After First Lady Jill Biden toured the Louisiana Cancer Research Center, with Center Director Joe W. Ramos, United States Senator Bill Cassidy, Dr. Laura Cassidy and U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, she told a room packed with researchers and policymakers how impressed she was with the work of LCRC's member institutions and its statewide partner researchers.

"We see the power of that collaboration here, where LSU, Tulane, Xavier, and Ochsner are working together under one roof and in communities throughout the state,” Dr. Biden said.  “Today we met nurses who are part of an incredible pilot, a program funded by the National Cancer Institute, revolutionizing clinical trial enrollment in remote areas throughout the Southern Gulf. And we saw the lab where researchers are looking for ways to stop viruses from turning healthy cells into tumors. This work is possible because the state of Louisiana has come together.” View Dr. Biden's full remarks here.

By paying a personal visit to the LCRC, Dr. Biden emphasized the need for increased cancer research as part of President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which aims to cut cancer rates by 50 percent and to raise awareness about the importance of colorectal cancer screenings.

Senator Bill Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, commented on the depth of Louisiana talent to address the problem, "We have researchers from the medical schools from north and south, and from historically black colleges and universities working on the social determinants of disease that we know are so important in many diseases, including colon cancer." View Senator Cassidy's full remarks here.

Dr. Ramos, who joined the LCRC in August, explained how the four consortium partners each bring distinct strengths - LSU Health Sciences and Tulane bring extensive research, clinical, and education base,  Xavier brings expertise in pharmacology, health disparities andinority health while Ochsner Health adds depth to the clinical trials and community engagement work needed to touch patients lives along with a statewide presence.  "We really have a statewide reach and we're also growing our work in cancer screening and prevention in communities in every corner of the state," Dr. Ramos said. View Dr. Ramos's full remarks here.

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