{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bice.house.gov/media/press-releases/release-congresswoman-stephanie-bice-welcomes-nih-director-oklahoma-city", "Release: Congresswoman Stephanie Bice Welcomes NIH Director to Oklahoma City", "2025-08-29", "2025", "2025-08", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Stephanie I. Bice", "B000740", "bice.house.gov", "bice", "https://bice.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Oklahoma City, OK \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Stephanie Bice hosted National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya in Oklahoma City for a series of visits highlighting medical research and innovation breakthroughs.\n\nThe visit included tours of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Stephenson Cancer Center, OU Health Sciences Center, and Dean McGee Eye Institute \u2014 all of which showcase advancements in medicine and research taking place in Oklahoma.\n\n\u201cIt was an honor to welcome Director Bhattacharya to Oklahoma,\u201d said Congresswoman Bice. \u201cOur state is driving change in the medical and biotech fields, with researchers and institutions making meaningful progress every day. With 322 active projects and $150 million in NIH funding across Oklahoma, we\u2019re committed to building on this momentum and delivering real results for patients and families.\u201d\n\nAt OMRF, Director Bhattacharya and Congresswoman Bice learned about labs focused on autoimmune disease, aging, and genetics research. OMRF currently manages 65 active NIH-funded projects valued at over $40 million. Last year OMRF received $49 million in NIH funding.\n\n\u201cWhen people think about medical research, they often don\u2019t realize that OMRF is one of the world\u2019s leaders in studying conditions like aging and autoimmune diseases. Or they may not know that our work has led to life-changing drugs and tests for conditions like sickle-cell disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis,\u201d said OMRF President Dr. Andrew Weyrich.\n\n\u201cThanks to the NIH, the U.S. stands at the center of the world\u2019s biomedical research stage. With leaders like Dr. Bhattacharya and congressional champions like Representative Bice, we are poised to continue making groundbreaking discoveries that improve people\u2019s lives.\u201d\n\nThe Stephenson Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center in Oklahoma. During the visit, the delegation discussed advancements in clinical trials, cancer care innovations, and community health outreach. Stephenson is ranked in the top 2% of U.S. cancer centers and currently leads the nation in patient enrollment for clinical trials.\n\n\u201cWe are thrilled to welcome Director Bhattacharya to the University of Oklahoma and showcase the incredible momentum we've built as the state\u2019s leading academic health system,\u201d said Gary Raskob, Senior Vice President and Provost, OU Health Sciences. \u201cPartnership is essential to create lasting change for Oklahoma, and today's visit demonstrates our shared commitment with the NIH to advance discoveries, expand access, and improve lives across our state for generations to come.\u201d\n\nTo conclude the visit the group also toured the Dean McGee Eye Institute (DMEI), where they discussed NIH-funded research in vision science and toured clinical and training programs. DMEI benefits from NIH funding and is nationally recognized for excellence in ophthalmology and vision research.\n\n\"It is an honor to have the Director of the NIH visit the Dean McGee Eye Institute to see first-hand the value of federal grant dollars at work. We appreciate the support of Dr. Bhattacharya and Representative Stephanie Bice and their efforts to improve the quality of life for our state and our nation.\" said R. Michael Siatkowski, MD, MBA CEO of the Dean McGee Eye Institute.\n\n\u201cI am honored to have visited state of the art research facilities with Representative Bice\u201d said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. \u201cNew innovations stemming from research here in the fields of aging biology and cancer will aid in the effort to Make America Healthy Again. I am proud of the investment in the NIH IDeA program that supports institutions such as OU and OMRF. These institutions show that great science is happening all around the nation!\u201d\n\nContact: Wesley Harkins\n\nPhone: (202) 225-2132", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bice.house.gov/media/press-releases/release-congresswoman-stephanie-bice-welcomes-nih-director-oklahoma-city"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5653111040592194, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}