Feature Story
LSU Researcher Discovers Great Things

At its June 2026 meeting, the Board of Trustees of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) approved the merger of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) and LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) as branch campuses of Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. The merger became effective on August 1, 2026, formally recognizing the newly organized institution as Louisiana's flagship university and a unified research enterprise.

LSU has named Joseph P. Messina as its next senior vice chancellor and provost, following an extensive national search. Messina will begin his role Aug. 3, 2026, pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors.

From storm surge forecasting and near-instant flood prediction to coastal restoration and advanced weather monitoring, LSU research helps Louisiana prepare for, withstand, and recover from hurricanes and flooding—protecting lives, infrastructure, and the future of our coast.

LSU Health Shreveport’s year-long federal “Simultaneity Challenge” study examined how overlapping disasters strain healthcare systems, offering lessons from Hurricanes Helene and Milton that could reshape national emergency response and medical preparedness strategies.

LSU Health New Orleans has been selected as one of 11 teams to receive funding from the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Transforming Lifelong Learning Through Precision Education Grant Program, a $12 million investment by the AMA to advance physician training through personalized learning and advanced technology. LSU Health New Orleans will receive $1.1 million over four years to fund its project, “Compassion in Motion.”

LSU Health Shreveport researchers A. Wayne Orr, PhD, Professor of Pathology & Translational Pathobiology, and Arif Yurdagul, PhD, Associate Professor of Molecular & Cellular Physiology, received a $2,869,114 NIH R01 award from the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to advance research in cardiovascular disease.