Leslie Hudson Honored with 2026 Oklahoma Key Contributor Award

Leslie Simcox Hudson, Ph.D., P.T., M.S., naming donor of the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health, was honored with the 2026 Oklahoma Key Contributor Award during the 33rd Annual Oklahoma Academy Salute on Aug. 21 in Tulsa.

Presented by the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, the Oklahoma Key Contributor Award is the organization’s most prestigious recognition. It honors an individual, business, organization or program whose participation, involvement and support have created significant positive change in Oklahoma and improved quality of life across the state.

The recognition reflects Hudson’s lifelong commitment to public health, education and service. An epidemiologist, former OU faculty member, civic leader and philanthropist, she has helped expand opportunities for future public health professionals while advancing research and education that benefit communities throughout Oklahoma.

Hudson earned all three of her degrees from the OU Health Campus, beginning with an undergraduate degree in physical therapy in 1977. She later earned a master’s degree in public health in 1986 and a doctorate in epidemiology in 1990. She went on to join the OU College of Public Health faculty, specializing in biostatistics and epidemiology, and served in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology until 2000.

Her connection to OU has continued through decades of service, advocacy and philanthropy. Hudson currently serves on the Hudson College of Public Health Advisory Board and previously served on the OU Presidential Professorship Selection Committee and the advisory board of the OU Breast Health Institute.

Together with her husband, Clifford Hudson, she established the Hudson Family Endowed Scholarship and the Hudson Fellows in Public Health program to support graduate education at OU. The Hudson Fellows program provides support for outstanding doctoral students and hosts an annual symposium that brings nationally recognized leaders in public health research, policy and education to the university to examine timely issues affecting the field.

In 2018, the Hudsons made a $5 million leadership gift to advance scholarships, scientific discovery and public health education at OU. In recognition of their longstanding generosity and commitment to the university, the OU Board of Regents named the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health in their honor.

Hudson has received several university honors recognizing her leadership and service. She received the OU Regents’ Alumni Award in 2017 and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, the university’s highest honor, in 2019. She was also recognized with the Distinguished Community Service Award at the Evening of Excellence Gala for her advocacy for public health and her many contributions to Oklahoma communities.

Through her work as an educator, volunteer and philanthropist, Hudson continues to strengthen public health education and create opportunities for those who will lead the field in the years ahead. The Oklahoma Key Contributor Award recognizes both the breadth of that work and its lasting impact on the health and well-being of Oklahomans.