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At its semiannual meeting on Thursday, OMRF named The Honorable Terence Kern to its board of directors, honored long-time director David Rainbolt and named Judith James, M.D., Ph.D. its first Vice President of Clinical Affairs. Judge Kern, of Tulsa, is a Senior Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. A native of Clinton, Okla., Judge Kern graduated from Oklahoma State University and subsequently from the University of Oklahoma School of Law. A former Army reserve member and attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, he practiced as an attorney in Ardmore for 24 years before being named to the federal bench in 1994. He served as Chief Judge of the Northern District for seven years and took senior status in 2010. Last month, he was inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame. Rainbolt was presented with the OMRF Board of Directors Distinguished Service Award. Rainbolt, who is Chief Executive Officer of Bancfirst, joined OMRF’s board in 1994 and has served in numerous leadership roles during his 23-year tenure as an OMRF director. “David Rainbolt has been an ardent supporter of OMRF and our mission for many years,” said Prescott. “He has been actively engaged in all aspects of board service and has provided wise counsel and leadership that have proved invaluable to the foundation.” Also at the meeting, the foundation named Judith James, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist, as Vice President of Clinical Affairs. In that role, she will oversee all clinical activities at the foundation, which treats and conducts clinical research projects involving thousands of patients suffering from lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. A native of Pond Creek, Okla., James earned her M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and joined OMRF’s scientific staff in 1994. An internationally acclaimed researcher, she is best known for her work in the prediction and prevention of the autoimmune disease lupus. Her research has resulted in OMRF being named a National Institutes of Health Autoimmunity Center of Excellence, one of only 10 nationwide. She is chair of OMRF’s Arthritis and Clinical Immunology Research Program and holds the Lou C. Kerr Endowed Chair in Biomedical Research. “Dr. James is regarded by her peers worldwide as a pioneer in autoimmune disease prediction and treatment,” said Prescott. “She has helped expand OMRF’s clinical capabilities and assembled a stellar team of physicians dedicated to tackling some of the most puzzling and difficult-to-treat diseases. In her new role as Vice President of Clinical Affairs, she will continue to build synergy between the clinic and the research lab, which ultimately will benefit patients.” Two other OMRF researchers received special recognition at the meeting:
Finally, OMRF presented the Edward L. and Thelma Gaylord Prize for Scientific Achievement to Holly Van Remmen, Ph.D. The award is OMRF’s highest scientific prize, and it went to Van Remmen for her research on neurodegeneration and muscle loss in aging. The award is named for the late Edward L. Gaylord, who served on OMRF’s board for 30 years, and his wife, Thelma. The Gaylords’ daughter, Christy Everest, currently serves on the foundation’s board. Van Remmen earned her Ph.D. from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio, where she was a faculty member until joining OMRF in 2013. At OMRF, she leads the Aging & Metabolism Research Program and holds the G.T. Blankenship Chair in Aging Research. “Dr. Van Remmen is a tremendously hard worker and has a gift for fostering collaboration,” said Arlan Richardson, Ph.D., Van Remmen’s former mentor and now a professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. “She has grown into a noted leader in aging research.” |
OMRF adds two to its board
At its semiannual meeting on Wednesday, OMRF named Sarah E. Yauk and J. Michael Kelly, M.D., to its board of directors.
Yauk lives in Buffalo, Okla., where she has been a Barlow Education Management Services consultant since 2011. She runs federal programs management for six schools and also trains school administrators and teachers in Tulsa Model Evaluation Method and McREL trainings. She has also worked as an adjunct professor at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
Prior to her time with Barlow Education Management Services, Yauk worked for the Oklahoma State Department of Education as a regional accreditation officer for Northwestern Oklahoma, reviewing reports and documentation onsite for 62 schools and three career tech centers in 15 counties. She also served as principal of Buffalo Public Schools after serving the district as an elementary counselor and federal programs director.
Yauk graduated from Oklahoma State University and earned her master’s of education in guidance and counseling from Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
Kelly, who resides in Indian Wells, Calif., is a retired plastic surgeon from Oklahoma City. Kelly has board certifications from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, as well as memberships in the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Kelly moved to Oklahoma City in 1975 when he was recruited to run the plastic surgery program at the University of Oklahoma, which he did until he established a private practice in Oklahoma City.
Kelly earned his medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine. He completed his residency at the University of Virginia before doing a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. He left Johns Hopkins to become a staff physician at the Ochsner Medical Center clinic and attending physician at Tulane University until moving to Oklahoma.
“We are extremely pleased to add two such high-quality, accomplished individuals to our board of directors,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D. “Their long, successful careers ensure that they will work tirelessly on OMRF’s behalf as we continue to grow and thrive. We know they share our dedication to go the extra mile in our pursuit of excellence.”
Board members also reelected Oklahoma City attorney Len Cason as chair. Cason is a partner at the law firm of Hartzog, Conger, Cason & Neville and has served as OMRF’s board chair since 2001.
At the meeting, OMRF’s scientific advisory board also delivered its evaluation of OMRF’s Cardiovascular Biology Research Program. The board, which is made up of six senior scientists from institutions across the country, conducted an evaluation of the program, which studies blood and lymphatic vessel function, blood coagulation and processes underlying heart disease.
“You have a great team of researchers in this program,” Thomas Tedder, Ph.D., chair of the scientific advisory board and a professor of immunology at Duke University School of Medicine, told OMRF’s board at the meeting. “They are a dynamic, smart, interactive group.”
“It’s a unique model that’s here,” said advisory board member Gilbert White, M.D., executive vice president for research at the Blood Center of Wisconsin. “This is one of my models for how a research institute should be run.”
