Health Notes is an occasional listing of health happenings around Louisiana. Have something you’d like to share? Contact us at margaret.delaney@theadvocate.com.
OLOL Children’s and LSU launch culinary medicine training for residents
Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Health is partnering with Louisiana State University’s School of Human Ecology to provide resident physicians with hands-on culinary medicine training to better counsel patients on nutrition and healthy eating.
The “Chefs-in-Training” session gives residents the opportunity to apply evidence-based dietary guidance, practice meal preparation and knife skills, and learn how to translate complex nutrition concepts into patient-friendly recommendations. Recipes and exercises focus on balance, portion control and practical, sustainable dietary strategies that residents can use when advising patients.
Tulane scholar elected to the National Academy of Medicine
Anita Raj, a globally recognized scholar whose research on gender, public health, violence prevention and numerous other areas ranks among the most widely cited in the world, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Anita Raj, executive director of the Newcomb Institute and the Nancy Reeves Dreux Endowed Chair and Professor of Public Health in the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Raj serves as the executive director of Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute and the Nancy Reeves Dreux Endowed Chair and Professor of Public Health in the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She has more than two decades of leadership in advancing research at the intersection of health, gender and global development.
Her work has shaped public health strategies around the world.
Election to the National Academy of Medicine honors individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and a commitment to service. New members are elected by current members through a highly selective process that acknowledges those who have made major contributions to advancing medical science, health care and public health.
Ochsner launches genetic wellness assessment
The Genetic Wellness Assessment, announced by Ochsner Baton Rouge, is a screening tool that allows individuals to determine whether they may have a higher genetic risk of developing cancer by answering a few simple questions that evaluate individual risk factors. Those identified as having a high risk, or anyone interested in further evaluation, can schedule an appointment to discuss genetic testing.
The results of genetic testing are used by health care providers to offer personalized recommendations for cancer screening, prevention and further evaluation for patients and family members.
The Genetic Wellness Assessment is now available for adults interested in learning more about their cancer risk at Ochsner.org/GeneticWellnessSurvey.
LSU Health professor, doctor and neuroscientist, releases new book on brain aging
World-renowned neuroscientist and director of LSU Health New Orleans’ Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Dr. Nicolas G. Bazan, has released his new book, “Brain Aging and Resilience: Exploring the Adaptability of the Human Brain in the Face of Aging and Adverse Conditions.”
Bazan’s book is now available as an eBook from Springer Nature. Hardcover and softcover editions are also available.
Dr. Nicolas Bazan poses in his office at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans on June 22, 2021.
In this new publication, Bazan explains how the human brain adapts and stays resilient as it ages or faces challenges such as disease or injury. Drawing on decades of groundbreaking research, he explores how brain cells communicate and support one another; and what happens when those systems begin to fail.
His earlier studies on epilepsy, for example, revealed how tiny structures in brain cells change during stress, offering new clues into how aging and diseases like Alzheimer’s affect the brain.
