• Faculty

• Research

• Graduate Programs

• Courses

• Administration

• Seminars

• Genetics Conference Room
• Campus Room Reservations System
• Room Reservations

 

 

 

    Dr. Wayne Vedeckis
Interim Department Chair

Linkage Newsletter Autumn 2007 learn about deaf/ blindess: creating a full life  the silver lining of Katrina  a cross-country search for a cure  teaching genetics "out of the box" mentoring and collaboration pay off

 

 

The Department of Genetics is housed on the sixth floor of the Clinical Scences Research Building in downtown New Orleans.

Welcome to the Web site of the Department of Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

The Department of Genetics, established in 2000, is one of six basic science departments in the School of Medicine. The Department continues to grow and develop through the efforts of 10 faculty, 11 research staff, four administrative staff, 15 students and nine conjoint faculty.  The process of recruiting new faculty is continuing in partnership with other Departments and Centers of Excellence.  We recently added Dr. Wanguo Liu to our faculty and are in the process of recruiting two new faculty members.

The Genetics Department shares the 6th floor of the Clinical Sciences Research Building with the Gene Therapy Program, resulting in a synergy that enhances both groups. In addition, members of the Department are involved in collaborative efforts with other LSUHSC entities, in particular, the Cancer Center and the Neuroscience Center.

Students for the 2007-08 school year, front row, Alpa Sidhu, Diana Stoute, Heena Mehta, San San Ng.  Middle row, Elisa Ledet, Anand Viswanathan, Ayan Banerjee, Kong Chen and Sri Sampath.  Top row, Kevin Dietz, Jovanny Zabaleta, Alain D'Douza and Paulo Rodriguez.  Not pictured are Ryan Bonvillian and Scott Ditch.

The Department has a dynamic graduate program.  Last school year, our faculty taught and mentored 17 graduate students (15 PhDs, one MD/PhD and one MS in Human Genetics).  Faculty are also involved in teaching medical and dental students as well as K-12 teachers, students, health care professionals and the public.

Ongoing funded scientific research projects in the Department include genetic studies of hearing loss, Usher syndrome, Friedreich ataxia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer. These projects involve the participation of members of the Acadian population in southwestern Louisiana and the Louisiana African-American population.

Chromosomal instability and the relationship of this instability with disease is also a major research interest.  Several of our faculty members are using cell biological, developmental, and biochemical methodologies to determine how these chromosomal instabilities alter such processes as DNA repair, signal transduction, and transcriptional regulation, and how these alterations contribute to the formation of cancer. 

In addition, research to enhance and evaluate approaches to genetics and gene therapy education, as well as studies of methodologies for genetic and genomic analyses of complex traits, are important areas in which the Department has expertise.

 

The faculty, from left, front row, Fern Tsien, Bronya Keats (former Chairman) and Diptasri Mandal.  Middle row, Tomoo Iwakuma, Paula Gregory and Wanguo Liu.  Back row, Doan Nguyen, Ed Grabczyk, Oliver Wessley and Andrew Hollenbach.

In addition to being the Chair of the Department of Genetics, I am also the Director of the Center for Molecular and Human Genetics, which is funded solely from extramural grant sources. The Center for Acadiana Genetics and Hereditary Health Care, a community outreach program within the Department of Genetics and the Center for Molecular and Human Genetics, provides clinical service and education in genetics to the Acadian population.

 The Acadians are culturally unique and were geographically isolated for nearly 200 years during which time they forged a cohesive identity in language, religion, and devotion to their families. As a result of this population structure, the Acadians have risks ranging from 35% to over 250% in excess of the national average for some genetic diseases. Members of the Center participate in continuing education programs for pediatricians, public health physicians, nurses, social workers and K-12 science teachers. They also provided outreach to K-12 students that included laboratory tours, summer research internships, sponsorship of science fair prizes, and teacher workshops. A website, Genetics and Louisiana Families, provides customized information on genetics and genetic disorders for the people of Louisiana. The first edition features 47 chapters from 30 authors. A second edition is now in progress.

Our goal is to continue building a strong department in which all of the faculty are successful in attracting funding, and committed to establishing productive programs that bring credit to the Department and to the Health Sciences Center as a whole.

Bronya J. B. Keats, PhD
Emeritus Professor and Former Chair, Department of Genetics