ORU Names New Director to Lead a Strategic Shift from Individual Research to Integrated Team Science

Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 29, 2026—In an era when the nation’s cancer burden touches virtually every family, Oral Roberts University (ORU) announces the establishment of its Holy Spirit-empowered Cancer & Science Research Center. Underscoring ORU’s commitment to treating and curing cancer, this scientific research and teaching initiative will be structured around:  

• Assembling a distinguished roster of scholars,
• Constructing a new purpose-built research facility, and 
• Anchoring strategies within the University's own patented and intellectual property.

“At ORU, we have always believed that faith and science are not opposites—they are partners,” said ORU President Dr. William M. Wilson. “The establishment of our Cancer & Science Research Center and the construction of this new building is the fulfillment of a promise: that this University will pursue healing in every dimension of human life. We are not simply building a laboratory; we are building a legacy. The men and women who will walk these halls will carry both the rigor of science and the fire of the Holy Spirit, and that combination has always changed the world.”

 

 

Leading the Team: Dr. Jeff Hutchins

Appointed as Professional in Residence and Director of Cancer & Science Research effective May 1, 2026, Dr. Hutchins brings three decades of expertise in biopharmaceutical research and development.  An ORU alumnus of the class of 1981, Dr. Hutchins has spent his career on the frontier of oncology and translational medicine, holding senior positions at Glaxo Wellcome, Inhibitex, Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Heat Biologics, and Inhalon Biopharma, Inc. Dr. Hutchins earned his doctorate from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Southern California’s Norris Cancer Center. Dr. Hutchins’ expertise spans biologics, immuno-oncology, infectious disease, and the complex art of moving discoveries from the bench to the bedside.

Included in his scientific accomplishments, Dr. Hutchins has led preclinical development with interdisciplinary teams that have successfully generated, affinity selected, humanized antibodies and cell therapies to in vivo, therapeutic proof of concept.  Most recently, he has provided strategic and development oversight of five programs at Inhalon Biopharma, Inc., ranging from candidate selection to enabling studies through Phase 1 testing in the clinic.  He has also led the setup of a research and development laboratory from concept to sample testing and release from both non-clinical and clinical trials.  Dr. Hutchins has collaborated on numerous antibody patents, is an often-invited expert to speak on the treatment of cancer, and received the National Cancer Center Fellowship Award. 

The return to his alma mater is a strategic homecoming with a mandate to equip a new generation of scientists. Dr. Hutchins shared, “Cancer is not overcome by good intentions alone—it is advanced through disciplined science, resilient teams, and an unwavering commitment to discovery. What we are building at Oral Roberts University is more than a research center; it is a distinctive model where student-driven innovation and training are central to the mission. We are uniting scientific rigor, collaborative excellence, and a spiritual foundation that sustains progress through the setbacks that often precede breakthrough discoveries. I returned to ORU because I believe this Institution can make contributions of real consequence—science that improves patient outcomes, expands knowledge, and demonstrates that faith and excellence can thrive side by side in the same laboratory.”

The Associate Director: Dr. Hannah King

Serving as ORU’s Associate Director of Cancer & Science Research, Dr. Hannah King represents a growing generation of faith-integrated scientists. Her doctoral work focused on PROTAC-based cancer therapeutics—a cutting-edge approach at the crossroads of medicinal chemistry and molecular biology—and her expertise in bioinformatics and translational therapeutic development equips her to oversee pivotal research and cancer therapy developments.

Dr. King earned her Ph.D. in Cancer Research from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  She facilitated the “Cancer Biology and You” series, educating Native American high school students about cancer risks and how to reduce risk. She has developed courses in Cancer Biology and Nutrition and is published in several cancer-research related journals. 

King said, “Science at its most powerful is a communal act. Every great discovery I have studied emerged from people who brought different expertise to the same urgent question. That is exactly what attracts me to ORU—a place where molecular biologists, chemists, and cancer biologists work side by side with students who are learning not just how to run an experiment, but how to think like scientists and live like people of purpose. I believe the work we do here will reach far beyond these walls.”

A Building Built for Discovery

The groundbreaking for the new Cancer & Science Research Center is planned for November 2026.  Designed with the collaborative, team-based scientific model in mind, the facility will provide state-of-the-art laboratories and shared research infrastructure, with a focus on supporting cross-disciplinary investigation. Collaboration and consultation with faculty in the design, function, and equipping of the Center will ensure full alignment with the Center’s team-based science philosophy.  

Renderings of ORU’s Holy Spirit-empowered Cancer & Science Research Center

A Team Built for the Long Game

In addition to Dr. Hutchins and Dr. King, Dr. Desman Patel, a specialist in synthetic organic chemistry, will lead student-engaged research into biologically active small molecules with direct cancer relevance. Dr. Joel Gaikwad will contribute his foundational expertise in cancer biology, bringing what colleagues describe as a rare gift for faith-integrated mentorship—the capacity to form not merely skilled researchers, but whole-person scientists.

Anchoring the Center’s research strategy is ORU’s own intellectual property: U.S. Patent No. 11,013,775, which provides a living scientific foundation from which students and faculty can design and test compounds with real-world cancer implications. The patent does not merely confer credibility—it hands students the keys to experiential research from day one.  This is in addition to the multiple years of faculty and student discoveries that will be built upon with further research. 

“This expansion will enrich our programs by giving students greater access to meaningful research experiences that cultivate scientific curiosity, critical thinking, and Spirit-empowered leadership,” said Rachel Budavich, Chair of the Department of Biology and Chemistry. “By expanding opportunities for hands-on research and interdisciplinary collaboration, we are strengthening the student experience and helping prepare graduates with the experiential and analytical skills valued by employers, graduate programs, and medical schools.”

 

 

 

 “One of the things that excites me most about the new center is the way it is designed to bring research groups together,” said Dr. Andrew Lang, Dean of the College of Science and Engineering. “Faculty and students will work side by side in integrated teams, and those teams will collaborate with each other to deepen our understanding of cancer and the molecular mechanisms that drive it. By creating a purpose-built environment, we are intentionally supporting research using and training in the latest biotech techniques. Things that we see as essential for developing the next generation of Spirit-empowered researchers.” 

 

 

For decades, ORU has intertwined faith and science.  The Center marks a fundamental transformation in how ORU pursues cancer research: from the solitary work of a single investigator to the coordinated power of an integrated scientific team, united by faith and driven by discovery.

Renderings of ORU’s Holy Spirit-empowered Cancer & Science Research Center

Nationally Ranked, Globally Recognized

ORU is a Christian, Spirit-empowered, interdenominational university in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with 17 years of consecutive enrollment growth. Regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, ORU offers over 150 majors, minors, concentrations, and pre-professional programs at the bachelor’s level, ranging from business and engineering to nursing, ministry, and more. In 2024, the Carnegie Foundation recognized ORU with a “Leadership for Public Purpose” award, a distinction earned by only 25 universities nationwide. Under the leadership of President Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing students from all 50 states and 176 nations in the last 7 years to be whole leaders for the whole world.