Scholarship first Agenda
Biomedical
Opportunity
Humanity faces a moment of both unprecedented adversity and opportunity: to keep people healthy and economies thriving, we must solve health-based challenges quickly and at scale. Within our home state of Louisiana, the linkage between health disparities and the broad prevalence of chronic health diseases poses a clear threat to the well-being of all Louisianans.
Importance
In Louisiana, declining health conditions touch all ages, levels of socioeconomic status, and communities – perpetuating a cycle of poor health and financial burden that impacts multiple generations of families. In Louisiana alone, we spend more (per capita) on healthcare than 41 other states, and yet we rank in the bottom 10% when it comes to overall health. Our people suffer disproportionately from cancer, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease—resulting in unbearable costs and the loss of life and livelihoods.
Vision
With eight institutions spanning Louisiana and all levels of higher education and research, LSU is well poised to help meet the challenge of improving the state's health outcomes head-on. Through discovery and innovation, talent development, and partnerships with local communities and industry stakeholders, LSU will:
- Bring together top talent and resources, ranging from clinical research to artificial intelligence, to improve health outcomes
- Pursue National Cancer Institute designation for the state of Louisiana
- Ensure that sustained, premier cancer care and research are accessible for every Louisianan close to home
Impact
Biomedical Research in Action
Five LSU researchers are included in Clarivate’s list of Highly Cited Researchers of 2025, having demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of research, based on citations of their published papers and expert judgement of their research impact.
LSU assistant professor and researcher Aaron Bivins' lab recently published results from its deployment of a low-cost passive wastewater sampler that uses small pellets of activated charcoal to capture microorganisms from water for testing.
Dr. Juhee Haam is an assistant professor in LSU’s Department of Biological Sciences, whose research focuses on understanding memory and identifying brain health factors critical to preserving memory. She says sleep quality is critical for memory formation and preservation.
Explore All Five Priorities
LSU has aligned core areas of strength and potential strength with Louisiana’s most important challenges and opportunities.