OKLAHOMA CITY, October 8, 2019
Presbyterian Health Foundation (PHF) recently awarded $75,000 to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center designated specifically for research into the toxic effects of e-cigarette use.
As cases of lung disease and death directly connected to e-cigarette use continue to rise, leaders and lawmakers across the country are publicly looking hard at the health implications of e-cigarette use.
OUHSC researcher M. Lurdes Queimado, M.D., Ph.D., is leading a team of researchers using PHF funds to explore how the use of electronic cigarettes damages DNA and how it might cause mutations in humans. They also hope to identify the chemicals contained in e-cigarettes that may be contributing to lung disease.
Queimado’s investigation along withothers funded by PHF will deliver critical knowledge to clinicians and regulatory agencies to more effectively regulate products like e-cigarettes to best serve public health.
PHF is a longtime supporter of early stage research in Oklahoma, providing a consistent source of funding for scientific discovery at its top research institutions. Over the past year, PHF has given over $6 million to Oklahoma researchers.
“Our ongoing commitment to funding grants like this one provides a critical financial bridge for top Oklahoma researchers to accelerate their discovery from early stage investigation to producing meaningful results,” said PHF President Tom R. Gray, III. “We know many people are using these products, so the investigation into their harmful effects couldn’t be more timely.”
About Presbyterian Health Foundation
Presbyterian Health Foundation (PHF) is an Oklahoma City based private foundation that provides grants to accelerate the journey of scientific discovery from ideas to innovations that save and enhance life. Since 1985, PHF has awarded over $165 million to biotechnology and medical research organizations in Oklahoma with an emphasis on the Oklahoma Health Center. For more information, please visit phfokc.com.
About OUHSC
One of nation’s few academic health centers with seven professional colleges — Allied Health, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Graduate Studies — the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs on campuses in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. For more information, visit ouhsc.edu.