College News

Michael Steiner, M.D., M.P.H., a nationally recognized physician leader in pediatric medicine and health services research, has been named chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and clinical service chief of pediatrics at OU Health. In these dual roles, Steiner will lead the department’s clinical, research and educational missions, advancing the University of Oklahoma’s academic health system and its commitment to excellence in pediatric care, innovation and training. He will begin in his new role in December 2025.

Min Li, Ph.D., George Lynn Cross Research Professor of Medicine, Surgery and Cell Biology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, has been named president-elect of the International Association of Pancreatology (IAP).

With a new grant from the National Institutes of Health, the University of Oklahoma Health Stephenson Cancer Center is growing its mission of building the next generation of health professionals.

On Tuesday, OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center celebrated the expansion of its Oklahoma Phase 1 Clinical Trials Center, which will soon double the number of patients receiving early-stage cancer drugs. In addition, nearly 20,000 square feet of laboratory space has been added on the OU Health Campus to support the growth of cancer research.

A new study from the University of Oklahoma reveals how a little-understood protein, CD82, contributes to blood vessel leakage, a process that initiates inflammation but becomes dangerous when it occurs during severe inflammatory diseases such as sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and COVID-19. The findings, published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, could open the door to new therapies aimed at protecting patients from multi-organ failure and death in severe and systemic inflammation.