Stanton L. Young dreamed big. But unlike most of us, he also built big.

In the 1960s, he was one of five leaders who looked at Oklahoma’s scattered hospitals and clinics and imagined something bold: a unified health center where Oklahomans could access medical treatment close to home. Today, we know it as the OU Health Campus, where experts provide care and train the next generation.

“He spent his life striving to achieve this vision so no Oklahomans will have to leave the state to receive the best possible care,” says his daughter, Marie Elise Young. 

That vision still drives the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, and it’s on full display each year at the Stanton L. Young Master Teacher Awards dinner, where the college honors the pursuit of learning that changes futures.

Young (OU ’50 BS business) was a civic leader who understood the importance of health—and how, collectively, a thriving population contributes to a strong community and economy.

“Stanton Young had a vision of a great medical center that would enrich the lives and wellbeing of people in his community, Oklahoma and beyond,” says Dr. M. Dewayne Andrews, dean emeritus of the College of Medicine. “He cared deeply, too, about the education of future doctors, nurses and allied health workers.

“He influenced a lot of city leaders to participate, get interested and understand how critically important this center would become to the state of Oklahoma,” Andrews says.

In 1983, Young and his wife, Barbara, established the Stanton L. Young Master Teacher Award. Their endowment at the OU Foundation funds the annual dinner and awards. The recognition includes a $15,000 prize and a porcelain owl, a symbol of wisdom and dedication. But one of the most unusual things about the Master Teacher Award is who drives it.

Each year, third‑ and fourth‑year OU medical student leaders and the Medical Student Council ask their classmates to think about all the teachers who shaped their education from their first anatomy lab to their final clinical rotations. They collect stories, weigh the impact and submit detailed letters. 

One group of letters effuses praise for 2026 Stanton L. Young Master Teacher Award recipient Mary Moon (OU ’10 BS microbiology and ’20 Ph.D. education), an assistant professor of cell biology. They point consistently to the same qualities. As one of the first professors who students meet in their medical training, she is clear, patient, kind and demanding in all the right ways. Moon, an Alex, Okla., native, helps students learn hard material while demonstrating how to talk to people with respect and compassion. 

The second award that bears Young’s name focuses on another part of his vision: discovery. The Stanton L. Young Excellence in Research Award, established last year with support from the Young family and institutional partners, recognizes research that doesn’t just live in journals but has the power to change how the medical field will prevent, diagnose and treat disease. 

This year’s recipient, Priyabrata “Priyo” Mukherjee, holds the Peggy and Charles Stephenson Endowed Chair of Laboratory Cancer Research. He has spent more than 30 years working on new ways to fight cancer. While the details of his work are highly technical, the goals are easy to understand: more accurate tests, more targeted treatments and better chances for patients.

Since joining OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center in 2013, Mukherjee has built a productive, team‑based lab that brings together students, scientists and physicians at all stages in their careers. The George Lynn Cross Research Professor has earned steady support from national funding agencies and recognition from scientific organizations around the world. 

The components of Young’s legacy all work together to empower teachers, researchers, doctors and, ultimately, patients. Andrews believes a great teacher made a lasting impression on Young at some point, inspiring the creation of the awards. 

“He wanted to ensure that we continue to recognize and celebrate those individuals.”

Sara Morrell Cowan is assistant editor of Sooner Magazine.

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