Kylie Hutchison of Castle Rock, Colorado, a University of Oklahoma student who will graduate with a degree in microbiology and minors in chemistry and medical humanities, has been named the recipient of the 2023 Carl Albert Award, presented each year to the outstanding senior in the OU Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences.
After graduation, Hutchison plans to pursue a doctorate to study the relations between the gut microbiome and female reproductive diseases. Her professional goal is to work in women's health startups before starting her own. She hopes to help translate research into applicable products and services for women to reimagine how reproductive health care is approached.
“I am so honored to have been selected as the 2023 Carl Albert Award recipient,” Hutchison said. “Its high values of academic achievement, moral character and future service to the nation are goals that I have always rigorously worked toward, so to be chosen for this award feels like a testament to that work. I would not be who I am or where I am today without my family, friends and professors – all of whom continuously encouraged me to pursue the work I’m passionate about. Alongside my academic pursuits, I worked even more diligently on creating the OU Women’s Health Advocacy nonprofit organization, with the hope of continuously expanding our reach throughout the state. Being at this university has allowed me to pursue many of my goals, and I am so excited and thankful for the opportunity to continue my work in the areas of women’s health research, education and advocacy.”
Hutchison is the founder and president of OU Women’s Health Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that supports underprivileged and underserved menstruators and works toward eliminating menstrual inequity. Hutchison created and managed annual fundraisers, which have raised over $20,000, and donated over 75,000 menstrual hygiene products to the Norman and greater Oklahoma communities. She also initiated and directed a multitude of projects aimed to provide these products to the OU Norman campus, incarcerated menstruators, Oklahoma tribes, Norman public schools and the homeless populations of Norman and Oklahoma City.
Hutchison is an active Policy Team Member of the national nonprofit organization PERIOD and is head of both the Oklahoma and Colorado branches. During her time with this group, she has written and introduced legislation regarding menstrual equity to Oklahoma state governments, worked with a team of state senators to strategize plans to progress bills and testified for a variety of legislative bills regarding menstrual equity.
Hutchison is currently a nurse technician at OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center, where she has balanced full night shifts while attending university classes. Additionally, she has served as a research technician at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. While there, she researched and subtyped cancer-associated fibroblasts from colorectal cancer and tested the effects of the hormone GCSF on the tumor’s microenvironment. She also used cytometry to identify genes of interest in colorectal tumor tissue samples.
During her time at the university, Hutchison has gained many academic accolades. She has been on the President’s and Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences honor rolls. She also won the Rita H. Lottinville Prize at OU in 2020. Hutchison has remained an active volunteer at the Norman Regional Hospital, working in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit, since 2021.
The Carl Albert Award, the most prestigious honor given to a student by the OU Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences, is based on academic performance, moral force of character and promise of future service to the state and nation. First presented in 1966, the award was established to honor Carl Albert, the late OU alumnus and U.S. Speaker of the House, for his distinguished undergraduate career and national service. Julian Rothbaum, former state regent and longtime friend of Albert, endowed the award in 1965.
