Hardesty Family Foundation donates $2 million to OSU for creation of new research center in Tulsa
Monday, October 26, 2020
With a $2 million gift, The Hardesty Family Foundation has made a commitment to fuel transformative research at the National Center for Wellness & Recovery. In recognition of the contribution, OSU is naming a recently acquired 49,000-square-foot medical complex in south Tulsa the Hardesty Center for Clinical Research and Neuroscience.
“As the national leader in addiction research, our goal at OSU Medicine is to unlock the mystery of addiction through groundbreaking biomedical and clinical research.” said Dr. Kayse Shrum, OSU Center for Health Sciences president. “We are deeply indebted to Roger and the Hardesty family for this magnanimous gift which will allow us to develop personalized, evidence-based therapies for patients suffering from addiction.”
The foundation’s ongoing commitment to NCWR’s research and treatment in the field of addictive behavior disorder will foster impactful solutions for research to aid generations of Tulsans.
“Over the years, my family and I have come to admire Dr. Shrum’s leadership. We’ve witnessed the positive impact that OSU Medicine is having in our community,” said Michelle Hardesty, Hardesty Family Foundation executive director. “Addiction has devastated the lives of thousands of Oklahomans. We are honored to support OSU Medicine’s pioneering efforts to develop better, safer and more effective therapeutics to treat addiction and their cutting-edge pain management techniques.”
The center will house initiatives such as the prestigious NIH-funded HEALthy Brain and Child Development study, which explores the effects of early opioid exposure on infant and child development. This study and others will be enhanced by the OSU Medicine Biomedical Imaging Center on site, where advanced biomedical imaging research will examine neural correlates of addiction and how that can lead to new recovery strategies.
“The Hardesty Center for Clinical Research and Neuroscience provides a state-of-the-art, dedicated research infrastructure not found elsewhere at OSU or other academic institutions in the state,” said Dr. Julie Croff, NCWR population and clinical research executive director. “One of the most exciting opportunities for us in this new space is that we will house multidisciplinary teams to ensure our findings will be rapidly translated from the bench to bedside to communities around the state.”
The collaborative atmosphere at OSU made a personal impact on the Hardesty family and helped provide the confidence to add OSU Medicine and NCWR to the growing list of impactful projects the foundation has supported to make Tulsa a better place.
The Hardesty Family Foundation is one of Tulsa’s most active and visible philanthropic foundations. It was founded by storied businessman and entrepreneur Roger Hardesty and his wife, Donna. “I’m delighted to support OSU Medicine. My grandson Connor recently graduated from OSU and we are proud of the young man that he’s become. I’m grateful to OSU for providing him and countless others with a top-notch education,” said Roger Hardesty, Hardesty Family Foundation founder.
The center’s creation is made possible through a gift of land in Stillwater that will be sold with proceeds used to underwrite the purchase and renovation of the Tulsa property at 1013 East 66th Place. The property is currently being renovated to include the NCWR clinical trials unit, research initiatives and the OSU Medicine Biomedical Imaging Center. The Hardesty Center for Clinical Research and Neuroscience is scheduled to open January 2021.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Kinnard | Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the Oklahoma State University Foundation | 405-385-5185 | jkinnard@osugiving.com