Pennington Biomedical Research Center Names New Director of Allen A. Copping In-Patient Research Unit

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Director Will Also Hold the Inaugural Fairfax Foster Bailey Endowed Chair in Heart Disease Prevention
Released: Wednesday, August 20, 2014

BATON ROUGE, LA – Dr. Kishore Gadde, MD has been named medical director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s Allen A. Copping In-Patient Medical Unit, demonstrating a continued focus on improving community health through the prevention and treatment of chronic disease.

Dr. Gadde is a national leader in the field of obesity management and its co-morbidities. His addition to the Pennington Biomedical team is an investment in clinical infrastructure aimed at enhancing related research activities and expanding community health outreach efforts.

“Pennington Biomedical is world-renowned for its research on the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and Dr. Gadde’s interests and wealth of experience will be an asset,” said William T. Cefalu, MD, executive director of Pennington Biomedical. “Investing in his substantial research acumen allows us to expand our base of exploration and increase our capacity to put science to work for a healthier Louisiana.”

Dr. Gadde holds the title of professor and has also been appointed as the inaugural Fairfax Foster Bailey Endowed Chair in Heart Disease Prevention. Mrs. Fairfax Foster Bailey passed away in 1984 from heart disease. The Chair was made possible by a generous gift in memory of their mother from Jim Bailey and his wife Laura, Virginia Bailey Noland and her husband John, and the late P. Foster Bailey.  Matching funds for the Chair were provided through the Louisiana Board of Regents Eminent Scholars Program. Additional philanthropic support to assist in expanding the team of clinician scientists was provided by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation. 

“Pennington Biomedical is committed to combating some of the biggest health challenges of our time. Their research leadership in obesity, diabetes, and nutrition – just to name a few areas – is regarded around the world. I am honored to join such a robust institution,” said Dr. Gadde.

At Pennington Biomedical, Dr. Gadde will work to develop and implement several initiatives including a clinical obesity and wellness program. His know-how will allow for increased clinical trial activities which will benefit the Center and the health of the community. In addition to leading his own clinical research program, he will provide complementary medical capacity to Pennington Biomedical’s team of basic scientists who are interested in moving their research findings from the bench to human use.

Dr. Gadde brings more than 20 years of experience in the field of obesity management and its related diseases. His focus has been on developing new medications to treat these problems. He was the first to test the drugs bupropion and zonisamide – and later a combination of the two – to treat obesity.

His work has been published in many of the field’s most impressive journals, and he holds ten patents in the US and internationally. Notably, he was the lead investigator of the phase II and III trials of phentermine and topiramate combination therapy – a treatment now approved for weight loss.

Dr. Gadde comes to Pennington Biomedical from Duke University, where he served as Associate Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry.

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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.