Morris Reichlin, M.D., member and head of the Arthritis and Immunology Research Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), has been named vice president for research for the private, non-profit biomedical research facility effective July 1, announced J. Donald Capra, M.D., OMRF president.
Reichlin, who is prominent in the medical and scientific communities for his work, both in research and in patient care, in the area of arthritis, lupus, and other autoimmune disorders, holds the Ben C. and Addie Mae Wileman Chair in Biomedical Research at OMRF. Reichlin received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha, respectively.
He held positions at the University of Vermont and the State University of New York in Buffalo before coming to OMRF in 1981 as member and head of the RArthritis and and Immunology Research Program. The American College of Rheumatology presented Reichlin with its Distinguished Investigator Award in 1996 for his “significant contributions to the field of rheumatology.”
Reichlin, a pioneer in the field of autoantibody research, is well known for developing the definitive diagnostic test for systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly referred to as the “Reichlin Profile.” He has lectured on five continents, serves on numerous editorial and advisory boards, and has won state and national recognition as a scientist, physician and teacher. He is a George Lynn Cross Research Professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and received the Aesculapian Award for Teaching Excellence in Clinical Sciences at the OUHSC in 1993.
As vice president for research, Reichlin will assume responsibility for the ten research programs at OMRF. They are: Arthritis and Immunology, Cardiovascular Biology, Clinical Pharmacology, Developmental Biology, Free Radical Biology and Aging, Immunobiology and Cancer, Molecular and Cell Biology, Molecular Immunogenetics, Protein Crystallography, and Protein Studies.
Additionally, several of the support functions of the Foundation, including the Laboratory Animal Research Center, the Biomedical Instrumentation Shop and other scientific support services, will report directly to Reichlin. He also will serve as liaison to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in campus-wide core laboratory planning and supervision and represent OMRF at the state level in research matters.
“Dr. Reichlin is ideal for this new position,” said Capra. “His long career at OMRF and the OU Health Sciences Center gives him a vast perspective on scientific research in Oklahoma City and the state. His national and international prominence and visibility will also be a great influence in our recruiting efforts.”
John Harley, M.D., Ph.D., will succeed Reichlin as head of the Arthritis and Immunology Research Program at OMRF. Also a leading researcher in the area of lupus and other autoimmune disorders, Harley has been a Member of the research program at OMRF since 1982. He also is James R. McEldowney Professor of Immunology at the OU Health Sciences Center and staff physician in immunology at Veterans Administration Medical Center.
