Scholarship honoring Dr. Stephanie Husen becomes endowed

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Media Contact: Sara Plummer | Communications Coordinator | 918-561-1282 | sara.plummer@okstate.edu

Dr. Stephanie Husen was a sports and internal medicine specialist with Warren Clinic and an Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine class of 2004 alumna. Husen was one of four people killed in a mass shooting on June 1 in the Natalie Building on the Saint Francis Hospital campus in Tulsa. 

But Husen’s friends, family, colleagues and classmates want her to be remembered for so much more.

Alumni from the class of 2004 worked with the OSU Foundation to establish the Dr. Stephanie Husen Memorial Scholarship. 

“There is a special bond that forms between classmates in medical school, and although we may all go our separate ways in life and clinical practice, that special bond of our medical school days remains,” said Dr. Stephanie Kuhlmann, an OSU-COM alumna and pediatric medical director at Wesley Children's Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. “The OSU-COM class of 2004 was devastated to learn of the tragic death of one of our own. Our class immediately pulled together in group conversations to determine how we could best honor her and the idea of an endowed scholarship at the medical school seemed to resonate most.” 

In less than a month, the scholarship has become endowed with 131 gifts totaling close to $38,000.

“It is absolutely amazing to see the generous outpouring of support and how quickly this scholarship reached and has exceeded the endowment goal,” Kuhlmann said. “I think this is a testament to Dr. Husen as a person and the impact that she had on so many in the community around her.”

Dr. Natasha Bray is interim dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation. She also graduated from OSU-COM in 2003 and was Husen’s student mentor during medical school.

“Dr. Husen loved life. She had an infectious smile and approached life with passion and zest," Bray said. "She never met a stranger and had a gift of making every individual she interacted with feel valued and included. Dr. Husen loved being a physician and valued her relationships with patients. The passionate love she had for her family and friends was palpable in all her interactions. She always found the fun."

The overwhelming support for the scholarship speaks to the kind of person and doctor Husen was, she said.

“She was the friend, colleague or physician that made you feel seen, valued and appreciated. An opportunity to help someone never passed Stephanie — she would always say yes, she would always find the good, she would always find the fun,” Bray said. “The success of the scholarship is a reflection of how much of an impact she had on the lives of so many people.”

Although she hadn’t seen or talked with Husen in a few years, Kuhlmann still remembers what a wonderful person she was not only to her classmates and friends, but also to her patients and even strangers.

“I remember her as being such a kind, caring and compassionate person. She had a beautiful smile and infectious energy that would light up the room and she loved to serve others,” Kuhlmann said. “We hope that her name and legacy will continue to live on and that through this scholarship, she will continue to impact and serve others within the osteopathic community. It is truly an honor to be part of this endowment to keep her legacy alive.”

Those interested in making a gift to the Dr. Stephanie Husen Memorial Scholarship can contribute  through the OSU Foundation.