50. Janice Gales
Although Janice Gales got her start in medicine as a cardiac nurse, she hasn’t been at the bedside in years. At OMRF, she coordinates the institutional review board, which ensures that every research project involving human participants is conducted ethically, safely and legally. Thanks to her experience in acute care, she can review a study protocol and immediately “understand what it means about how a participant will be treated.” By overseeing research studies and clinical trials involving hundreds of subjects, she now cares for more people than ever.
51 & 52. Michael McDaniel & Dr. Lijun Xia
On the surface, Michael McDaniel and Dr. Lijun Xia might not seem to have much in common. Michael grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, while Lijun trained as hematologist in his native China. But their paths collided at OMRF a quarter century ago, and they’ve been working together ever since. Michael serves as senior lab manager for Lijun, who investigates the role that a sugar made by the body plays in a variety of biological processes and diseases. Michael manages Lijun’s lab personnel, keeps the scientific equipment in working order, ensures the lab is amply stocked with supplies for experiments, and performs some of those experiments himself. “Working without Michael would be like working with only one hand,” says Lijun. Not coincidentally, Lijun also notes that Michael possesses perhaps the most valuable asset in experimental science: “a great pair of strong, yet skillful hands.” In his spare time, Michael likes to use those hands on woodworking projects, crafting bowls and vases. He fell in love with the hobby when a storm knocked down several Kentucky coffee trees on his property. “Woodworking requires creativity when things don’t go as planned, but part of the fun is finding beauty in the chaos,” says Michael. Numerous coworkers are proud owners of his pieces, which have also been displayed at an art gallery in Oklahoma City.
53 & 54. Catherine Tatum (and Chrissie) & Dr. Gabriel Pardo
“Whenever I visit OMRF’s MS Center, I have a ‘grateful attack,’” says Catherine Tatum. Since the foundation’s Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence opened its doors in 2011, Catherine has been under the care of Dr. Gabriel Pardo, the Center’s founding director. Catherine drives from her home in Tulsa twice a year to see Gabriel, whom she credits with keeping her multiple sclerosis in check. In addition to being a patient, she’s also chosen to become an OMRF donor. “I get back more than I give,” she says. “Way more.”
55. Vivian Benson
Vivian Benson, OMRF’s security manager, has one clear mission: “getting everybody home just like they came.” A 16-year officer with Oklahoma City metro law enforcement agencies, she then spent seven years with the Putnam City School District before arriving at OMRF. For Vivian, who’s lived with asthma since she was a child, the best measure of success is when OMRF scientists and staff feel safe and secure. “They need to be focused on what’s going on in those labs,” she says. As someone who knows the burden of disease, she recognizes the impact medical research can have.
56 & 57. Jim & Nicole Freeman
After 69 years of marriage, three children, 11 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren, Jim and Norma Freeman have turned their focus to mapping their legacy. “OMRF has done a lot of good in Oklahoma and has some of the world’s top scientists,” Norma says. “Medical research impacts everyone. It’s a wonderful thing to support.”
58. Lisa Nelms
Lisa Nelms says that her 17-year-old self “would never believe I was still here.” By “here,” she means OMRF, where she began working part-time as a typist in 1976. Since that time, typewriters – and the mainframes that succeeded them at OMRF – have disappeared, but Lisa has stayed, moving from supporting roles in scientific programs to OMRF’s Accounting Department, which she’s called home for more than four decades. Now the director of accounting, records and payroll, she laughs when she thinks about how things have changed at the foundation. “One of my early memories is of a particular scientist walking around the foundation in shorts and lab coat with a cigarette dangling out of her mouth.” What’s kept her at OMRF has been what she calls “the family atmosphere,” along with knowing that every employee, whether scientist or administrative staff member, contributes to the foundation’s research mission. She takes particular satisfaction in major OMRF milestones, like the opening of the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence or when a drug born at OMRF reaches hospitals and clinics. Although Lisa and her colleagues in accounting often have to act as gatekeepers, “We try to find the right way to help people do what they want.” And when that results in a new grant or discovery, they know they’ve played a part in it.
