Dr.
Joseph Ferretti has a long history with the University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center. Born and raised in Chicago, he joined the Health Sciences
Center faculty in 1969, became chairman of the Department of Microbiology and
Immunology in 1983, and in 1987 was named George Lynn Cross Research Professor,
an honor reserved for only the most distinguished and accomplished scientists on
the OU campuses. In 1983 he was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University of
Scholars, and in 1997 received an honorary doctorate from the Institute of
Experimental Medicine of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, St.
Petersburg, Russia.
Dr. Ferretti is an internationally recognized scientist who
is known for his work in the area of infectious disease research, namely in the
area of streptococcal infections and antibiotic resistance. He has authored
over 150 scientific papers, written and edited four books. As a scientist, he
has brought substantial research funding to the OUHSC campus, primarily from the
National Institutes of Health.
In 1993, Dr. Ferretti was named Vice President for Research
for the Health Sciences Center Campus, and in 1995, OU President David Boren
asked him to serve as Interim Senior Vice President and Provost. Subsequently,
in 1996, the President named Dr. Ferretti Senior Vice President and Provost of
the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
In this position, Dr. Ferretti is at the helm of Oklahoma’s
major health professions education institute, where physicians, dentists,
pharmacists, public health specialists, and a wide range of allied health
personnel are trained. An integral part of positive economic impact on our
state, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is one of only four
comprehensive health centers in the nation with seven health professional
colleges, a faculty and staff that number more than 3,200, and an enrollment of
over 3,400 students.
As Senior Vice President of the Health Sciences Center, Dr.
Ferretti oversees a budget of more than $650 million. He has been instrumental
in the growth of research, training grants and contracts, and sponsored program
activities that totaled more than $120 million in FY 2004.
Dr. Ferretti sits on numerous civic and professional
boards, including the Dean McGee Eye Institute, Oklahoma Health Center
Foundation, United Way of Greater Oklahoma City, and the American Heart
Association. He is also a member of the University Hospitals Authority,
University Hospitals Trust, and University Hospitals Governing boards.
In addition to his duties in research and education, Dr.
Ferretti pioneered two summer programs aimed at increasing minority
representation in health and science careers. One of these, the Headlands
Indian Health Careers program, has completed its 28th year and
remains one of the leading programs of its type in the country.
Dr. Ferretti and his wife Marti, who is chair of the
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Health Sciences Center, have two
children and five grandchildren. He enjoys spending time with his family,
travel, gardening, golf, collecting Native American art, and OU sports.
2004
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