College News

Andrew Jea, M.D., MBA, MHA, FACS, FAAP, has been named chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and clinical service chief at OU Health. Jea has served as vice chair of the department of neurosurgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine; as the residency program director; and has served as interim chair of the department since March 1 after former chair Ian F. Dunn, M.D., FACS, FAANS, assumed the role of executive dean at the OU College of Medicine.

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents approved an ambitious plan in Tulsa today to incrementally increase enrollment in the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program in the OU College of Medicine at OU Health Sciences by more than 40% over the next five years – a strategic initiative designed to address the critical demand for additional health care professionals in Oklahoma.

While the overall rate of cigarette smoking has decreased in the United States, the use of menthol cigarettes has risen among young adult smokers. A University of Oklahoma researcher published a study today showing that the addition of menthol flavoring to cigarettes makes them more appealing than non-menthol cigarettes, particularly among racial and ethnic minorities and the LGBTQ population, who have high rates of menthol cigarette use.

A $5.3 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences will support advanced cancer research in Oklahoma. The Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant is designed to build research capacity and help early-career researchers establish independently funded laboratories.

University of Oklahoma researchers recently published a study showing that several measurements of the brain, including blood flow and the brain’s ability to compensate for the lack of it, are better predictors of mild cognitive impairment than risk factors like hypertension and high cholesterol.