LSU Health Shreveport Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Neuroscience

09/02/2026

We’d like to thank Mingtao Zhao, PhD, from The Ohio State University for visiting our department and presenting an insightful seminar on “Patient iPSC-Based NAM Platform for Modeling Congenital Heart Disease.”

Exposure to his expertise and research with our faculty, staff, and students supports innovative approaches to understanding and modeling congenital heart disease.

Thank you, Dr. Zhao, for spending time with us and sharing your work! We look forward to future opportunities to connect and collaborate.

08/14/2026

This past Saturday at the Raspberry Auditorium, Noel was one of the student speakers at her graduation ceremony. She's always ready for the cameras and the microphone! Congratulations once again, to Noel Jacquet

08/05/2026

For years, Noel has been a familiar face of our program—from her days as a BioStart student to becoming one of the most recognizable members of our department through our social media and campus highlights.

Now, after successfully defending her dissertation, she’s beginning an exciting new chapter as a Forensic Biologist in Dallas, Texas. The amount of support from her family, friends, and colleagues shadows her impactful presence.

We are incredibly proud of Noel’s accomplishments and wish her continued success in her future career goals.

Congratulations!

06/16/2026

Please join us in congratulating our department postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Min Hu, from Dr. Jiliang Zhou's laboratory, on being awarded the prestigious Victor McKusick Fellowship from the Marfan Foundation. Dr. Hu will receive $100,000 in support over two years, beginning July 1, 2026. Her fellowship project will investigate the novel role of the smooth muscle-specific long non-coding RNA CARMN in the pathogenesis of Marfan syndrome.

The Marfan Foundation is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and improving the quality of life for individuals affected by Marfan syndrome, Loeys-Dietz syndrome, vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and related genetic aortic and vascular conditions. Within the aortic disease and connective tissue disorder community, it is one of the world's leading patient advocacy and research funding organizations. Please see the link below for additional details.

https://marfan.org/

The Foundation's Victor McKusick Fellowship is internationally recognized and attracts outstanding applicants from around the globe. This highly competitive award supports only ONE postdoctoral fellow conducting basic research worldwide each year. This prestigious fellowship not only underscores the significance and translational potential of Dr. Hu's research but also elevates the visibility and prestige of LSUHS research program on the global stage.

We look forward to Dr. Hu's continued success and future contributions to cardiovascular biology research!

The Marfan Foundation helps people living with Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, VEDS, Stickler & related genetic aortic conditions to Know.Connect.Thrive.

06/05/2026

Greetings,
Our new faculty member, Dr. Gengyi Zou, has been selected as a recipient of the Gilead Sciences Research Scholars Program Award in Solid Tumors.

The Gilead Research Scholars Award is highly competitive and supports outstanding junior faculty conducting innovative cancer research. This year, only five investigators nationwide were selected from approximately 80 applicants to receive funding totaling $180,000 over two years. Please see the link below for additional details.

https://researchscholars.gilead.com/solid_tumors_us/alumni/alumni-by-year

This prestigious recognition highlights Dr. Zou's outstanding research accomplishments and growing national reputation in cancer research. We are proud to have Dr. Zou as a member of our faculty and look forward to her continued success.

Congratulations, Dr. Zou!

06/01/2026

Every accomplished career begins with humble beginnings. This month starts with a campus coat fitting and a campus photo, marking the beginning of new experiences that will lead to discoveries and growth.

We are excited to welcome Evan, Katelynn, and Jingwei, our new summer graduate students. We are honored to witness the start of your journey. The future is bright, and this is only the beginning.

05/20/2026

Research in action! Last Friday, our students presented their work during Graduate Research Day, sharing ideas, discoveries, and innovation through poster presentations and discussions. Swipe through to see some of the amazing research happening here!

See more via the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKzPXTYinWU

05/12/2026

Our department values opportunities that bring new perspectives and cutting-edge research to our learners and faculty by inviting Guest Speakers from all over the country. We were grateful to host Joseph Miano, PhD, Professor of Medicine of Augusta, GA, who shared insights on “Smooth Cre/ation of Vascular Disease Models”.

"Was happy to present some of our “smooth Cre/ation" mouse models, including the world’s most rapidly manifested coronary atherosclerosis mouse model." - Dr. Miano

05/11/2026

These joyful smiles reflect years of hard work sown that are now reaping a harvest of success. We are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of Nicole Hall, Bo Wood, and Frances Vest as they mark this important milestone alongside faculty mentors and department leadership. 👩‍🎓🥰🧑‍🎓

04/27/2026

Over the weekend, our students represented the Pharmacology dept. in a state-wide intramural soccer tournament, hosted by the LCIRSA. Teaming with 3 medical students and competing against LA Tech, Grambling & Northwestern within 4 games, they won 1st place in the tournament. Go PHARM!