LSU Health Shreveport Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology

These are some of physiology students playing pickle ball on the basketball court, at the new medical education building. Anyone that may be interested in joining them for a fun social gathering, are welcome to participate. They meet every Thursday evening to play.

Congratulations to Dr. Ana Maria Dragoi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. Dr. Dragoi was recently recognized at the 2024 National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE) Conference in Washington DC. Dr. Dragoi received a Scientific Merit Award for her presentation titled: "Interaction of human macrophages with Neisseria gonorrhoeae".

In May 2024, Rajan Pandit (grad student), Dhananjay Kumar (postdoctoral fellow), Dr. Yurdagul and other members of Physiology Department, had the pleasure to travel to Chicago, IL to attend the Vascular Discovery Conference sponsored by American Heart Association. "Dysregulated Cellular Metabolism in Atherosclerosis: Mediators and Therapeutic Opportunities" which was published in Nature Metabolism.

Heres a photo of the trip, Yurdagul lab, Rom lab, Orr lab, and friends dining at Flat Top Grill in Chicago.

LSU Health Shreveport is now a participant in the American Heart Association Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences Program (AHA SURE). Dr. Karen Stokes, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Assistant Director of Scientific Excellence for the Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences (CCDS), oversaw the application process and the institution was selected to participate. The SURE Program is an 8-week summer research opportunity for underrepresented undergraduate students in cardiovascular research labs. Four students will participate in the program which will begin on June 10th at the LSU Health Shreveport campus. Participants will learn about conducting hands-on cardiovascular research, career development and responsible conduct of research. The SURE students will also have an opportunity to attend an Annual Scientific Sessions Conference.

Congratulations to Dr. Ana-Maria Dragoi, Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. Dr. Dragoi has been awarded a 5-year grant for $1,788,500.00 from The National Institute of Allergy and Inflectious Diseases. The project title is, “Mechanism of macrophages colonization in gonorrhea”. Great job Dr. Dragoi!!

Congratulations Brenna!

Congratulations Dr. Aishwarya!

Congratulation Dr. Aishwarya for being chosen as our featured postdoc of the month. Stay tuned as we learn more about her work and interests.

Congratulations to Analilia Cardenas Garza! Ms. Garza received first place in the Junior Researcher Poster Presentation category at the Graduate Research Day Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 3rd. Ms. Garza is a Graduate Assistant in the Cruz Laboratory.

It's Graduate Research Day at LSU Health Shreveport! Today we are recognizing the incredible research conducted by our graduate students. Congratulations to all of our students!

Congratulations to Dr. Steve Alexander. He was recently awarded grants from the National Science Foundation and the Public University Partnership Program (PUPP) Louisiana Department of Health.

Congratulations Dr. Kevil!

Dr. Chris Kevil, Vice Chancellor for Research at LSU Health Shreveport, has been named an AAAS Fellow by the AAAS - The American Association for the Advancement of Science! Dr. Kevil is the second faculty member in our institution’s history to be elected as an AAAS Fellow, one of the highest distinctions within the scientific community. This program honors scientists, engineers, and innovators whose efforts are scientifically or socially distinguished. Dr. Kevil was elected for his distinguished contributions to the field of redox biology and cardiovascular disease, particularly with nitric oxide and hydrogen sulfide regulation of oxidative stress.

Congratulations to Dr. Kevil on this outstanding and well-deserved accomplishment! The LSU Health Shreveport family is proud of your extraordinary contributions and continued work to advance science.

Read the full announcement and learn more about this prestigious honor here: https://engage.aaas.org/3VP0OZs

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology was thrilled to kick off Graduate Student Appreciation Week this morning by hosting breakfast. Physiology Graduate Assistants Luisa Delgadillo, Analilia Garza and Zithlaly Amezquita are pictured.

It's Match Day! Congratulations to Luke White. He will be performing his residency at LSU Health Shreveport in Internal Medicine.

It is with much sadness we share the news of the passing of Patsy Carter. Patsy worked in the department for many years, and although she retired several years ago, she will be greatly missed.

Patsy Carter Obituary - Shreveport, LA Celebrate the life of Patsy Carter, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Centuries Memorial Funeral Home & Park.

The staff and graduate assistants in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology regularly volunteer for different community events sponsored by LSU Health Shreveport and organizations such as the American Heart Association. Recently, several members of the department joined others at IDEAS Day 2024, the Interactive Day of Education and Awareness of Science (IDEAS, a free event organized by the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine Science Matters Club. The annual event focuses on sharing science with local youth.

Pictured: Zithlaly Amequita, Tashawna Esmond, Megan Butler, Ahmed Alhaque and Dr. Randa Eshaq.

Gracie Gotberg, Research Associate in the Stokes Laboratory, recently volunteered at IDEAS Day 2024. The Interactive Day of Education and Awareness of Science (IDEAS) is a free event organized by the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine Science Matters Club to share the wonders of science. This year, over 300 school-aged children from the community attended the event.

Several Graduate Assistants and Post-Docs represented the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at the Malcolm Feist Cardiovascular Research Symposium on Monday, February 5th.

Physiology Trainees Recognized in CCDS Poster Session

The Malcom Feist Cardiovascular Research Symposium was held at LSU Health Shreveport on February 5th. Physiology Graduate Assistants swept the awards in the Pre-Doc Poster Awards.

Megan Butler (Stokes Lab) - First Place
Ali Cruz Marquez (Orr Lab) - Second Place
Brenna Pearson-Gallion (Orr Lab) - Third Place

Congratulations to all!

Pictured from
Megan Butler (Left)
Ali Cruz Marquez (Top Right)
Brenna Pearson-Gallion (Bottom Right)

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology urges trainees to develop collaborative relationships with fellow scientists. Analilia Cardenas Garza, graduate student in the Cruz lab, recently had the opportunity to visit the Mario Delmar lab at NYU Langone Health. Ms. Garza was able to learn more about cardiomyocyte isolation techniques for her research project.

We're kicking off 2024 in a relaxed state of mind. A Meditation Room is available in the sparkling new Center for Medical Education building, and is the perfect spot to relax and prepare for the new year.

Congratulations to Tashawna Esmond. Tashawna is the December Graduate Student of the Month and is a Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Dr. Karen Stokes. Tashawna is a Multidisciplinary Training in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology Predoctoral Fellow.

Congratulations to Naznin Sultana Rimi! She has been awarded an American Heart Association (AHA) Predoctoral Fellowship Award. This national grant will fund her Ph.D. project for two years. Naznin is a Graduate Assistant in the Bhuiyan Lab.

The Yurdagul Lab is showing their holiday spirit!

Pictured: Dr. Dhananjay Kumar and Theresea-Anne Governale.

A Great Day for LSU Health Shreveport!

Congratulations to Shripa Amatya! Shripa completed her public defense of her dissertation this week!

Congratulations to Megan Butler, Graduate Assistant in the Stokes Lab! Megan received second place (tie) in the Graduate Poster Category at the 6th Annual BRAID Day event held on Friday, November 3rd.

Dr. Alexander Awarded Grant

Dr. Steve Alexander, Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, has been awarded a grant from the Louisiana Department of Health. The project is "Impact-IBD" (Improving Cost-Control and Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease), and Dr. Alexander is a Co-Principal Investigator. Congratulations Dr. Alexander!

Physiology Staff/Students Participate in Health Health Day

The third annual Heart Health Day was held on October 14th at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport. Dr. Randa Eshaq, Post-doctoral fellow, and Zithlaly Amezquita, Graduate Assistant, in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Physiology each volunteered for the event.

Heart Health Day provides free cardiovascular health screenings and heart health education to the community.

Pictured below: Dr. Randa Eshaq (left in first photo) and Zithlaly Amezquita is pictured in the second photo.

Dr. Changwon Park is one of the Principal Investigators (PI) on a grant recently awarded for a collaborative project with researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Kyunghee Choi, Washington University, is the contact PI. The grant is entitled, “Myct1 control of the angioimmune interface”, and is administered by the National Cancer Institute.

According to Dr. Park, “The overall goal of the NIH R01 award is to investigate the mechanisms by which Myct1 (Myc target 1) regulates angiogenesis and tumor immunity and develop novel therapeutic options for treating cancer or diseases related with pathologic angiogenesis.”

The RO1 (Research Project Grant) is a funding mechanism of the NIH (National Institute of Health) that provides support for health-related research and development. Congratulations Dr. Park!

The Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology hosted a breakfast in honor of National Post-Doctoral Appreciation Week on September 18th. The event highlighted the tireless work Post-Docs perform daily to support the ongoing research projects at LSU Health Shreveport.