Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation today announced the launch of a media campaign aimed at building public awareness and support for OMRF. The campaign will kick off on Monday with a reception at OMRF, where Mrs. Henry and OMRF President J. Donald Capra, M.D., will unveil a new television commercial featuring Mrs. Henry.
The commercial, which will begin airing Monday, will run statewide throughout the winter and spring. In it, Mrs. Henry will tout OMRF’s world-class scientists and physicians.
“OMRF has been one of Oklahoma’s hidden treasures for too long,” said Mrs. Henry. “My goal is to make all Oklahomans aware that some of the world’s groundbreaking medical science is taking place right here in our state.”
Six different drugs based on OMRF discoveries are either on the market or in the final phases of human clinical trials. Chief among these is Xigris, the first and only FDA-approved treatment for severe sepsis, a deadly disease that claims more than 500,000 lives each year.
With more than $20 million in annual National Institutes of Health funding, OMRF ranks among the top 20 independent medical research institutes in the U.S. Over the past five years, OMRF’s NIH funding has more than tripled, outpacing every major medical research institution in the country save one.
“We at OMRF are delighted and flattered that Mrs. Henry has agreed to serve as our spokesperson,” Capra said. “Time and again, she has demonstrated a passion for excellence and improving the lives of Oklahomans. We are proud to join her in working toward these noble goals.”
Third Degree Advertising of Oklahoma City produced the commercial.
About OMRF:
OMRF (
www.omrf.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understand and curing human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. OMRF is home to Oklahoma’s only Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and only member of the National Academy of Sciences in the area of biomedical research.
