Bhattacharya Visits Oklahoma to Discuss Collaborations

From l, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and OU President Joseph Harroz, Jr.

Photo:  Travis Caperton/OU

NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya visited Oklahoma on Aug. 29 for a series of meetings. During the visit, hosted by U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice, Bhattacharya toured the University of Oklahoma (OU) Stephenson Cancer Center, OU Health Sciences Center, Dean McGee Eye Institute and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF). 

Bhattacharya met with OU leaders and members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to discuss efforts to improve health outcomes across the state. The OU visit included a roundtable discussion and presentations on various facets of the OU healthcare system and NIH-funded research projects.

Much of the state’s $165 million in active NIH projects is concentrated in Bice’s congressional district in Oklahoma City, home to the state’s two largest medical research facilities, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and OMRF. 

Photo:  Travis Caperton/OU

In FY 2024, OMRF researchers received nearly $50 million in NIH funding, with projects spanning from Alzheimer’s to heart disease.

 “Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity continue to cause poor health outcomes in every community across the U.S.,” Bhattacharya said. “Novel biomedical discoveries that enhance health and lengthen life are more vital than ever to our country’s future.”

Bhattacharya met with scientists researching a range of chronic health conditions, from age-related muscle loss to arthritis and autoimmune diseases. He also toured labs and scientific facilities, including OMRF’s new Center for Biomedical Data Sciences, a center supported in part by private funding.

“Medical research thrives as the result of public-private partnerships like those Director Bhattacharya saw today in Oklahoma and that serve as the gold standard for discovery and innovation,” Bice said.

Dr. Andrew Weyrich, OMRF president, said Bhattacharya’s visit provided a welcome opportunity to highlight the groundbreaking science going on in Oklahoma. Weyrich said, “With leaders like Dr. Bhattacharya and congressional champions like Representative Bice, we are poised to continue making groundbreaking discoveries that improve people’s lives.”   

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Bhattacharya (c) and Rep. Bice (5th from r) are joined by leaders from across the OU Health campus at the Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City.

Photo:  Travis Caperton/OU