2025 was a Year of Success for Pennington Biomedical, filled with Scientific Discoveries, Impactful New Collaborations and Strategic New Hires

December 23, 2025 · Baton Rouge, LA

Efforts taken by Pennington Biomedical researchers and leaders place the Center on course of further advancements in 2026

Since the early days of January through December, the research scientists, faculty, staff and leadership of Pennington Biomedical Research Center helped make this year one of the most impactful in the Center’s near 40-year history. From its 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge, Pennington Biomedical is working on cutting-edge research to fight chronic disease, along with sharing its insights and influence on a global stage and fostering new collaborations to advance both the Center and the field of metabolic health.

“2025 was filled with impressive accomplishments, and I could not be prouder of our researchers, scientists, and supporting staff”, said Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director of Pennington Biomedical. “As a global leader in obesity, metabolic health, and nutrition research, Pennington Biomedical is uniquely positioned to advance understanding of today's most pressing health challenges – from GLP-1 weight loss drugs to Alzheimer's disease to cancer. This year brought groundbreaking discoveries, world-class speakers, and community engagement that extended our impact across Louisiana and around the world.”

In a year of federal funding challenges, researchers secured a total of 50 new awards, including several multimillion-dollar studies in obesity, metabolism, theranostics and pediatric health. The Center successfully renegotiated or reinstated multiple federal grants, preserving program continuity. Current active funding from federal sources exceeded $55 million in 2025.

In addition to funding successes, the scientific impact of the Center was in the global Lancet Commission, which featured input from 56 researchers from around the world, including three Pennington Biomedical faculty members – Dr. Eric Ravussin, Dr. Philip Schauer and Dr. John Kirwan. The commission introduced two new diagnostic categories for obesity based on objective measures of illness at the individual level; “clinical obesity” – a chronic disease associated with ongoing organ dysfunction due to obesity alone, and “pre-clinical obesity,” which is associated with a variable level of health risk, but no ongoing illness. Pennington Biomedical served as the North American satellite hub for the worldwide announcement. Additional landmark publications from Pennington Biomedical faculty were published in leading research journals, such as Nature Medicine, Cell Metabolism, and the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 

In the vein of published work, several faculty members were recognized among the world’s most highly cited researchers, solidifying the Center’s global standing: Dr. Steven Heymsfield, Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, Dr. Eric Ravussin and Dr. Donna Ryan. These recognitions were among many additional awards and accolades presented to faculty, such as a $150,000 Fellowship from the American Heart Association for Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Kaja Falkenhain, and a $250,000 award for Dr. Yun Shen from LSU and Our Lady of the Lake Health’s Collaboration in Action Program, which will support research into using AI to explore hypertension management in Type 2 diabetes care. 

Additionally, Dr. Steven Heymsfield received LSU’s highest faculty honor, as he was designated as an LSU Boyd Professor. Dr. Catherine Champagne was named an Excellence in Nutrition Fellow, and Dr. Leanne Redman received the McCollum Award, both from the American Society of Nutrition.

Pennington Biomedical welcomed new additions to its faculty in 2025. Dr. Stefan Pasiakos joined the Center in May 2025 to lead the Center for Human Performance Optimization. Physician and Nuclear Oncologist Dr. Adithya Hari joined Pennington Biomedical, adding to its strategic expansion of the Cancer Metabolism program. After five years as a postdoctoral fellow in the Reproductive Endocrinology and Women’s Health, Dr. Emily Flanagan also joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor in May. Dr. Timothy Gilbert also joined the Center this year and serves as the director for the newly launched Advanced Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic at Pennington Biomedical. 

“Pennington Biomedical has quickly become my home, and I am immensely proud to work alongside these esteemed researchers to address the pressing health challenges of the day,” said Dr. Gilbert. “The Advanced Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic represents how our nearly four decades of research lead to tangible results for our Baton Rouge neighbors.”

These faculty were among the 38 new research hires who joined the Center, bolstering programs across the basic, clinical and population science divisions. The Scientific Education division supported 36 postdoctoral researchers, and hosted several symposia and training programs, including the NIDDK Methods Course, all intended to support and prepare the next generation of research scientists. 

The Center welcomed a funding renewal for its Metabolic Basis of Disease Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, or COBRE. The renewal of COBRE represents a $10.9 million investment from the National Institutes of Health over five years to expand the intellectual, scientific and technical infrastructure that supports the study of metabolic components of disease states. In October, Pennington Biomedical announced that the Louisiana Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes, or ECHO, would receive renewed federal funding of $13 million over five years to support its efforts to increase research into health issues facing children. 

Additionally, Pennington Biomedical opened its doors to the Greater Baton Rouge community and delivered its research discoveries to communities across Louisiana. Annual events, including the Senior Black American Health Fair, the Wellness Day for Women, and the Men’s Health Summit, all saw record attendance this year. Greaux Healthy, the public service initiative developed in partnership with the State of Louisiana, officially launched its Road Sheauxs to engage with communities and showcase the available resources developed to help prevent and treat childhood obesity. The Greaux Healthy team was also instrumental in bringing back Pennington Biomedical’s popular Childhood Obesity Conference in October. 

“Together, we've built a world-class research enterprise”, said Dr. Kirwan. “From publishing in prestigious journals, leading major clinical trials, training the next generation of scientists, and establishing partnerships around the globe, this year was a testament to the strength and promise of Pennington Biomedical. Even in the face of challenges, we end 2025 stronger than we started and enter 2026 with well-founded optimism for what lies ahead.”