CRR

Left-Right: Paul Fidel, PhD (LSU Dental School), Eva Lustigova (Tulane University), Judd Shellito, MD (LSU Health NO), Steve Nelson, MD (LSU Health NO), David Welsh, MD (LSU Health NO), Frank Greenway, MD (Pennington Biomedical)
Not pictured: John Vanchiere, MD, PhD (LSU Health Shreveport), Charles Hemenway, MD, PhD (Manning Family Children's), Vivian Fonseca, MD (Tulane University)

 

 

At our Annual Retreat, LA CaTS Center leadership recognized Clinical Research Resources (CRR) as the recipient of the "2026 Core of the Year” Award. This core is where the research happens! CRR is led by Dr. David Welsh (LSU Health New Orleans), and co-led by Dr. Vivian Fonseca (Tulane University) and Dr. Frank Greenway (Pennington Biomedical Research Center). The core coordinates LA CaTS activities across six clinical trials units (CTUs) across the state, each with a dedicated site lead and facilitator. 

CRR has supported over 6,300 subject visits, averaging more than 2,000 visits per quarter, and helped 131 investigators move their research forward. They did this while keeping a strong focus on who we're serving and by turning what used to be separate clinical trial units into a truly connected, statewide research system. 

CRR has also lead some of our most visible work, including the RECOVER (long COVID) study, where teams at Pennington Biomedical, LSU Health New Orleans, and Tulane enrolled 186 participants and contributed to multiple publications. They have invested heavily in workforce development of research professionals, delivering a successful multi-level Study Coordinator Training Program with 1,910 registrations this year alone. Under the shared leadership across an outstanding statewide team, CRR shows what collaboration, resilience, and impact really look like.