Oilman and philanthropist C.B. "Doc" Pennington conceived the Center's vision. His $125 million gift to Louisiana State University in 1980 provided the resources to put the design in motion.

C.B. "Doc" Pennington's dream is now pursued in a 403,000 square-foot core research complex.

Opened in 1988, the Pennington Center now houses eight Basic Research laboratories, three Clinical Research Units, nineteen Core Service laboratories, inpatient and outpatient clinics, a research kitchen, an administrative area, and more than $20 million in technologically advanced equipment.

The Center was expanded in 1993 to include the C.B. Pennington Jr. Conference Center, now the C.B. Pennington Jr. Building, residence apartments, and an exercise and fitness facility.

More than 80 faculty members and over 600 physicians, scientists, and support personnel focus their research efforts on six key areas: Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, Experimental Obesity, Functional Foods, Nutrition and Chronic Diseases, Health and Performance Enhancement, and Nutrition and the Brain.

The Pennington Center is led by Dr. Claude Bouchard, formerly of the Université Laval in Canada, who specializes in studies of the genetic and molecular basis of obesity.

The Center's funding is broad-based. The foundation is provided by an annual appropriation from the State of Louisiana. Additional funding is provided by grants and contracts from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Defense, and private sector organizations and companies.

The Pennington Medical Foundation and Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation are also major financial resources. The Pennington Medical Foundation is charged with administering the original donation and subsequent gifts from the C.B. Pennington family and establishing guidelines for investments and expenditures.

The Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation serves as a vehicle for gifts to the Center from individuals, corporations, and philanthropic organizations.

Perhaps the Center's most significant achievement is the team of scientists and physicians that has been assembled. These researchers represent such specialties as molecular biology, genomics and proteomics, neuroanatomy, exercise physiology, biochemistry, psychology, endocrinology, biostatistics and electrophysiology.