2025 News Feed
Pennington Biomedical Researchers Available to Share Insights and Perspectives During National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
Recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September is designated as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month in the United States. At Pennington Biomedical Research Center, researchers explore a wide array of scientifically proven causes, treatments, and prevention programs to understand and address childhood obesity, including healthy food choices, environmental factors, and accessibility of parks and playgrounds.
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Pennington Biomedical Reflects on 20th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
As Louisiana reflects on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Pennington Biomedical Research Center is remembering the extraordinary efforts of its faculty, staff, and volunteers who mobilized in 2005 to support evacuees, provide lifesaving diabetes care, and ensure continuity for LSU Health Sciences Center students displaced by the storm.
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Pennington Biomedical Researchers Find Metabolic Health of Pregnant Women May Matter More than Weight Gain
Metabolic health before and during pregnancy may have a bigger influence on risks for mother and baby than simply controlling weight gain. Data from a recent paper by Pennington Biomedical researchers indicates that pregnant women with metabolically unhealthy obesity were more likely to develop gestational diabetes than those who were metabolically healthy. The paper, “Metabolic Health and Heterogenous Outcomes of Prenatal Interventions: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial,” was published in the Journal of American Medical Association.
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Pennington Biomedical Opens Advanced Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic
LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center has opened a new Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic in Baton Rouge. The clinic provides specialized care for patients managing diabetes and endocrine disorders, bringing world-class expertise to the region.
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Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman Named LPFA Endowed Chair
Pennington Biomedical Research Center's Leanne Redman, PhD, has been named as the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority (LPFA) Endowed Chair in Nutrition, a chair established through private donations matched by the Board of Regents Support Fund. Dr. Redman was appointed by Pennington Biomedical leadership, with the appointment approved by the Louisiana Board of Regents in April 2025. Her appointment to this esteemed honor follows the reversion of the award from an Endowed Postdoctoral Fellowship back to an Endowed Chair.
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Pennington Biomedical’s Annual Men’s Health Summit Scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 23
Registration is now open for the 2025 Pennington Biomedical Men’s Health Summit, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 23. Presented by Our Lady of the Lake Health and hosted by Pennington Biomedical Research Center and the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, the free summit is available to all men over the age of 18. The summit welcomes men from across the Capital Region to learn more about their health, and it will featuring a wide variety of complimentary health screenings and informational sessions. Additionally, the CORE UFC Gym will host a UFC and self-defense demonstration, and the Baton Rouge Corvette Club will be on-site for a showcase of classic sports cars.
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Pennington Biomedical Celebrates Growth, Global Recognition at Annual Meeting
On Friday, Aug. 1, Pennington Biomedical Research Center brought together its faculty, staff, and leadership for its annual Center-wide meeting, where Executive Director Dr. John Kirwan delivered a forward-looking address underscoring the institution’s momentum, resilience, and global leadership in metabolic research.
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Answer ALS Launches AI Drug Development Collaboration with Tulane, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and GATC Health to Advance ALS Treatment Discovery
Answer ALS is proud to announce the launch of a groundbreaking collaborative initiative aimed at accelerating AI-powered drug discovery for ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. This effort, known as the Louisiana AI Drug Development Infrastructure for ALS (LADDIA), brings together leading institutions and innovators, including Tulane University, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and GATC Health - a tech-bio innovator using validated AI models to accelerate drug discovery from large-scale multiomics data-, to harness the power of artificial intelligence and one of the largest ALS datasets in the world.
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Pennington Biomedical Q&A: Dr. Kara Denstel
Dr. Kara Denstel is leading the Pennington Generation study, which is designed to capture a clear picture of the health of Louisiana families, specifically physical activity, sleep quality, eating habits and more. Dr. Denstel recently participated in a Pennington Biomedical Q&A to elaborate on the Pennington Generation study, how she got involved, and what she and colleagues hope to learn from the collected data.
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Tirzepatide Reduces Food Intake and Appetite, and Affects Brain Functioning, more than a Placebo and Liraglutide
Researchers found that tirzepatide, a medication primarily used for treating type 2 diabetes and weight loss, reduced body weight, food intake and many measures of appetite more than placebo and liraglutide. These results were recently published in Nature Medicine in the study titled “Tirzepatide on ingestive behavior in adults with overweight or obesity: a randomized 6-week phase 1 trial.”
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