Pennington Biomedical Empowers People with Tools to Help Them Lead Healthier Lives
New Virtual Courses Highlight Health Discoveries, Research
For more information, contact: Ted Griggs, ted.griggs@pbrc.edu, 225-288-8840
July 6, 2021
BATON ROUGE – Why is it so hard to lose weight? How can a personalized treatment plan help you shed those extra pounds and keep them off?
You can find the answers to these health questions and others through Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s simple online courses. The free “classes” are available at https://www.pbrc.edu/training-and-education/community-health-resources/Research-Course-Library/.
“One of our goals is to solve the obesity crisis by 2040. To achieve that, we’ve got to put more of our science to work in our community, state and country and help provide the resources people need to lead healthy lives,” said Executive Director John Kirwan, PhD. “Our Division of Scientific Education created a library of short, easy-to-understand flashcard courses to bring our evidence-based research and health-related discoveries to everyone.”
The flashcard courses mark a first for Pennington Biomedical but continue the research center's longstanding mission to find the causes of and the solutions to chronic diseases.
The first course is based on the Promoting Successful Weight Loss in Primary Care in Louisiana (PROPEL) study. Health coaches and doctors set up treatment plans tailored to participants and their community culture and resources. The plans helped participants establish the skills needed for long-term weight-loss success, such as healthy eating habits.
The second course explains how a new drug called BAM15 could be a promising new treatment for obesity. BAM15 helps make mitochondria, the power plants of the cell, burn more energy. Although the drug has not been tested in people, the Pennington Biomedical course says there are other ways to get your mitochondria to burn more calories: by eating healthy, moving more, limiting nighttime snacks, and managing stress.
Casie Lindsly, PhD, Research Scientist – Education Programs, and author of the courses, said the Division of Scientific Education plans to expand the library by adding a course every two months or so. You can check the Research Course Library to find the latest courses.
“We are excited about these courses as they provide a new and fun way to share our scientific discoveries with the community,” Dr. Lindsly said.
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About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
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. The Center conducts basic, clinical, and population research and architected the “Obecity, USA” awareness and advocacy campaign to help solve the obesity epidemic by 2040. The Center is affiliated with Louisiana State University. The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 450 employees within a network of 40 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical is located in state-of-the-art research facilities on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more information, see http://www.pbrc.edu.
