NEWS
OKLAHOMA CITY – Abdul Rafeh Naqash, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and senior associate director of AI and Data Science at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, has been awarded the 2026 Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
He is among approximately 50 physician-scientists from numerous medical disciplines nationwide to receive the award, which recognizes those in their first faculty appointment who have made notable research achievements.
As an honoree, Naqash will attend this spring’s joint meeting of the Association of American Physicians, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the American Physician Scientists Association, where he will have opportunities to network with peer, mid-career and senior physician-scientists. Throughout the year, he will participate in several virtual networking opportunities, including panel discussions, peer review groups and other career development and mentorship opportunities.
“I am grateful to ASCI for this honor and to the mentors, collaborators, trainees and patients who have shaped my work at OU and outside of OU,” Naqash said. “This would not have been possible without the support of my family, especially my wife, who has always been an immense source of steady support. This recognition highlights the importance of team-based science and reinforces my dedication to mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists.”
Much of Naqash’s research focuses on identifying biomarkers to select patients for appropriate therapies and on assessing immunotherapy-related toxicities. He is also known nationally for his work on lung cancer.
He is the principal investigator for numerous clinical trials and grants, and he has published more than 110 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Nature Reviews, Journal of Clinical Oncology, JAMA Oncology and others.
Naqash has received numerous honors for his work as a physician-scientist. Last year, he was named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO). The title is given to members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) who have shown extraordinary service to the society, the specialty of oncology and the patients they serve. He is among a select group of physicians recognized with the FASCO designation early in their faculty careers.
He also was awarded a 2025 Conquer Cancer Career Development Award by the ASCO Foundation. The award is a highly competitive three-year grant that supports early-career clinical investigators in establishing independent research programs. He was among only 19 recipients selected globally.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, the OU Health Campus is one of the nation’s few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. The OU Health Campus serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs spanning Oklahoma City and Tulsa and is the leading research institution in Oklahoma. For more information about the OU Health Campus, visit www.ouhsc.edu.
The University of Oklahoma Honors College hosted its 38th annual Undergraduate Research Day on April 16 in the Thurman J. White Forum Building. Over 300 people attended, and 175 students presented their posters and projects to visitors, faculty members, judges and peers.
The Collaborative Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership offers emerging leaders across Oklahoma’s PK–12 public education system a doctoral experience designed to be as relevant as it is rigorous.
A study published today in PLOS Medicine has identified two new genetic pathways that contribute to cardiometabolic disease, which includes heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The research, led by Dharambir Sanghera, Ph.D., of the University of Oklahoma, represents a step toward targeting the diseases more precisely.
