Health

LSU alumni make up 2 of every 3 Louisiana physicians, dentists, and veterinarians. With two health sciences centers in New Orleans and Shreveport and a research center dedicated to biomedical research—Pennington Biomedical—working alongside our Flagship and other campuses throughout the state, LSU is in the business of saving and improving lives and tackling our biggest health challenges, such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes.

AI-generated art of molecular speed-dating

Research Team Builds AI Cancer Drug Discovery Engine

An interdisciplinary LSU research team is using artificial intelligence, or AI, to discover personalized cures for cancer more quickly and affordably.

AI-generated art of a woman leaning through a smartphone screen

AI Smartphone App Helps Mentally Ill, Families, Caregivers

Through a partnership with Capital Area Human Services District, one of Louisiana’s largest behavioral health providers, LSU leverages AI technology to catch early warning signs of serious mental illness and improve treatment.

AI-generated art of an alien-looking person surrounded by food

LSU Health New Orleans, PBRC Use AI to Unlock a Person’s Ideal Diet

LSU Health New Orleans and LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center have partnered to leverage new technologies, including artificial intelligence, or AI, in the fight against diet-related disease and health disparities in Louisiana through the Nutrition for Precision Health study.

AI-generated art of a robot looking into a brain

LSU Health Shreveport, LSUS Use AI to Treat Cavernous Malformations

Medical doctors are collaborating with computer scientists to improve care for patients with cavernous malformations, some of the most difficult-to-treat tumors in the head and spine.

AI-generated art of a female silhouette

Amazon Taps LSU to Fight Obesity, Diabetes Using Smartphones and AI

Dr. Steven Heymsfield at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical is Louisiana’s only Amazon Scholar and one of the leading experts on body composition assessment in the world. He’s now collaborating with Amazon on improving their Halo Body health and wellness tracker.

Cherice Harrison-Nelson

LSU Health New Orleans Supports Musicians and Artists

Meet Cherice Harrison-Nelson, Queen of the Guardians of the Flame Maroon Society and breast cancer survivor.

Ja'Corey Thomas

Caring in the Extreme: Personalized Care for Northwest Louisiana

LSU Health Shreveport improves care through biomechanical research.

Memory game

Fighting COVID-19 with LSU-Developed Artificial Intelligence

Not unlike a memory game, artificial intelligence operates by recognizing patterns faster and better than most humans. The LSU DeepDrug team built artificial intelligence to discover new drugs more quickly, including treatments for COVID-19.

Drs. Bud and Catherine O’Neal

New Colors, Same Stripes: From LSU Purple and Gold to Our Lady of the Lake Blue

Dr. Hollis “Bud” O’Neal is the medical director of research at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge and an LSU Health New Orleans alumnus.

Spray-on skin technology

Spray-on Skin Lowers Louisiana Mortality Rates from Burns

Dr. Jeffrey Carter, associate professor of surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has spent over a decade developing a new technology for burn and wound care, known as spray-on skin.

Human organ in a bryostatin solution

Transforming an Invasive Marine Species into a Life-saving Solution for Organ Transplantation

Bryostatin, sourced from an invasive brown bryozoan that is often mistaken for seaweed, could be the key to more viable organs for transplant—LSU Health Shreveport is collaborating with Ochsner in New Orleans to find out.

Human performance evaluation

LSUS Human Performance Lab Boosts Biotech Innovation in Northwest Louisiana

On what used to be six racquetball courts, there are now three top-notch research labs dedicated to the study of human movement at LSU Shreveport (LSUS)—an exercise science lab, a motion analysis lab, and a motor behavior lab—collectively known as the Human Performance Lab.

Exercise in a pill

“Exercise-in-a-pill” Could Get Louisiana Into Shape

What if there was a pill you could take each day that would prevent your blood sugar from going up and the fat you eat from being stored in your body? LSU PBRC researchers say it’s possible.

Citizen health and Army health

LSU PBRC Whole-health App Supports Soldiers—and Everyone

By leveraging technology, LSU PBRC researchers are putting science in the hands of soldiers and their families—and everyone.

Human phantom, sagittal view

Having Our Own Medical Avatar Could Transform Cancer Care and Space Travel

LSU medical physics graduate student Megan Chesal develops human phantoms, computational 3D replicas of entire bodies for medical research.