Groundbreaking for Major Tulsa Expansion of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center

OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center celebrated the groundbreaking of its new 176,000-square-foot facility on the University of Oklahoma’s Schusterman Center campus, marking a transformative step forward in expanding access to National Cancer Institute-designated cancer care for thousands of residents in northeast Oklahoma.

Set to open in 2028, the facility will directly address the state’s significant cancer burden — ranked fourth in the nation for cancer deaths. In 2025, it is estimated there will be about 24,000 new cancer diagnoses in Oklahoma, with approximately 8,300 occurring in northeast Oklahoma alone — a region with some of the state’s highest cancer mortality rates. This region’s need for outpatient cancer care is projected to increase by 14.2% through 2034, driven by high rates of pancreatic, hepatobiliary and other complex cancers often resistant to traditional therapies.

This expansion fulfills a vision more than two decades in the making.

“Today reflects our unwavering mission to ensure every Oklahoman has access to the very best cancer care, no matter where they live,” said Joseph Harroz Jr., president of the University of Oklahoma. “Stephenson Cancer Center delivers the gold standard of research-driven care as Oklahoma’s only NCI-designated cancer center – a distinction achieved by just 2% of cancer centers nationwide. This expansion brings that level of care for northeastern Oklahoma, closing a gap that has existed for far too long. The Stephenson family’s extraordinary generosity, combined with support from our Tribal partners, the Legislature and community philanthropists, makes this life-saving work possible. Together, we are building a legacy that will serve generations of Oklahomans.”

The expansion of Stephenson Cancer Center to Tulsa is facilitated by a robust public-private partnership involving key stakeholders led by Charlie and Peggy Stephenson. It includes appropriations from the Oklahoma Legislature from the American Rescue Plan Act and the state General Revenue Fund to the University Hospitals Authority and Trust (UHAT). Contributions from the Cherokee Nation as well as gifts from the Norton, Trussell and Croteau families underscore the collaborative endeavor aimed at enhancing cancer care in northeast Oklahoma.

Advanced Cancer Care, Closer to Home

Despite northeast Oklahoma’s high rates of cancer, the region has historically had the lowest clinical trial participation rates at Stephenson Cancer Center. The new facility in Tulsa aims to reverse this trend and reflects the critical importance of accessible cancer care.

“As Oklahoma’s only NCI-Designated Cancer Center, we have a responsibility to ensure every Oklahoman has access to the most advanced cancer care available,” said OU Health President and CEO Richard Lofgren, M.D., MPH. “This expansion reflects our commitment as the state’s flagship academic health system — providing access to destination programs, complex care, and research-driven therapies that lead to better outcomes. It also fulfills our winning aspiration to care for the sickest of the sick as a top-tier academic referral center.”

The National Cancer Institute designation is awarded only to cancer centers that demonstrate scientific leadership, robust clinical research and a commitment to reducing cancer incidence and mortality. As Oklahoma’s only NCI-Designated Cancer Center — a distinction first earned in 2018 and renewed in 2023 — Stephenson Cancer Center meets rigorous standards for transdisciplinary research, community outreach and delivery of leading-edge therapies. This prestigious recognition places Stephenson Cancer Center among an elite network of fewer than 75 institutions nationwide.

The new facility in Tulsa will feature 70 exam rooms, 45 infusion spaces, three linear accelerators, comprehensive imaging capabilities including MRI and PET-CT, and dedicated clinical trial space designed to expand as the center grows. Patients will have increased access to early-phase clinical trials, removing barriers to treatments that are often a last resort for those with complex cancers that don’t respond to standard regimens. It ensures patients in northeast Oklahoma receive the same caliber of care found at the nation’s top cancer centers, without having to leave Oklahoma.

“Our vision at Stephenson Cancer Center is to eliminate cancer in Oklahoma and beyond. Our mission is to provide patient-centered, research-driven, multidisciplinary cancer care,” said Robert Mannel, M.D., director of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. “Clinical trials offer hope for patients facing complex, rare or treatment-resistant cancers, and many of these early phase trials are only accessible in Oklahoma through Stephenson Cancer Center and our statewide network.”

In addition to advancing Stephenson Cancer Center’s long-term goal of achieving Comprehensive Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute — the organization’s highest designation held by only an elite group of cancer centers nationwide, the expansion directly supports Pillar 4 of OU’s “Lead On, University” Strategic Plan: Lift the Health of Oklahoma.

Building on Partnership and Progress

The expansion also strengthens OU Health’s collaboration with Hillcrest HealthCare System, which began in 2024, to deliver advanced cancer therapies and clinical trials to the residents of northeast Oklahoma. The new building will provide even more clinical space and serve as a clinical home for both local medical oncologists and academic physician scientists.

Stephenson Cancer Center has been phasing in clinical trials at Hillcrest and has enrolled more than 20 patients so far this year, including those for complex cancers like pancreatic and lung.

“Partnering with OU Health on cancer care has already brought more clinical trials and specialized expertise to northeast Oklahoma,” said Hillcrest Regional President Jeff Johnston, MHA, MBA. “We are excited for this addition to help even more patients with nationally recognized cancer care closer to home.”

Much of this expansion builds on the foundation laid by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET), whose grants have funded the lung cancer screening bus, the TSET Phase I Clinical Trials Program and ongoing research across the University of Oklahoma’s academic health system. Stephenson Cancer Center opened a location with Norman Regional Health System in June 2025 and has plans to open a facility in McAlester, Oklahoma, this year — further extending its reach across the state.