Presentation at March 11, 2013 Research and Discovery Sub-Committee Meeting

1. Key Research Assets and Areas of Strength
School of Public Health
• Cancer Research
• Obesity, tobacco, alcohol & other modifiable
risk factors
• Environment & Health
• Disparities Reduction
W o m e n & T h e i r
WaTCH Study
C h i l d r e n H e a l t h S t u d y

2. 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)

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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)

7. 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”

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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 $ 411,233
Grants & 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

12. ESSENTIAL
Mission 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.