Yanna X.A. de Koter, MPH, has joined the Pennington Biomedical Research Center team as the new LA CaTS Project Manager. In this role, Yanna will manage LA CaTS pilot projects and administrative supplements as part of the Administrative Core. She will also support the Tracking and Evaluation Core by assisting with data collection and reporting.

Yanna holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Maternal and Child Health from the University of South Florida College of Public Health. She brings significant experience from her previous roles, including coordinating a program for the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative that focused on implementing ACOG’s Levels of Maternal Care in Florida in collaboration with The Joint Commission. Additionally, at the Florida Prevention Research Center, Yanna worked on impactful projects related to water safety and tobacco prevention and vaping policies on college campuses.

Eva Lustigova, MPH, is a graduate and former research program manager at Tulane University.  She serves as Senior Director of the Tulane Center for Clinical Research (TCCR), a facility supporting Tulane clinical and translational research.   

Lustigova returns to Tulane from Kaiser Permanente Southern California, where she most recently functioned as a Manager of Research Support in the Department of Research and Evaluation, providing operational support to the research teams in the Epidemiologic Scientific Division. Before that role, Lustigova spent eleven years managing the operations and projects in the Tulane Office of Health Research at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She also worked as a clinical research coordinator and adjunct faculty member at Tulane.   

Lustigova began her career after earning her Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Sciences and her Master of Public Health in International Health and Development from Tulane University. Well-respected in her profession, Lustigova has authored many papers and become a frequent presenter at scientific and clinical conferences.

Cody VanMeter, MBA, Director of Clinical Operations and Administrator of the Clinical Trials Unit at Pennington Biomedical, comes to Baton Rouge as a lifelong Ohio native. Cody holds an MBA from Ohio University (Athens, OH) and a BBA from Marshall University (Huntington, WV). He most recently served as Manager of Business Operations with OhioHealth, overseeing clinical operations and managing a team of nursing professionals at a community hospital in Athens, OH. Cody also comes to Pennington with prior research and clinical trial administration experience from roles with Nationwide Children's Hospital, OhioHealth Research Institute, and Marshall University Research Corporation. In addition, Cody enjoys educating future generations and has most recently served as Adjunct Professor of Business at Hocking College in Nelsonville, OH delivering courses such as Negotiations, Business Law, and Operations Management. 

Cody is passionate about people development and process optimization. In his role at Pennington, he oversees the Inpatient Unit, Outpatient Clinic, Interventional Resources, and Investigational Pharmacy, in addition to Medical Records and a team of seasoned Program/Project Management professionals. Cody is committed to supporting the clinical trials infrastructure, cultivating strong teams, and creating efficiencies for continued long-term success of clinical trials at Pennington Biomedical and beyond.