LSU Health Shreveport has unveiled significant new enhancements to its Anatomical Sciences Wing, marking a major leap forward in how anatomy is taught to future physicians and health professionals in Louisiana and beyond.

Immunotherapy is a transformational form of cancer treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to attack tumors in ways that were once only a dream. In rare instances, however, the same immune response that saves lives can also damage the heart. Understanding and preventing that unintended consequence is the focus of research led by Tousif Sultan, PhD.

With cardiovascular disease responsible for the majority of deaths in Louisiana and worldwide, research scientist Hind Lal, PhD, Chair of the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy at LSU Health Shreveport, is leading efforts to understand the nuances of this disease at a molecular level.

Hind Lal, PHD, Professor and Chair of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, was awarded a new three-year R01 grant from the NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Tousif Sultan, PHD, Assistant Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, was awarded a new five-year R01 grant from the NIH National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Taichiro Nonaka, DDS, PhD, Assistant Professor of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, has been awarded a new two-year R21 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).

Each year the School of Graduate Studies recognizes two outstanding graduating students for excellence and achievement in their studies and research.

Nibedita Aich, a graduate student from the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy successfully passed her Preliminary Exam on November 14th, 2024

The September 2024 School of Graduate Studies Student of the Month is Sumit Chatterjee in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy.

The March 2024 School of Graduate Studies Student of the Month is Nibedita Aich in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy.

The October 2023 School of Graduate Studies Student of the Month is Pushpa Subedi in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy.

Krista Rodgers, PhD, was recently awarded an NIH RO1 grant entitled “Mechanisms of Juvenile Neurogenesis and Post-Stroke Recovery:  Determining the Role of Age-Associated Neuroimmune Interactions” from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Christina Acosta successfully defended her PhD dissertation entitled ““A role for protein arginine methyltransferase 7 in repetitive and mild traumatic brain injury” on May 8^th 2023.

The May 2023 School of Graduate Studies Student of the Month is Bilkis Akhter in the Department of BioCellular Biology and Anatomy.

Sudha Sharma, a PhD Candidate in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy,  successfully defended her PhD dissertation entitled ““Mitochondrial Redox Signaling in Cardiac Health and Disease Conditions” on April 24, 2023.

Jiyu Li successfully defended her PhD dissertation entitled ““Light Alcohol Consumption And Cerebral Angiogenesis” on April 11, 2023.

The December 2022 School of Graduate Studies Student of the Month is Utsab Subedi  in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy.

Shashanka Rao Kammaje Narashimha,  a PhD Candidate in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy,  successfully defended his PhD dissertation entitled “The role of NNT in cardiovascular disease” on November 11, 2022.

The July Graduate Student of the Month is Jiyu Li and she is a student in the lab of Dr. Hong Sun.

The February Graduate Student of the Month is Susmita Bhattarai and she is a student in the lab of Dr. Manikandan Panchatcharam.

The September Graduate Student of the Month is Shashanka “Shank” Rao KM.  Shank works in the lab of Dr. David Krzywanski in the Department of Cellular Biology & Anatomy.  His dissertation project is titled, “The effect of mitochondrial antioxidant enzyme Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) on cardiovascular diseases”. 

Zaki Al Yafeai, Dr. Celeste Wu, Dr. Shafiul Alam and Alexandre Do Couto E Silva were recognized as American Heart Association Fellowship recipients.