Judith A. James, M.D., Ph.D.

Current lupus studies aimed at disease origin, progression and prevention

OMRF’s research center is among just seven nationally

Biorepository keeps samples used in clinical trials nationwide

Internationally renowned rheumatologist honored for autoimmunity research

Breakthrough could benefit people who take mycophenolate mofetil

This year’s vaccine considered quite effective

Does a lifetime of radiation from medical imaging pose risks to patients?

When I was growing up, it seemed like every other kid I knew had their tonsils removed, but now it seems much rarer. When should a person have their tonsils removed?

She’s the third OMRF scientist to join prestigious hall

I’ve noticed that my hands seem to feel colder than in the past when I spend time outside. Should I be worried?

Each week, OMRF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Judith James opens “Adam’s Journal” to answer a medical question from Adam Cohen, OMRF’s senior vice president & general counsel. Adam’s Journal As we often do when we get together, my sister and I recently found ourselves in a friendly competition. This one was to see if we […]

What is the best schedule for getting a booster vaccine, and how does Covid-19 infection affect that timeline?

Why do some women need a more intense regimen to screen for breast cancer?

Can stopping heartburn medication cause more symptoms?

It seems autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis have been on the rise. Is my perception a product of my surroundings, or has there really been a surge?

I read recently that a fitness measurement called VO2 max is also a strong predictor of longevity. What is VO2 max, and can it really help tell how long we’ll live?

I know that our lifespans are determined by a combination of nature and nurture. But if you had to pick a number, just how much of a role do genes play in our longevity?

Is higher SPF always best? Or is there some point where enough is enough?

Does working out in the heat – as opposed to a cooler, more comfortable environment – have any additional benefits?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve heard that we should aim to take 10,000 steps a day. Where does this number come from, and does it really hold true as a universal standard for wellness and physical activity?

What causes heel spurs? And is surgery the only way to treat them?

Pond Creek native is third scientist inducted in OMRF history

We’ve all heard of strep throat. But now there’s something called “invasive strep,” which I read is on the rise. What is it, and should we be worried?

Over the years, I’ve heard countless times that crosswording also helps ward off dementia. Is this true?

Sen. Mullin met with OMRF President Andrew Weyrich, Ph.D., and scientists from two of the foundation’s research programs.

A friend who recently turned 50 is beginning to experience some symptoms of menopause, so her physician brought up the possibility of hormone replacement therapy.

I’ve heard that the mere sight of a physician’s white coat can drive up a person’s blood pressure. Is this a real thing?

A friend sent me an article suggesting that gravity might be a factor in causing irritable bowel syndrome. Could this really be true? And if so, what does it mean for people affected by this condition?

Election to the National Academy of Medicine is but the latest first for Dr. Judith James Dr. Judith James can’t remember not wanting to be a doctor. As a 5-year-old, James, who had severe asthma, shared her career intentions with her pediatrician. “He said if I wanted to become a nurse, he would be happy […]

Gift will benefit Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program

Dr. Judith James, Dr. Courtney Griffin and Dr. Benjamin Miller will be promoted to new roles

How long does immunity from a flu shot last? Would a booster after the first shot help?

The NIH has selected OMRF to lead a $58.5 million public-private partnership aimed at developing more effective treatments for autoimmune diseases.

In this year of Covid-19 vaccines, don’t forget about your annual flu shot.

When Dr. William Thurman, above, took the helm of OMRF, he brought the lab coat he’d worn since his days training as a pediatric oncologist. That powder-blue garment, along with the bow ties he favored, would become synonymous with OMRF throughout the 1980s (and most of the 1990s). But his sartorial flourishes would prove the […]

When Dr. Matlock Jeffries began his first day of work at OMRF in August, it may have been the smoothest transition in the foundation’s history. That Monday morning, he entered the same lab where he’d been studying osteoarthritis for the previous four years. Only now, he’d be doing it as a member of OMRF’s scientific […]

You simply couldn’t find a scientist who was studying Covid-19 in 2019. Which makes sense, because it wasn’t until the final day of that year that China reported its first cluster of cases to the World Health Organization. In the months that followed, countless researchers pivoted to tackle the novel coronavirus that had emerged as […]

OMRF VP Adam Cohen shares his journey through the Pfizer vaccine clinical trial.

Scientists adapt to a changed research environment.

Three OMRF scientists were recognized for excellence at this year’s American College of Rheumatology meeting.

Renita Lewis fights lupus, which takes an outsized toll on African Americans.

OMRF is recruiting those who have or who think they may have Sjögren’s syndrome to participate in new research studies and a clinical trial.

A recent OMRF study is potentially paving the way for better preventive treatment options for African American patients.

The pandemic is showing fearsome fatality rates.

James received the award for her contributions to understanding systemic autoimmune diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

The drug, chloroquine phosphate, was originally developed to fight malaria.

The coronavirus may be new, but the most effective means of prevention are not.

The findings will allow for more targeted treatment approaches.

The application deadline is Feb. 1.

The findings will help push clinicians closer to personalized medicine for lupus sufferers.

The National Institutes of Health awarded the grants, which will fund research on autoimmune diseases and human exposure to anthrax.

Sunshine and the vitamin D it delivers play a key role in your health.

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in adults in the U.S. Understandably, this has led to much concern about the future of arthritis treatment.

While we celebrate mothers this weekend, scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are working constantly to protect them.

OMRF has selected 13 Oklahoma high school and college students as Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars for 2018.

The SMILE trial will seek to identify individuals at high risk for developing lupus and treat them before they ever transition into the disease.

The deadline for the eight-week summer program is Feb. 1.

Eight weeks of research just wrapped up for 14 gifted young scientists.

The foundation hopes to recruit up to 2,000 healthy individuals.

OMRF hosted its semiannual meeting on Thursday.

OMRF has selected 13 area high school and college students as Fleming Scholars.

OMRF’s biorepository is one of fewer than 50 such facilities to receive this distinction.

Want to be a 2017 Fleming Scholar? Apply now.

For 13 local students, Friday marked the end of 8 weeks of research at OMRF.

These new findings could play a key role in tailoring individual lupus treatments.

Are you ready for a summer full of science?

For these 12, program offered far more than the average summer job.

OMRF continues annual tradition with renowned program.

Recognition comes from work in managing pregnancy in lupus patients.

Low levels of vitamin D may worsen symptoms of autoimmune disease

Doctors could “score” patients’ mediators to predict a flare.

Paid summer internship offers 8-week hands-on laboratory experience

Looking for a whole summer of real research experience? Check this out!

Collaborative partnerships will bring clinicians, researchers together.

Understanding the effects of lupus drugs will lead to better outcomes for patients.

Scientists produced 19 antibodies against pneumococcus in the lab.

Fleming program gives budding scientists a close-up look at research

Scientists are testing an experimental study agent.

Sjögren’s patients ages 18-75 may qualify for study participation

Scientists are searching for the next generation of allergy remedies

Disease has changed her life, but Williams’ resolve remains strong

Scholars will spend eight weeks working in OMRF labs over the summer

Applications for the 2012 Fleming Scholar Program are due Feb. 1

It takes months of work from around the world to create a flu shot.

OMRF works with international collaborators to stop future pandemics.

Scientists examine links between genetic risk and environmental factors

OMRF researchers have new information on how vaccines work in lupus patients.

Students will spend eight weeks working in OMRF labs this summer

Tips for keeping students well and focused as they head back to school

The $7.03 million award will build out three tower floors.

Science education program enters 53rd year

When a team of OMRF scientists set out to improve the anthrax vaccine, they started with a theory everybody thought would work: Break apart the toxins so they can’t enter cells. Problem solved. But things don’t always work as expected. In fact, the theory doesn’t work at all, according to a paper by OMRF’s Darise […]

Vitamin D has long been renowned for its role in creating strong bones. But research from OMRF suggests that the vitamin could also play an early role in autoimmune diseases such as lupus. OMRF researcher Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., and Lauren Cole, a graduate student in James’s lab, have found that in people who are […]

For many students, summer marks a time for rest and relaxation. For sailboats and sunscreen, beachcombing and barbecues. But don’t tell that to a dozen of Oklahoma’s top high school and college science students. As Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, they’ve opted to trade swimsuits for lab coats so they […]

OMRF has named 12 Oklahoma high school and college students as Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars for 2009. The students, chosen from a statewide pool of applicants, will comprise the 54th class of Fleming Scholars at OMRF. This year’s class will spend June and July working in laboratories with senior-level OMRF scientists on ongoing research projects. […]

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2009 Sir Alexander Fleming Scholar Program. The application deadline is Feb. 1. High school seniors, as well as college freshmen, sophomores and juniors, are eligible to apply for the scholarships. Students selected as Fleming Scholars will work side-by-side in a laboratory with a senior-level […]

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has named nine Oklahoma science students as Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars for 2008.  Nearly 100 applicants from high schools and colleges throughout Oklahoma competed for the prestigious program, which has launched the careers of physicians and researchers for more than a half-century. Since 1956, the Fleming Scholar Program has provided […]

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is accepting applications for its 2008 Sir Alexander Fleming summer scholarship program. The program lets students enhance their research skills by working alongside world-class scientists for eight weeks in OMRF’s state-of-the art laboratories. The application deadline is February 1. “The Fleming scholar program provides a phenomenal experience to young people […]

Growing up, Judith James rarely passed up an episode of Star Trek. From her living room in Pond Creek, the future M.D./Ph.D. sat transfixed as Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise boldly went where no man had gone before. For the future physician and medical researcher, the workings of the […]

Their peers may spend much of June, July and August sleeping late and lounging by the pool, But for a dozen of Oklahoma’s most talented high school and college science students, summer will mean donning lab coats and safety goggles in laboratories at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. OMRF today announced its 2007 class of […]

Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has been selected to present at the world’s largest interdisciplinary science forum this weekend. As one of four speakers on an international panel, James will present the latest scientific data on “Predicting Autoimmune Disease” at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement […]

Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist John Harley, M.D., Ph.D., has been named the inaugural recipient of a mentoring award from the nation’s leading rheumatology organization. Harley will be honored in Washington D.C. during the 70th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Research and Education Foundation. The new Excellence in Investigative Mentoring […]

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation a $9.16 million grant to train junior scientists and build research infrastructure at OMRF. The five-year award will fund the work of five junior scientists and provide operating support for core facilities at the foundation. “This is yet another important step in the […]

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has welcomed its 50th class of Sir Alexander Fleming Scholars. The class, 13 in all, represent some of Oklahoma’s most talented high school and college science students. The eight high-schoolers and five collegians were selected from more than 100 applicants. the students, all of whom are contemplating careers in medical […]

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation has received a $13.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the toxin that causes anthrax. The grant will pay $2.76 million a year through 2009 and is the largest ever awarded to an Oklahoma institution to fund bioterrorism research.With this grant, nine scientists will explore natural […]

In a study published tomorrow in The New England Journal of Medicine, scientists report that in patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (commonly known as lupus), autoantibodies – proteins that the body mistakenly unleashes against its own tissue – are typically present years before patients are diagnosed with the disease.  This research by scientists at […]

For the second time in 13 months, a substantial gift from the Kerr Foundation has created a new endowed chair at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. The most recent donation will establish the Lou C. Kerr Endowed Chair in Biomedical Research. Robert S. Kerr Jr. made the gift on behalf of the Kerr Foundation in […]

(OKLAHOMA CITY) — Federal judges met to discuss DNA technology today, but instead of wearing their traditional black robes, these judges donned white lab coats. The judges participated in the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s workshop called “Forensic Genetics: A Laboratory Course in Molecular Fingerprinting,” which is a hands-on seminar in DNA technology. This is the […]

“From Bench to Bedside: Biomedicine at the New Millennium,” a series of free public lectures presented by scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, is scheduled to begin October 7 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City. OMRF’s nationally and internationally recognized biomedical researchers will explain in easily understood terms the latest research being done […]

A mystery illness robbed a Tulsa teacher of life as she knew it. An OMRF physician helped her get it back.   The morning light cast a soft glow around the curtains covering the window. A food service worker pushed racks of trays past the door, leaving the smell of coffee and eggs in its […]