HJBR Jul/Aug 2019

40 JUL / AUG 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of baton rouge   Healthcare Briefs She is currently a member of the American Medical Association and the Louisiana State Medical Society. Meiners takes an integrative approach to fam- ily medicine with a focus on wellness, health, and treating the whole person. “I am excited to be part of this community,” she says. “There is just no better job than helping my patients stay healthy through exploring and inspiring choices that promote and support well-being. The old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, is wise advice for maintaining or finding a healthy balance.” Pennington Study: Why Do Some Rural Southerners Live Longer, Healthier Lives? A new study will attempt to find out why some people born in rural parishes and counties are more resilient when it comes to heart disease and other illnesses than their counterparts in similar rural areas. Researchers from LSU’s Pennington Biomed- ical Research Center and other institutions will recruit 4,000 participants for a new longitudinal cohort study aimed at combating this issue.  The Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal Study (RURAL) will help researchers learn what causes the high burden of heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders in Kentucky, Alabama, Missis- sippi, and Louisiana and offer clues to alleviate them. “What is really novel here is that we are trying to figure out why some people living in rural areas are more resilient to heart disease while others living in what look to be similar areas, based on demographics and poverty, are less healthy,” said Dr. Stephanie Broyles, primary investigator of the Louisiana portion of the study and direc- tor of Pennington Biomedical’s Contextual Risk Factors Laboratory. “So we aren’t comparing rural areas to non-rural areas. That’s been done. Instead, we are solely focused on rural areas to figure out what drives variations in health in rural environments.” Broyles said the study has “immense potential” for improving the health of rural communities, which include some of the state’s most vulner- able populations. “I’m confident that what we learn through this initiative will empower these communities to make changes to improve health, and will also provide our partner agencies, the Louisiana Department of Health and Cooperative Extension Services, the information they need to assist com- munities in becoming healthier,” Broyles said. “We think that exposure to adverse structural and environmental factors creates greater wear and tear on the body, affects mental and emo- tional health and well-being, and impacts life- style choices that influence the risk for heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders,” Broyles said.  “We believe this study will reveal some of the reasons why some rural communities are so much more vulnerable to these health issues than others.” The scientists will recruit multi-ethnic volunteers from 10 of the most economically disadvantaged rural counties in the Southern Appalachia and Mississippi Delta regions.  Six of the counties are considered high-risk.  They have the highest age- adjusted mortality rates, 70 percent above the national average, because of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders.  Four of the counties are considered lower-risk, with age-adjusted mortal- ity rates 20 percent below the national average. In Louisiana, the high-risk area is Franklin Parish. The lower-risk area is Assumption Parish.  Pen- nington Biomedical will recruit about 700 partici- pants from the parishes. FranciscanMissionaries of Our Lady University Announces Spring 2019 Graduates Julio Melara was the keynote speaker for Fran- ciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University’s spring commencement ceremony on May 18. Approximately 170 Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) students were con- ferred masters, bachelors, or associate degrees during the university’s commencement exercises in the Raising Cane’s River Center Exhibition Hall. The commencement keynote speaker, Julio Melara, is the president and chief executive offi- cer of Louisiana Business Inc., a multi-media pub- lishing company which most notably publishes the Baton Rouge Business Report and 225 Maga- zine. He is also the founder and CEO of the Busi- ness Report’s Executive Leadership Academy, an exclusive program for advancing profession- als and business owners. Melara is the author of five books and currently serves on several boards in Baton Rouge, including Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Iberia Bank, and Baton Rouge Area Chamber. Viktoriia Leigh, a Biology student originally from the Ukraine, was recognized at commencement with the Student Excellence and Commitment to Service Award. This award distinguishes a gradu- ating student who exemplifies the mission of the university and who has shown a strong commit- ment to scholarship, leadership, and service. Dr. Alison Wells, dean of students for Franciscan Mis- sionaries of Our Lady University, right, is shown presenting the award to Leigh. MetforminMay Help Patients MaintainWeight Loss Over the Long Term New data published by Pennington Bio- medical scientists in the Annals of Internal Dr. Alison Wells, Dean of Students for Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, right, presents the Student Excellence and Commitment to Service Award to Viktoriia Leigh, a Biology student originally from the Ukraine, during spring commencement exercises on May 18.