A waterfall, interactive walls, play areas, a rooftop garden and much improved navigation will be the hallmarks of the new atrium being built to welcome visitors to the new OU Children's Physician's Building and serve ad a brand new front door for The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center.

Construction will begin soon on the six-story glass enclosed atrium that will serve as gateway to health for Oklahoma children. The complex is being built along Phillips Avenue between NE 13 and Stanton L. Young Boulevard.

Miles and Associates' design team has utilized feedback from the families of patients, physicians and other community leaders to develop a space as beautiful as it will be welcoming.

Architect and project manager Jorge Charneco said the atrium’s curve-filled design has been likened to water slides and ski slopes, adding patients will enter the Atrium and immediately be immersed in an environment inspired by nature with brilliant sunlight streaming into the Atrium, water features and interactive displays for children of all ages. The family-friendly features will make a visit to the doctor's office or a trip the hospital more pleasant for patients and their families.

Ease of access has been a primary focus of the design team. Charneco said patients and visitors will enter the Atrium and be directed to doctor’s offices, hospital rooms and other destinations.

“It will make access much better. People are already stressed with sick kids, the last thing you need is to get lost," he said, adding that simplified signage and spacious, easy-to-navigate halls have been incorporated into the design so that form and function are equally pleasing.

An Education and Conference Center, planned as part of the project, will also be accessed through Atrium.

“It’s kind of the point where all three meet; it will touch the medical office building, it will touch the hospital and the education center,” said Charneco.

"We’ve also augmented the parking. We’ve added quite a few spaces. You used to have to walk quite a ways, now you will be able to walk straight into the Atrium, and easily accessing both doctor's offices and Children's Hospital.”

Charneco said crews are working now to complete construction on the medical office building. When that project is nearly finished, construction on the atrium will begin and then the new Education and Conference Center.

Work on the atrium is expected to begin in August, and the project should be complete by the end of 2008.

  

Oklahomans will soon benefit from one of the latest advancements in cancer treatment.

The University Hospitals Authority recently reached agreement with Still River Systems, to bring not only the optimal radiation therapy for many cancers to the OU Cancer Institute, but to ensure Oklahomans have access to the newest proton therapy technology as well.

“This is a very exciting advancement for the Health Sciences Center campus. This acquisition further defines what the OU Cancer Institute will be – a center of excellence in cancer research and care, providing premier radiation, surgical and chemotherapeutic treatment approaches and enhancing the quality of life for Oklahomans touched by cancer,” said Authority Chairman Mike Samis. “I am grateful to Governor Brad Henry, the legislature and the great people of the state of Oklahoma for continuing their support for this critical resource.”

Artist's rendering of the new Proton Therapy room

Proton therapy uses an external beam directed at a specific tumor site, minimizing damage to surrounding tissues. Conventional proton beam systems require massive equipment. Scientific breakthroughs by Still River Systems, located in Littleton, Mass., and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have allowed much smaller and simpler proton beam generation equipment that can provide delivery systems in single-room installations. The Still River System ClinatronTM Proton Accelerator utilizes new materials technology to enable the most modern proton therapy delivery available. .

“The selection of Still River’s System places OU among the nation’s leading medical schools choosing the system, including Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis), Tufts School of Medicine (Boston) and Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine (New Jersey),” said University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren.

“In addition, the Still River Systems equipment will be placed at the new M.D. Anderson Cancer Clinic in Orlando, Florida,” Boren said. “Other top medical schools are in serious discussion with Still River about this system.”

Samis said, “Our decision to join with Still River Systems was made after significant review of the options available for the delivery of proton radiation therapy. It was clear that Still River Systems is the leading-edge company. We are proud to add their expertise to that of the many highly qualified researchers and clinicians at the OU Cancer Institute.”

The Still River integrated system includes the industry’s first complete image-guided patient set-up with a dedicated cone beam CT unit making it possible to guide the proton beam directly to the precise location of the malignancy.

“The ClinatronTM is a patient-friendly system that places only the delivery port in the treatment room with the remainder of the mechanism integrated into the surrounding structure,” said Marc Buntaine, CEO of Still River Systems. “The beam delivery system allows the patient to lie safely and comfortably on a robotically controlled platform giving the physician the ability to easily reach and treat any part of the human body.”

OU Cancer Institute-Artist's conceptualization

Samis said the acquisition also exemplifies the steadfast commitment of the University Hospitals Authority and Trust, together with its partner the OU College of Medicine, to bring the most advanced cancer treatments to Oklahoma and to ensure that the people of Oklahoma are never forced to leave this state to receive the best care available.

Dewayne Andrews, M.D., Executive Dean of the College of Medicine said an additional vault will be built in the OU Cancer Institute for a second proton accelerator to be added as soon as demand for proton therapy warrants.

The new OU Cancer Institute is scheduled to begin construction in 2007 and open in 2009.

University Hospitals Authority and Trust Board Chairman Mike Samis is one of seven University of Oklahoma graduates selected for this year’s Regents’ Alumni Awards. The awards are given to individuals who have shown exceptional dedication and service to the University of Oklahoma.

“Mike is so deserving of this honor,” said Dean Gandy, executive director of the University Hospitals Authority and Trust. “He has devoted an abundance of time, energy and wisdom to advancing medical research, education and patient care on this campus and in our state. Mike has always given generously of himself for the benefit of others. He has never asked for, nor expected thanks, but we are forever indebted to him for his selfless service.”

Presented by the OU Board of Regents and OU Alumni Association, the Regents’ Alumni Award is a testament to the importance OU’s alumni play in the life of the university.  A committee formed by the Alumni Association selects the award recipients from nominations made by alumni, friends and OU faculty and staff.  The names of each year’s recipients are engraved on a permanent plaque in the Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Samis, who earned his bachelor of business administration degree in finance from OU in 1977, has invested much of his time, talent and energy working on behalf of the growth and development of the OU College of Medicine and the betterment of health care and medical research for the citizens of Oklahoma in his roles as chairman of the University Hospitals Authority and Trust. 

Appointed by the Governor as a member of the Authority at its inception, Samis has served continuously since then. In June of 2000, he became Chairman of the Authority and Trust, a position he continues to hold today.

Samis led the negotiating team on behalf of the state of Oklahoma in structuring the 1998 Joint Operating Agreement for the teaching hospitals in Oklahoma City. That agreement kept medical education intact on the Oklahoma City campus, preserved the medical center’s ability to provide care to the underserved, and had an important impact on sustaining the OU College of Medicine’s research programs. This academic medical center hospital system is known today as the OU MEDICAL CENTER. Samis also serves as chairman of its Governing Committee.

In addition, Samis serves on the boards of the Dean A. McGee Eye Institute, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Presbyterian Health Foundation and Oklahoma Health Center Foundation, is a former member of the OUHSC Board of Visitors and Price College’s National Board of Advisers.  In 1992, he was treasurer of the campaign for the state question to allow a $250 million bond issue for capital improvements at Oklahoma colleges and universities.

He remains active in Oklahoma City community affairs, having served on the board of directors of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce; Arts Council; Committee of 100, a civic organization established to support and fund needs of public safety personnel; Casady School, where he received the 2002 Alumni Achievement Award; Oklahoma City Art Museum; and Community Council of Oklahoma City.  He also served as director of the Oklahoma City branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Dean of the OU College of Medicine, Dr. Dewayne Andrews said, “I can’t imagine a more worthy recipient of this honor. Oklahoma is fortunate to have a man with Mike’s background, integrity, commitment, and vision serving in these roles. I am constantly impressed by the time he invests with the Authority and Trust, and with the attention and energy he gives to assisting the College of Medicine as we strive for excellence in education, patient care, and research. Mike is a thoughtful and committed partner, a catalyst for change, a wise counselor, a confidant and friend.”