Preparing young men and women for vital careers in the medical professions requires an unprecedented resourcefulness, innovation and commitment as health care issues and crises mark each day's front-page news. Our leadership has brought the OU Health Sciences Center to the fore of academic health centers making changes to meet these challenges to ensure that students in all health disciplines leave the university fully prepared, both academically and clinically.

Students at the OU Health Sciences Center have always benefited from close interaction with faculty members.

The Biomedical Research Center integrates the various teaching, clinical and research components of virtually every college on the campus, providing students with immediate access to the latest developments in medical research and treatment.

The close, interactive atmosphere particularly benefits graduate students, since their wish is often to study with faculty producing the latest knowledge in the medical field, rather than with those who are merely aware of such knowledge.

Having access to the latest in technological developments is especially important for students in the medical professions because their knowledge may mean the difference between life and death -- an educational demand the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center has never failed to meet. The OU Health Sciences Center stands ready to meet the challenges of a changing health care system.

The overall goal of higher education is, and always has been, the pursuit of excellence. By providing the latest in medical technology to students and faculty, the OU Health Sciences Center has greatly enhanced this mission. Students in all health disciplines can be assured that when they leave the university, they are fully prepared, both academically and clinically, to meet the demands of a rapidly changing health care world.