Research

The OU-Tulsa Department of Surgery has been involved in research for several years.  Through targeted faculty recruitment and a philosophical rededication, we pride ourselves on offering a comprehensive portfolio of basic science, translational as well as both investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored clinical trials.  In the basic and translational areas, strong collaboration with and support from the OU Integrative Immunology Center, led by Dr. Kent Teague, allows the state-of-the-art molecular investigation focused on genomic and proteomic predictors of surgical outcomes that drives our precision medicine program into the future of surgical science.  In the clinical and health-services areas, combining a strong local surgical clinical volume with participation in several relevant regional and national large data registries, our investigators are making profound observations providing new knowledge to define the future of surgical care delivery.  This combination positions the OU-Tulsa Department of Surgery at the forefront of surgical research.

Each year, using these resources, our residents and faculty maintain a strong presence at local, regional, and national conferences presenting their research.  On the local level, our Department is a major contributor to the OU-Tulsa Annual Research Forum and Clinical Vignette Symposium winning many awards.  On the regional and national level, our residents and faculty have presented at such meetings as the Annual Clinical Congress as well as the Oklahoma Chapter meeting of the American College of Surgeons, the Association of Program Directors in Surgery, the Academic Surgical Congress, SAGES, Southwestern Surgical, the Society for Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, the Society for Thoracic Surgeons, the Western Trauma Association, the ASMBS Obesity Week, and the Society for Vascular Surgery.  Inherent in these efforts is a strong commitment on the part of both the OU Surgery faculty and residents to mentorship and sponsorship and institutional resources provided by the OU Office for Research Development and Scholarly Activity (ORDSA).

We will introduce you to some of the key personnel driving this research mission below, but we invite you to come visit us to see it first hand for yourself.

Peter R. Nelson, MD, MS, FACS, DFSVS
Research Director, Department of Surgery

Dr. Nelson is the Mary Louise Todd Chair for Cardiovascular Research, Professor of Surgery, Vascular Surgery Section Chief, and Vice Chair for Research for the Department.  In addition to his medical degree and general/vascular surgery training, he has had dedicated research training through the NIH-T32 Harvard-Longwood Vascular Surgery Research Fellowship program and a Masters degree in Medical Sciences/Clinical Investigation from the University of Florida College of Medicine.  Dr. Nelson's translational research interests focus on genomic and proteomic predictors of clinical outcomes following vascular intervention and the development of a personalized/precision medicine program.  He has been funded by the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for these efforts.  In addition, he conducts investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored clinical trials and has an active role in health services research and outreach focused on disparities in the delivery of vascular surgical care.  Finally, Dr. Nelson collaborates with the Office of Research Development and Scholarly Activity (ORDSA) to develop faculty training for clinical and translational research and mentor junior faculty with interest in incorporating a significant research component to their academic career.

Dr. Teague completed his Ph.D. in Immunology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.  He completed postdoctoral training in Immunology at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Denver.  Dr. Teague holds the GKFF Chair in Community Medicine Research and serves as the Assistant Vice President and Associate Dean for Research at OU Tulsa and is Director of the Integrative Immunology Center on campus.  Through these efforts he specializes in studying the effects of psychosocial stress and chronic inflammation on the immune system and the downstream effects on health and is the associate course director for the Immunology, Microbiology, and Integument course for the medical students and co-directs the immunology course for the PA students.  Finally, Dr. Teague is Director of the Office of Research Development and Scholarly Activity (ORDSA) a critical core resource for all students, trainees, and faculty conducting research on the Tulsa Campus.

Dr. Chow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Texas and completed a General Surgery residency at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University followed by a Minimally Invasive Surgery fellowship in British Columbia.  Dr Chow is board certified in General Surgery.  Dr. Chow’s research interests focus on clinical outcomes of minimally invasive procedures along with surgical education.  He has additional interests in surgical device development, novel laparoscopic imaging techniques, and augmented reality in minimally invasive surgery.

Dr. Kempe is an Associate Professor at OU Tulsa School of Community Medicine, GKFF Chair in Community Medicine, and Program Director of the only Vascular Surgery Fellowship in Oklahoma. She is dedicated to improving vascular health in Oklahoma through research, quality improvement, community outreach, and education. She focuses her research on health services outcomes and community outreach and recently completed the advanced Masters Degree in Clinical and Translational Science through the OU Health Sciences Center. She is focused on disparities in access to care and implementing solutions to improve health outcomes, specifically the reduction in major amputations, across the state and region through her funded program entitled “Caring for Our Feet Oklahoma”.  In addition, through her role as PD, she conducts impactful educational research and mentors many medical students and residents in these projects.

Dr. Khorgami is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery.  He obtained his medical degree from Tehran University and completed General Surgery residency here at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa. He has completed fellowships in Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery at the University of Miami and the Cleveland Clinic.  Dr. Khorgami has numerous publications[PN1]  in surgical treatment of obesity outcomes of metabolic and bariatric surgery.  He is experienced using national databases (e.g. NSQIP and HCUP-NIS) for outcomes research and has also been involved in several randomized controlled trials (RCT) as the principal investigator.  Finally, Dr. Khorgami is working with the Office of Research Development and Scholarly Activity (ORDSA) and the medical school to redefine research education for the students within their new curriculum.

Dr. Richards is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Surgery.  He obtained his medical degree from the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed Internal Medicine residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.  Dr Richards is Medical Director for the OU Tulsa Bariatric and Weight Loss Program and sees patients exclusively in collaboration within the bariatric team.  His research focuses on clinical outcomes of medical therapy and combined medical and surgical therapy for weight loss.  He has specific expertise in the role and effect of the GLP-1 agonist semaglutide in weight loss, its benefits and side effects, and additional benefits outside it primary indication.  Finally, Dr. Richards has significant research interest in factors influencing career choices of graduating osteopathic medical students.

Dr. Zamor is an Assistant Professor at OU Tulsa School of Community Medicine and the Associate Program Director of the only Vascular Surgery Fellowship in Oklahoma.  She received her medical degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and completed general and vascular surgery training at Boston University and Dartmouth respectively.  She has an advanced Masters Degree in Clinical Investigation from Northwestern University and leads of quality improvement initiative.  Her research focuses on health services research using large data to explore local, regional, and national trends and outcomes in surgical care.  She serves both as a regional director and on national committees for the SVS Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) and actively mentors junior faculty and trainees with similar interests in large data research through her collaboration with the Office of Research Development and Scholarly Activity (ORDSA).

Dr. Marino is a volunteer instructor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Oklahoma, School of Community Medicine, Tulsa.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Covenant College before completing her PhD in Immunology at the University of Tulsa. She completed post-doctoral training in the Department of Surgery at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Tulsa.  She is an expert in gene expression analysis and directs the genomics research efforts at the Integrative Immunology Center.

Dr. Jennings is now retired from clinical practice but is still very active in the department’s research activities with a focus vascular access for our large hemodialysis population.  His clinical research is based on his enormous clinical experience in creating dialysis access for all of Oklahoma from which he has authored numerous seminal peer-reviewed publications in the field.  He routinely mentors trainees and includes them on the manuscripts. In addition, Dr. Jennings has served as director and speaker for the CMS sponsored Fistula First program, conducted many regional meetings for surgeons and the renal community, co-authored the Society for Vascular Surgery clinical practice guidelines for surgical arterial-venous hemodialysis access, and is a member of the Fistula First Breakthrough Initiative Technical Expert Panel.  In addition to clinical research, Dr. Jennings also leads the Bridge of Life (BOL) non-profit organization, serving patients with renal disease and dialysis care in 25 countries worldwide having led 16 vascular access surgical missions performing upwards of 1000 operations and training local surgeons.

Dr. Cox is a native Tulsan and earned her Bachelor of Science and PhD in Biological Science at the University of Tulsa.  She completed postdoctoral training in molecular genetics at TU and was recipient of a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship in the NIAID Immunology Training Program at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.  Following completion of the fellowship, she served as Assistant Professor of Research for the OUHSC-OKC Department of Microbiology and Immunology.  Dr. Cox has presented research at both national and international meetings and has published original work in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, The Journal of Immunology and other peer-reviewed journals.  Dr. Cox joined the OU-Tulsa Department of Surgery as Research Coordinator in 2017.