

TRAINING PROGRAMS | CPTR

The CPTR promotes local workforce development through a multi-tiered training program from undergraduate students to faculty.
The program supports community outreach through biannual STEM events that bring students from north Louisiana to the LSU Health Shreveport campus to showcase careers in research.
As part of the Administration Core, the Training Program Sub-Core, led by Dr. Karen Stokes, will coordinate the enhanced graduate training, the summer research program, and the STEM Immersion Days.
From the summer research program to enhanced graduate education and faculty development, trainees will receive hands-on instruction, career development training, and personalized mentorship that includes peer, near-peer, and senior faculty levels.


SUMMIT
Summer Undergraduate Mentorship in Metabolism, Innovation, and Transcriptomics
CPTR’s Summer Research Program and partnerships with regional schools will broaden participation by recruiting students from rural parishes with limited exposure to biomedical research. Graduate students will lead hands-on outreach demonstrations, sharing their research experiences to demystify scientific careers. Collaborations with EPSCoR-funded institutions and biannual K–12 STEM Immersion Events will amplify our reach, while follow-up surveys will measure shifts in participant awareness, enthusiasm, and intent to pursue STEM pathways.


CPTR SEMINAR SERIES 2026-2027
Thursday 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Zadeck G-221
| August 20 |
Novel regulators of platelet and neutrophil function in inflammation and thrombosis Robert Campbell, PhD, Washington University |
|---|---|
| September 17 |
Targeting a liver-gut axis to treat metabolic diseases Wendong Huang, PhD, Duarte Cancer Center, City of Hope |
| October 15 |
Beta-catenin and hepatocellular cancer: From discovery to translation Paul Monga, MD, University of Pittsburgh |
| November 19 |
How metabolism regulates chromatin structure and function Juan-Manuel Schwartzman, MD, PhD, Columbia University |
| December 17 |
ARG2 Promotes Hepatocyte Beta-Oxidation via Nitric Oxide-Dependent CPT1A Regulation and Protects Against MASH Natalia Nieto, PharmD, MSc, PhD, University of Illinois |
| January 21 |
Rethinking Liver Disease: How Pollution Shapes Risk and Disease Progression Juliane I. Arteel, PhD, University of Pittsburgh |
| February 18 |
Breaking the Matrix: How the Degradome Shapes and Signals Metabolic Liver Disease Gavin E. Arteel, PhD, FAASLD, University of Pittsburgh |
| March 18 |
Bile acid signaling in chronic liver and metabolic diseases Tiangang Li, PhD, The University of Oklahoma |
| April 15 |
Regulation of cAMP signaling by Phosphodiesterase 4 modulates various pathogenic pathways during liver injury Leila Gobejishivili, MSc, PhD, University of Louisville |
| May 20 |
Annual CPTR SymposiumInterorgan crosstalk and reprogramming of the liver microenvironment in metabolic and liver disease Jiandie Lin, PhD, University of Michigan |
CPTR SEMINAR SERIES 2025-2026
Thursday 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Zadeck G-221
| November 18 |
Enteroendocrine function in the colon: at the interface of host and microbial metabolism |
|---|---|
| January 15 |
Blocking CD47-SIRP Promotes Necroptotic Hepatocyte Engulfment and Improves MASH |
| February 2 |
Symposium Hepatic Lipid Homeostasis and the Assembly and Secretion of Very Low Density Lipoproteins: Studies in Cells, Mice, and Humans Mitochondrial Hydrogen Sulfide Regulates Metabolic Function and Exercise Capacity In Obesity and Heart Failure |
| March (TBD) |
TBD |
| April 16 |
TBD |
| May 21 |
Neurogenic mechanisms of metabolic and cardiovascular regulation |

CARDIOMETABOLISM FOCUS MEETINGS 2025-2026
FRIDAY 10:00-11:30 p.m.
CME 2306 (Assembly 1)
| November 21 |
Dysregulation in Putrescine Metabolism Drives Hepatic Fibrosis during MASH, Dhananjay Kumar |
|---|---|
| December 19 |
Molecular Pathway and Therapeutic Potential of Placenta-Derived Insulin-Producing Cells, Jie Xu |
|
January |
Metabolic Reprogramming of Neutrophils in CKD Impair Stroke Recovery, Harpreet Kaur |
| February 20 |
Lipin-1 Promotes Mitochondrial Respiration to Facilitate Macrophage Pro-Resolving Responses, Oluwakemi Igiehon (CME 4101) |
| March 20 |
Ephrin A1 Expression in EphA2-Dependent Regulation of MASH, Mary Hall |
| April 17 |
Macrophage One-Carbon Metabolism in Atherosclerotic Plaque Stability, Sumati Rohilla |
| May 8 |
Hepatocyte SHMT2 Drives Atherosclerosis through One-Carbon Metabolic Regulation of VLDL and Ceramide Metabolism, Koral Richard (CME 4101) |