LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center Executive Director Dr. Will Cefalu Named Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of the American Diabetes Association

For more information, contact our Media Relations Manager, Ted Griggs, 225-763-2862 or our Communications Director, Lisa Stansbury, at 225-763-2978. Our news email box is also available at news@pbrc.edu.

Released: Monday, January 09, 2017

Baton Rouge, LA – The American Diabetes Association (Association) announced today that William T. Cefalu, MD has been selected as the new Chief Scientific and Medical Officer. Cefalu, and LSU alumnus and Louisiana native, is currently executive director of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, a position he has held since 2013. Cefalu also holds the George A. Bray Endowed Super Chair in Nutrition.

From the press release issued today by the American Diabetes Association: “I am excited to join the Association in this notable role that can make a difference in the lives of the millions of people with diabetes and prediabetes—here in the U.S. and around the world,” said Cefalu. “Diabetes remains one of the world’s major chronic disease threats, and the Association has an incredible human responsibility to change the trajectory of the disease. As a Louisianian and a physician, I’ve seen diabetes impact my state firsthand. This new role is a tremendous opportunity for me to continue to significantly influence health, mortality and quality of life for so many, and I look forward to the challenges.” Read the full ADA release here: http://www.diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/2017/renowned-physician-educator-and-researcher-william-t-cefalu-md-named-csmo-of-the-ada.html

Statement from C. Kris Kirkpatrick, Chairman of the Board of the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation: “Congratulations to Dr. Cefalu on this prestigious new position. LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center has proven itself not only a vital Louisiana resource, but a national resource. It is a huge testament to the caliber of the research underway at Pennington Biomedical that one of our own has been asked to lead the fight against diabetes in such an important national and international role. Under Dr. Cefalu’s leadership, Pennington Biomedical has built its reputation as a world renowned nutrition research center. Along with the board of the Pennington Biomedical Foundation, I look forward to helping continue Pennington Biomedical’s forward momentum and growing trajectory as we search for and select a new executive director.”

###

The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. It is a campus of Louisiana State University and conducts basic, clinical and population research. The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes approximately 80 faculty and more than 25 post-doctoral fellows who comprise a network of 44 laboratories supported by lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and support personnel, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Pennington Biomedical's more than 500 employees perform research activities in state-of-the-art facilities on the 222-acre campus located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.