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Our Research Programs

Intense discovery work in  the basic, clinical and  population  health sciences that aims to solve the significant health problems of our times.

Our Faculty & Postdocs

Expert explorers  revealing the latest scientific  breakthrough; and those blazing futures trails in biomedical research.  

Core Services

These core services -- highly specialized teams and equipment - support a sophisticated research infrastructure.

Calculators 

 From weight loss predictors to BMI calculators for adults and children,  our tools help many study and improve metabolic health.

Current Research Trials

At the heart of all medical advances, research trials lead the way to new paths for prevention, detection or treatment of disease.  

About Research  Trials

Research trials are used to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. 

Find out more about how the trial process works, how volunteers are protected, and other national resources of interest for volunteers and scientists. 

Participant Stories

Research trial volunteers participate for many reasons; some to help others; others to move science forward.   Find out how they are leading our work to new discoveries. 

BMI Calculator

Knowing your BMI is an important first step in research trial participation. 

Resources for the community

Free nutrition information on topics such as health properties of certain foods and what exercise is best for children. 

Events 

Pennington Biomedical hosts events that bring scientific experts to the community on a variety of topics from the health benefits of plants to women's wellness and men's health. 

Recipes

Healthy eating can taste great too! Our metabolic kitchen has designed almost one hundred recipes that are good for you and taste great.  Developed in our professional kitchen by registered dieticians, they cover all the favorites from pasta , popcorn balls and popsicles to smoothies, sliders and soups. 

Resources for teachers 

Need presentations for a classroom or an event?  These lessons, developed by our subject matter experts, are available to anyone who  needs to share information that is  supported by trusted sources. 

Technology Transfer

At the forefront of translating science into solutions, technology transfer creates the bridge from the lab to the marketplace .

Facilities

Find out about our state of the art equipment  and services that are available to researchers around the world. 

Clinical Trial Volunteers

Our volunteers move science forward by participating in trials to test the safety and efficacy of new treatments, diagnostic services and pharmaceutical interventions

Interested in investing? 

The future of biomedical innovation begins in academic research facilities.  Find out more about patents, licensing and how you can become a partner.

I'm interested in...

Our Research Programs

Intense discovery work in  the basic, clinical and  population  health sciences that aims to solve the significant health problems of our times.

Our Faculty & Postdocs

Expert explorers  revealing the latest scientific  breakthrough; and those blazing futures trails in biomedical research.  

Core Services

These core services -- highly specialized teams and equipment - support a sophisticated research infrastructure.

Calculators 

 From weight loss predictors to BMI calculators for adults and children,  our tools help many study and improve metabolic health.

Current Research Trials

At the heart of all medical advances, research trials lead the way to new paths for prevention, detection or treatment of disease.  

About Research  Trials

Research trials are used to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe. 

Find out more about how the trial process works, how volunteers are protected, and other national resources of interest for volunteers and scientists. 

Participant Stories

Research trial volunteers participate for many reasons; some to help others; others to move science forward.   Find out how they are leading our work to new discoveries. 

BMI Calculator

Knowing your BMI is an important first step in research trial participation. 

Resources for the community

Free nutrition information on topics such as health properties of certain foods and what exercise is best for children. 

Events 

Pennington Biomedical hosts events that bring scientific experts to the community on a variety of topics from the health benefits of plants to women's wellness and men's health. 

Recipes

Healthy eating can taste great too! Our metabolic kitchen has designed almost one hundred recipes that are good for you and taste great.  Developed in our professional kitchen by registered dieticians, they cover all the favorites from pasta , popcorn balls and popsicles to smoothies, sliders and soups. 

Resources for teachers 

Need presentations for a classroom or an event?  These lessons, developed by our subject matter experts, are available to anyone who  needs to share information that is  supported by trusted sources. 

Technology Transfer

At the forefront of translating science into solutions, technology transfer creates the bridge from the lab to the marketplace .

Facilities

Find out about our state of the art equipment  and services that are available to researchers around the world. 

Clinical Trial Volunteers

Our volunteers move science forward by participating in trials to test the safety and efficacy of new treatments, diagnostic services and pharmaceutical interventions

Interested in investing? 

The future of biomedical innovation begins in academic research facilities.  Find out more about patents, licensing and how you can become a partner.

News

Dash Diet

DASH Diet Recognized as Best Heart-Healthy Diet, Ranks as Second-Best Diet Overall

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, Diet, developed in part by Pennington Biomedical Research Center scientists, has been recognized as the second-best diet overall and the best heart-healthy diet in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Diets Rankings.

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A medical researcher sitting and facing a computer monitor that has a generic depiction of medical records

Pennington Biomedical Researchers Assemble Comprehensive History of Electronic Health Records and their Role in Medical Research

Dr. Yun Shen and Dr. Gang Hu of Pennington Biomedical Research Center have recently published a piece in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, or JMIR. The study titled “Twenty-Five Years of Evolution and Hurdles in Electronic Health Records and Interoperability in Medical Research: Comprehensive Review,” explores how electronic health records’ use in medical research has evolved over the past 25 years. Dr. Shen and Dr. Hu have extensive experience in working with electronic health records to study chronic diseases, population health trends, and predictive analytics.

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Dr. Kaja Falkenhain standing in the atrium of Pennington Biomedical's Basic Sciences Building. Next to her, words that read

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Kaja Falkenhain Awarded Postdoctoral Fellowship from the American Heart Association

Dr. Kaja Falkenhain, postdoctoral researcher at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association. The fellowship comes with a grant of over $150,000 to be used over two years to support Dr. Falkenhain's research project, titled “Craving Control: Rewiring the Reward Circuitry of the Human Brain in the Modern Food Environment,” which will study the brain’s reward circuitry and ingestive behavior at the intersection of obesity medication and modern food environment.

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The words

Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation’s Annual Fundraiser ‘The Answer’ Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, the fundraising support partner for Pennington Biomedical Research Center, is hosting its annual signature fundraising event “The Answer” on Friday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. at the C.B. Pennington Conference Center on the campus of Pennington Biomedical. To celebrate The Answer’s 10th anniversary of generating support for the research center’s biomedical breakthroughs, the night’s theme will be “Decades of Discovery.”

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About Us

Pennington Biomedical Research Center, a campus of Louisiana State University, is a world-renowned leader at the forefront of medical discoveries related to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia.  Our scientists conduct basic, clinical and population health research with the vision of leading the world in promoting metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society.  

Key Facts

World's largest academic nutrition research center

Helped create DASH diet, a top ranked diet in the US

250 worldwide collaborators, representing 24 countries

US Military Nutrition Research Leader

 

Centers & Institutes

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