Dear Colleagues,
 
John KirwanHappy new year to all of our LA CaTS Member Institutions, collaborators and partners! We continue to see exceptional growth and resiliency of this IDeA-CTR because of tremendous dedication of all who play a role across our state. As we start 2022, I am pleased to report some of our major accomplishments over the past 2 funding cycles:

  1. Securing more than $210 million in extramural grant awards for Louisiana – approximately $150 million in NIH awards;
  2. Contributing more than 1,000 publications and 750 competitive scientific presentations;
  3. Expansion & engagement of new partners & resources. Example: expansion of the BMI Core collaboration access to clinical data from across the state and creation of virtual cohorts (i.e., breast cancer, diabetes, HIV, COVID-19), now being used in LA CaTS Center pilot projects, Roadmap Scholars projects and multiple NIH grant applications;  
  4. Recruiting diverse study population (~40% ethnic minority) for the statewide network of Clinical Trial Units (CTUs).
  5. Highly Engaged Community Advisory Boards (CAB) – headquartered in the New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport/North Louisiana regions. Members participate on research teams to develop and implement studies and serve as advisers to investigators on a broad range of study ideas and ongoing research;
  6. Giving more than 850 clinical scientists access to technical services and resources provided by the LA CaTS Center Cores;
  7. 22 career promotions for past and current Roadmap and Meritorious Scholars;
  8. 17 career promotions reported for Young Investigators affiliated with the Pilot Projects Program;,
  9. Provided CT Training and Professional Development opportunities for more than 1,000 participants, from researchers to community members through LA CaTS Center seminars, workshops, and virtual platforms; and
  10.  5 new NIH supplement grants awarded, totaling $3.3 million (1- Cardiovascular complications in pregnancy, 1- Vaping Study in HIV population, 3- COVID related).    

I truly believe with our expertise and resources, this list of accomplishments will continue to grow. Stay safe and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2022.

John Kirwan, PhD
LA CaTS Center IDeA-CTR Director
Executive Director, Pennington Biomedical
George A. Bray, Jr. Endowed Super Chair in Nutrition