Dr. Michael S. Cookson and Mary Ellen Hipp Doyle, OU journalism alumni, recently received a Regents’ Alumni Award from the OU Board of Regents and OU Alumni Association. Honorees are chosed for their extraordinary dedication and service to the university.
A committee chaired by the Alumni Association reviews nominations submitted by alumni and friends, as well as OU faculty and staff to select each year’s awardees. The recipients receive a commemorative plaque in recognition of their exceptional contributions, and their names are permanently inscribed on a plaque displayed in the historic Oklahoma Memorial Union.
Dr. Michael S. Cookson, M.D. is a professor and chair of the Department of Urology at the OU College of Medicine and holds the Donald D. Albers Endowed Chair in Urology. He is also the inaugural Chief Surgical Officer for OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center.
Cookson came to OU in 1980 on a small scholarship and was the first of his family to attend college. After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism with honors in 1984, he was accepted into the OU College of Medicine, graduating in 1988. He completed his residency in urology at the University of Texas-San Antonio and then went on to complete a fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. After 15 years on the faculty of Vanderbilt University, he returned to his alma mater in 2013 to chair the Department of Urology and develop a prostate and urologic cancer team at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center.
Nationally, he serves as a member of the American Urological Association and American Board of Urologists exam committees. He is also a member of the Society for Urologic Oncology and has developed a national benchmark in testing known as the Oncology Knowledge Assessment Examination. He is currently on the editorial board of the AUA Update Series and co-editor of Urology Times. He has served as chair of the AUA’s CPRC Guidelines Panel and vice chair of the American Urological Association/Society of Urological Oncologists Advanced Prostate Cancer Guidelines Panel.
Cookson has been internationally recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field of urologic oncology. He is one of 70 academic urologists nationally to be awarded membership in the prestigious American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. An accomplished researcher and lecturer, he is the author of over 250 peer-reviewed journal publications and 34 textbook chapters.
Mary Ellen Hipp Doyle, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (OU) in 1956. At OU, she met Charles “Chuck” T. Doyle, who earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in management in the same year. The two fell in love and decided to tie the knot shortly after their graduation.
Mary Ellen's commitment to her alma mater can be seen in the legacy she has left behind. The couple are foundational members of the Arthur B. Adams Society in the Michael F. Price College of Business and also founding members of the H.H. Herbert Society in Gaylord College. Their love for education and empowering the next generation led them to establish scholarships in both Gaylord College and the Price College of Business. Moreover, in recognition of their contributions, the Mary Ellen Hipp Doyle Conference Room in the Dean’s Suite in Gaylord Hall was named in her honor.
In addition to their academic efforts, the Doyles have been fervent supporters of OU Athletics, especially for the Sooner Club and the expansion and renovation of Gaylord Family Oklahoma – Memorial Stadium. They have also donated the large bronze eagle that currently graces the Clary Lounge on the first floor of Price Hall as well as The William H. Keown Classroom which stands as another testament to their generosity, named in their honor.
