Clinical Research
Clinical research takes many forms at OSU-COM. OSU-COM sponsors
a variety of programs through its Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences and the Oklahoma Area Health Education Center
(OkAHEC). These projects have included a laboratory and field
study on psychological factors in cardiovascular disease, which
was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Another area
of interest is in field research pertinent to program evaluation.
Also, several federal and state grants have been funded supporting
health promotion and prevention of alcoholism, breast cancer,
drug abuse, suicide, and type II diabetes.
Residents in all clinical departments are required to pursue some form of scholarly activity. Many of these physicians become involved in research projects overseen by faculty, ranging from new drug trials to the study of basic questions pertaining to various medical problems or diseases. Expanding numbers of clinical faculty in areas such as Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, and OB/GYN should result in significant increases in clinical research activity on campus over the next few years. Several faculty in these departments contract with pharmaceutical companies to test and develop new drugs in the clinics.