The AAMC presented a 2024 Champion of Academic Medicine Award to Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) on March 6 to recognize his extraordinary support for medical research, the health care workforce, and addressing health disparities. Joining AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton and Office of Government Relations staff were University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Senior Vice President and Provost Gary Raskob, PhD OU Health President and CEO Rick Lofgren, MD, MPH, and University of Oklahoma Executive Director of Governmental Affairs Hollye Hunt, JD.
The AAMC selected Cole for this award due to his leadership in strengthening the medical research enterprise through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), bolstering the health workforce through the Health Resources and Services Administration, and addressing health disparities among Native Americans in Oklahoma and across the country. As noted by Cole in the March 5 AAMC statement, “I will always advocate for robust biomedical research funding in order to discover new treatments and cures to better the health of the American people and ensure future generations are free of today’s diseases and chronic conditions. … It is truly an honor to be awarded the 2024 Champion of Academic Medicine Award, and I want to thank the Association of American Medical Colleges for all of the important work they do to improve medical research and education throughout our nation.”