Key Research Assets and Areas of StrengthSchool of Public Health

• Cancer Research• Obesity, tobacco, alcohol & other modifiable

risk factors• Environment & Health• Disparities Reduction

WaTCH StudyW o m e n & T h e i r C h i l d r e n H e a l t h S t u d y

Significant Cross-Campus Collaborative Projects

• Within the LSU System– Cancer Research – LTR, LaCCC (LSUHSC-NO, LSUHSC-S,

LSU Health) – Disparities Research (LSUHSC-NO, LSUHSC-S, PBRC)– Translational Research/Quality Improvement –

LaCATS, ICON (LSUHSC-NO, PBRC, LSUHSC-S, LSU-HCSD, LSU-BR)

– Environmental Health – (LSU, PBRC)

Significant Cross-Campus Collaborative Projects• Within Louisiana– Disparities Research (Dillard, Statewide LCCCP, LTR)– Cancer Research (Tulane HSC, Ochsner, Xavier, ULL, ULM,

OLOL-MBP)– Outcomes Research (LSU Health hospitals-ICON, LTR,

Medicaid ) • Nationally or Internationally– Cancer Research (University of North Carolina-Chapel

Hill, Roswell Park Cancer Center) – Environmental (Oil Spill) Research (Columbia University

Mailman School of Public Health)– Nutrition Research (St Georges University SPH-Grenada

Nutrition Research Study)

Cancer Research

• Vivien Chen, PhD & Xiao Cheng Wu, MD: LA Tumor Registry-NCI SEER since 2001. Current budget 2010-17 $13,476,993; CDC since 1994. Current budget 2010-17 $5,305,685

• Donna Williams, DrPH: LA Comprehensive Cancer Control – CDC since 2002. Current budget 2008-13 $13,041,588; related grants 2008-13 $1,502,416

• Elizabeth Fontham, DrPH and Christine Brennan,PhD: Racial Differences in Prostate Cancer – PCaP (Fontham PI) 2004-2010 DoD $4,125,683; QPCaP (Brennan PI) 2010-13 NCI $374,573

Modifiable Risk Factors• Richard Scribner, MD – “Changes in Alcohol Availability & HIV Rates”

NIH 2005-11 $1,302,623; “Ecological Models of College Drinking” NIH 2005-10 $984,574; 2 other related grants $3,603,925

• Melinda Sothern, PhD – “Metabolic Syndrome-Prepubertal African

Americans/Caucasians”. NIH 2005-2012 $413,856 (childhood obesity)

• Julia Volaufova, PhD – “Determinants of Human Longevity & Healthy Aging” 2007-11 $504,895 (SPH Biostat component only)

• Sarah Moody-Thomas, PhD – “Tobacco Cessation Initiative” tax funded since 2002. 2007-13 $5,927,611

Environment and Health

• James Diaz, MD – “Gulf Coast Children’s Health Study” (Hurricane Katrina) CDC/RTI, 2010-13, $538,616

• Edward Trapido, PhD, Oil Spill Studies (NIH/NIEHS) - Wives of Workers (WOW) 2010-13, $602,907 - Women and their Children’s Health (WATCH) 2011-2016, $3,735,133

• Indoor Air – Secondhand Smoke (LPHI, LCRC) 2009-11 $118, 227 (example of data to guide policy)

Disparities and Health

• Melinda Sothern, PhD, Cruz Velasco PhD “Determinants of Inflammation & Effect of Intervention”(disparities reduction) 2010-15, $1,264,815

• Elizabeth Fontham, DrPH & Donna Williams, DrPH “Feasibility of Community-Based Tampon Self- Sampling to Prevent Cervical Cancer” NCI R21 $311,954 • Sarah Moody-Thomas, PhD, MBCCOP, SWOG. “Minority

Accrual to Clinical Trials”

Three Most Important Things to Help Support More Interdisciplinary and Inter-Campus Research Initiatives

• Identify areas of common interests where expertise gaps may exist in one or more institutions to conduct collaborative research bridging gaps:

- Better communication mechanisms in order to identify common interests and expertise gaps (joint seminars, research forums) - Establish a mechanism whereby grant leadership and credit (PIs and indirect $) can be shared equitably across campuses. - Common IRB review across multiple campuses.

• Provide funding to maintain a critical mass of scientists in key focus areas and grow a critical mass in new areas

• Pilot grant programs to incentivize initiation of interdisciplinary research

Three Most Significant Impediments to Expanding Research Enterprise

• Lack of funding for recruitment of new faculty. Federal and foundation research dollars are shrinking, so creative, innovative new ideas critical.

• Lack of infrastructure/support for retention of productive faculty (higher salaries elsewhere, limited administrative staff)

• “Borrowed” laboratory space for SPH

How to best help faculty expand research activities and collaborations

• Retain existing productive faculty: substantial salary increase to recover 5-year moratorium on merit raises (most had annual raises covered by grants--left on the table)

• Targeted recruitment of new faculty

• Update or build a modest number of labs for SPH

• Funding for doctoral assistantships/post-doc fellowships

How Important is the Research Program to LSUHSC SPH ?MAJOR SOURCES OF FUNDS FY 2008-2012

5- YEAR TOTAL ANNUAL AVERAGE State Appropriation $27,149,684 $ 5,429,937 Tuition & Fees $ 2,056,163 $ 411,233Grants & Contracts Direct $ 80,151,865 $16,030,373 Indirects to SPH $ 1,993,576 $ 398,715 Indirects to LSUHSC $ 9,442,041 $ 1,888,408 Total $ 91,587,482 $ 18,317,496

ON AVERAGE FOR PAST 5 YEARS 50% OF FACULTY SALARIES HAVE COME FROM GRANTS/CONTRACTS AND 50% FROM OTHER SOURCES

ESSENTIALMission of SPH is to advance the public’s health and well-being through education, research and service with a focus on issues important to Louisiana. Innovative, high impact research enhances all of our educational endeavors, provides new and better methods of delivering healthcare and social services, and research yields the data upon which health & public policy should be based. It’s the roux for the gumbo.