This collaboration will create a foundation of trauma-focused training for future physicians, with the goal of saving more lives and enhancing high-level emergency care across northeastern Oklahoma and the region.
The regents’ approval follows legislation passed last year to bring this partnership to fruition. In June 2025, the Oklahoma Legislature approved two bills establishing a public-private partnership between Saint Francis Health System and the OSU Medical Authority and Trust to develop a Level I trauma center in Tulsa.
The legislation authorized the OSU Medical Authority and Trust to deliver medical education and training in a certified Level I trauma center and appropriated $8 million to support the partnership between OSU and Saint Francis.
“Expanding our residency and fellowship programs through this partnership with Saint Francis Health System and its new Level I trauma center is a tremendous opportunity for our institution, our residents and the communities we serve,” said Dr. Johnny Stephens, OSU-CHS president. “Training residents and fellows in a high-acuity, Level I trauma environment enhances their clinical education, sharpens critical decision-making skills and prepares them to care for patients with complex and urgent medical needs.”
In September, Saint Francis earned a three-year Level I trauma center verification from the American College of Surgeons, the highest designation for trauma care. Level I trauma center designation means trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons and other specialty physicians must be on site, not just on call, for critical cases.
“The Saint Francis-OSU partnership creates a sustainable system that will serve the trauma needs of eastern Oklahoma for years to come,” said Dr. Cliff Robertson, Saint Francis Health System president and CEO. “By training the next generation of physicians, we meet today’s needs and the future’s.”
About Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State University is a premier land-grant university that prepares students for success. Through teaching, research and Extension, OSU engages communities and empowers servant-leaders to meet society’s most pressing challenges. OSU is the largest university system in Oklahoma and has more than 36,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 27,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and more than 127 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 300,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.
About OSU Center for Health Sciences
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences is a nationally recognized academic health center focused on teaching, research and patient care through its OSU Medicine clinics located throughout the Tulsa metro area. OSU-CHS offers graduate and professional degrees through the College of Osteopathic Medicine, OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, the School of Allied Health, the School of Health Care Administration, the School of Biomedical Sciences, the School of Forensic Sciences and the Physician Assistant program. OSU Medicine operates a network of clinics offering many specialty services, including addiction medicine, cardiology, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry and women’s health.
Get Local News!
