking, progressive autonomy, meaningful mentorship, and progressively increasing responsibility. Our goal is not simply to produce physicians who can manage the clinical demands of emergency medicine. We want to develop confident, compassionate emergency physicians who think deeply, lead effectively, support the people around them, and are prepared to excel in any practice environment.

While our residency is new, the educators building it are not. Our faculty and leadership bring extensive experience in undergraduate and graduate medical education, fellowship training, residency leadership, and curriculum development, as well as active involvement and leadership within national emergency medicine organizations. Having previously served as a Program Director, following roles as a Clerkship Director and Assistant Program Director, I have had the opportunity to develop curricula, mentor residents, and lead educational programs at every stage of training. Those experiences have reinforced my belief that outstanding residency education requires far more than clinical volume. It requires thoughtful curriculum design, progressive responsibility, invested mentorship, high expectations, and a culture in which residents are continually challenged to grow.

That commitment extends beyond our residents' development as clinicians. I want to know our residents as individuals. I want to help them recognize their strengths, pursue what inspires them, and build careers that are meaningful and uniquely their own. Residency is a transformative time, and we are committed to creating an environment where residents are challenged, supported, and empowered to become not only outstanding emergency physicians, but also educators, leaders, advocates, and innovators who contribute meaningfully to our specialty.

Our inaugural residents will have an opportunity few physicians experience: helping define a residency from its beginning. They will shape our traditions, influence our curriculum, and help establish the culture of the program. As members of a small inaugural class, they will receive close mentorship, meaningful leadership opportunities, and a genuine voice in what we build together. Their ideas and contributions will leave a lasting imprint on this program and on generations of OU emergency medicine residents who follow them.

Thank you for your interest in the University of Oklahoma Emergency Medicine Residency. Choosing a residency is about finding the right place to learn, grow, and build your future. My commitment as Program Director is to invest in every resident who joins our program and provide the mentorship, challenge, support, and opportunities they need to become the physicians they aspire to be.

We have been given an extraordinary opportunity: to build an exceptional residency, strengthen emergency medicine in Oklahoma, and help define what academic emergency medicine can become at the University of Oklahoma. I look forward to welcoming our first residents and beginning what I believe will be an extraordinary future for emergency medicine at OU!

Lauren Evans
Program Director
University of Oklahoma Emergency Medicine Residency