Billionaire Harold Hamm Gives $150 Million to Fight Diabetes
Harold Hamm Donates GH₵1.76 Billion to University of Oklahoma Health Research
Billionaire oil businessman Harold Hamm has donated US$150 million to the University of Oklahoma to support healthcare education, medical research and efforts to fight diabetes.
The gift is equivalent to approximately GH₵1.76 billion, using an exchange rate of about GH₵11.72 to US$1. Of the total amount, US$50 million, approximately GH₵586 million, will support research at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.
The remaining US$100 million, will support the wider health campus, including the training of healthcare professionals, recruitment of researchers and development of research infrastructure.
The University of Oklahoma announced the donation on September 22, 2026, describing it as the largest single gift in the institution’s history. In recognition of the contribution, the university’s Health Campus in Oklahoma City will be renamed the Harold Hamm Health Campus.
According to the University of Oklahoma, the gift will support work aimed at improving health outcomes across Oklahoma. The university plans to expand research and discovery while strengthening the state’s healthcare workforce.
Hamm’s interest in diabetes research is personal. The oil tycoon was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in his 50s. His experience with the disease led him to support medical research, patient care and advocacy for more affordable insulin.
The University of Oklahoma said Hamm’s earlier support helped establish the diabetes centre in 2007. Since then, he has contributed more than US$50 million to the centre and helped the university recruit scientists and build research facilities.
The university also reported that National Institutes of Health research funding connected to the diabetes centre grew from US$5 million to US$33 million after its establishment.
The new funding will be used to advance research into diabetes and metabolic disease. Researchers will study ways to prevent diabetes, improve treatment and reduce complications affecting patients.
The Harold Hamm Diabetes Center works with adults, young people and children living with different forms of diabetes. Its work includes medical research, clinical care and programmes designed to reduce the spread and impact of the disease.
Hamm has also established the Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes. The award is regarded as one of the most important international prizes dedicated to diabetes research.
The University of Oklahoma is also recruiting more than 200 researchers through its Project 200 initiative. Health is one of the programme’s major areas of focus, with researchers expected to work in diabetes, cancer, neuroscience and other medical fields.
University President Joseph Harroz Jr. described the donation as an investment in the health and future of Oklahoma. He said the gift would help the university expand its research capacity and improve healthcare for future generations.
The donation is expected to benefit not only diabetes research but also medical education and patient care. The university’s health campus includes programmes in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, public health and other healthcare disciplines.
Harold Hamm’s lifetime donations to the University of Oklahoma are now approaching US$250 million, according to the university.
