P&F Winners

2025-2026 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Hannah Cabre
Elucidating the Specific Effects of Estrogen on Skeletal Muscle Integrity During Menopause (ESTEEM)

Sora Kim
The Impact of Obesity on Central Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF21) Signaling

Hongyan Sun
How Obesity Influences Autoimmune Events Leading to Type 1 Diabetes

2024-2025 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Stephanie Compton
Feasibility and accuracy of D3-creatine in cancer cachexia compared with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry

Vance Albaugh
In Vivo Identification of Intestinal Nutrient Sensitive Brain Regions in Human Health and Obesity

Elizabeth Zunica
The role of hepatic uncoupling protein 2 in metabolic dysfunction-associated hepatocellular carcinoma

Clovis Palmer
Controlling Diabetes by Modulating Immune Cell Metabolism

2023-2024 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Steve Hennigar
Mediating effects of hepcidin on increased rates of iron deficiency and anemia during prolonged caloric restriction

Redin A. Spann
Neurodevelopment of hindbrain metabolic circuits in a mouse model of intrauterine growth restriction

Joshua Sparks
A Pilot Study to Examine Metabolic Flexibility as the Mechanism to Understand High-Fat Diet-Induced alterations to male Epigenetic Markers of Obesity

2022-2023 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Carrie Elks
Functions of ‘Creeping Fat’ in Crohn’s Disease

Fatima Rivas
Synthesis of prenylated coumaric derived natural products as anti-diabetic agents

Avinash Kumar
Investigating the Role of Particulate Matter Containing Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals in the Pathogenesis of Type 2 Diabetes

2021-2022 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Susan Burke
Defining the role of CD36 in the regulation of pancreatic β-cell function

Emily Flanagan
An Examination of Brown Adipose Tissue and Energy Expenditure in Infants

Rebecca Solch
Characterization of a gut microbiota-centered model of mild cognitive impairment

Special 2020-2021 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Tim Allerton
The Effect of Altered Nitric Oxide Bioavailability on the Interaction of Obesity and Alzheimer’s Disease

Kara Marlatt
Physical Activity and Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Novel Role for GPLD1?

Kathryn Gwizdala
Food Intake and Intra-Nasal Insulin for African-American Adults

2020-2021 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Prachi Singh
Metabolic effects of metformin therapy in obstructive sleep apnea

Yanlin He
Asprosin activates AgRP neurons through SK3 ion channel via sigma-1 receptor

Special 2019-2020 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Kara Marlatt
The effect of sleep restriction on adipose tissue and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity

Nicole Fearnbach
Race differences in post-exercise energy expenditure and substrate oxidation in adolescent girls

2019-2020 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Susan Burke
Does inhibition of Cpt1 activity in pancreatic cells enhance insulin secretion?

Cristal M. Hill
Dietary protein restriction impacts metabolic health in middle-aged mice

2018-2019 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Emily Qualls-Creekmore
Identification of molecular modulators of stress and feeding in the lateral hypothalamus

Flavia Souza
Mesenteric Lymphatic Vessel Leak and Metabolic Dysregulation

Nicole Fearnbach
Validity and Reliability of the Activity Preference Assessment: A Shape Up Kids Ancillary

Special PBRC/LSU HSC-NO Cancer P&F 2017-2018 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Anne Gilmore
Differential tissue effects of fasting and ketosis in patients endometrial and breast with cancer

Maria Sanchez-Pino
Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and Chronic Inflammation in the Development of Liver Cancer

2017-2018 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Matthew Calamia
Apathy, unintentional weight loss, and cognitive decline late in life

Sangho Yu
Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 16 in cold-adaptive responses

Nick Broskey
The effect of physical activity on in vivo and in vitro mitochondrial capacity in pregnant women.

Ursula White
Establishment of the 2H-labeling Protocol to assess in vivo adipose tissue dynamics at PBRC

Jaycob Warfel
Transcriptome Changes in Skeletal Muscle During HuR Inhibition

Special 2016 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardee

Owen Carmichael
Effect of carnitine supplementation on liver mitochondria fatty acid processing

2015-2016 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Jason Collier
Regulation of Pancreatic Islate ß-cell Growth and Function by the IL-1 Receptor

Carrie Elks
Effects of adipocyte STAT5 deletion on mammary fat pad morphology and mammary gland development and function

2014-2015 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

John Apolzan
Effects of varied macronutrient composition on weight loss in obese adolescents

Sangho Yu
Gene profiling of neurons activated by temperature change

Henry Nuss
Breastfeeding duration & pro-inflammatory biomarkers obesity

2013-2014 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Robert Noland
Defining the importance of skeletal muscle peroxisomal function in regulating insulin resistance

Shawna Wicks
Identifying anti-obesiogenic myokines in a muscle-specific Cpt1b deficiency model

Stefany Primeaux
Role of hypothalamic QRFP on energy regulation in female rats.

The 2012-2013 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

David McDougal
Nutrient Detection in the Hindbrain

Krisztian Stadler
Mitochondrial lipid overload, renal pathology & oxidative stress in a podocyte specific Cre/Lox mouse model

Anthony Civitarese
RNF20, a new mediator of bioenergetics and transcription in mammals

Robert Dubin
Interventinos for Obesity and the Gastroint estinal Microbiota

2011-2012 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

David McDougal
The Role of Brainstem Astrocytes in the Autonomic Response to Hypoglycemia

Heike Muenzber-Gruening
Leptin and Central Control of Thermoregulation

Krisztian Staddler
Impact of diet restriction on kidney mitochondrial energy balance in obesity.

Shawna Wicks
Novel Role of the Carnitine Shuttle to Control Protein Acetylation and Activity

Eric Plaisance
Effects of GCN2 Kinase on Lipogenic Gene Expression Following Methionine Restriction

Dejiang Feng
Role of Mitochondrial de novo fatty acid synthesis in animal lipid metabolism

2010-2011 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Darcy Johannsen
Metabolic traits of adult sib-pairs discordant for intrauterine diabetes exposure

Ji-Suk Chang
Function of mitochondrial NT - PBC-1a mitochondrial DNA transcription

2009-2010 NORC Pilot & Feasibility Awardees

Bolormaa Vandanmagsar
Endothelial-mesenchymal transition, adipocyte lineage and obesity

Rea Anunciado-Koza
Determine the effects of targeted inactivation of Slc25a25 on energy metabolism in vitro by comprehensive bioenergetic profiling of mouse embryonic

Michael Salbaum
Embryonic epigenetics in diabetic and obese pregnancies

Mingguan Zheng
The role of Vitamin D in Th2 and Th17 related asthma