HJBR May/Jun 2024

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAY / JUN 2024 33 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalBR.com leap forward in advancement of the Radial revo- lution in PAD treatment,” said Gadi. Pennington Biomedical’s Jeffery Keller, PhD, to Lead Answer ALS’ Open Access Data Repository Pennington Biomedical’s Jeffery Keller, PhD, has been named principal investigator to over- see Answer ALS’ open access data repository, Neuromine. Serving as director for Pennington Biomedical’s Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention and a professor of aging and neuro- degeneration, Keller will help lead the growth of access to Answer ALS data repository. Keller joins Terri Thompson, PhD, Answer ALS’s director of data management in the oversite Neu- romine Data Portal. In his role as principal inves- tigator, Keller is assuming that role from Jeffrey Rothstein, MD, PhD, director of both the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research and the Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins. Rothstein helped found Answer ALS research and he con- tinues to play a pivotal role in its progress, along with the entire consortium of ALS researchers around the country. Answer ALS was founded in 2014, resulting from a summit lead by Team Gleason when Steve Gleason challenged the research community to develop a business plan to bring an end to ALS. Comprised of eight ALS clinics, dozens of insti- tutions, tech industry leaders, and with the par- ticipation of more than 1,000 people living with ALS, Answer ALS created a comprehensive and open access data repository, freely available and featuring associated biological samples. “Consensus is growing that a major break- through in ALS will involve big data, human based samples and the application of machine learn- ing and AI, said Ed Rapp, Answer ALS Advisory Board Chair, former Global President of Cater- pillar, and a person living with ALS. “I believe Dr. Keller’s unique experience and perspective will not only help further our role in those areas, but also foster growth in how others access the tools we make publicly available.” Kristen Gradney to Lead 2024 Baton Rouge Go Red forWomenMovement The American Heart Association announced Kristen Gradney, MHA, RDN, LDN, chief wellness officer at LCMC Health, as the community volun- teer chair of the 2023-2024 Baton Rouge Go Red for Women movement. Go Red for Women is a worldwide initiative of the American Heart Associ- ation designed to increase women’s heart health awareness and serve as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women locally, nationally, and globally. Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States, claiming more lives each year than all forms of cancer combined. It continues to be a woman’s greatest health threat, taking the life of one in every three women. As chairwoman of the 2024 Go Red for Women movement, Kristen will lead a team of 15 Baton Rouge area women to recruit companies and organizations in raising funds, and awareness, for the campaign. The executive cabinet mem- bers include: • Sarah Ash, Baton Rouge General Medical Center. • Cheri Ausberry, Entergy. • Jamie Burgess, Hancock Whitney. • Bridgette B. Coleman, Coleman Consulting. • Holly Hidalgo-DeKeyzer, Investar Bank. • Renada W. Deschamp, MPA, CDE, Wom- an’s Hospital. • Wendy Gaudet, PharmD, DPLA, Baton Rouge Orthopedic Clinic. • Shashitha Gavini, DO, Cardiovascular Insti- tute of the South. • Kristy McKearn, Elevance. • Michelle Nelson, DNP, FNP-C, Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge at Our Lady of the Lake Health. • Katherine F. Pearce, MD, Primary Care for Women Clinic. • Keila Stovall, Foundation for Woman’s at Woman’s Hospital. • Lesley Tilley, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Our Lady of the Lake Health. • Amy Varnado, Hannis T. Bourgeois LLP. • Grace Weber, Centene Corporation. This year’s Go Red for Women movement and its local achievements will be celebrated on May 9 at the 2024 Baton Rouge Go Red for Women Luncheon. For more information about Go Red for Women and to register for the luncheon, visit www.heart. org/capitalareagored, email AHABatonRouge@ heart.org , or call (833) 889-3875. Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic, LAOrthopaedic Specialists, LLD, Align Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic (BROC) and Lafayette-based Louisiana Orthopaedic Special- ists, LLC (LOS), announced their intentions to become the founding divisions of a newly com- bined orthopedic group practice — Gulf South Orthopedic Partners. The partnership is unique in that it allows each division to continue to oper- ate in their respective markets under their exist- ing brands of LOS and BROC, while at the same time coordinating their combined resources and expertise to benefit all patients across a broader region. Gulf South Orthopedic Partners will offer a comprehensive range of orthopedic services, including sports medicine, joint replacement, spine surgery, hand surgery, foot and ankle sur- gery, orthopedic oncology, orthopedic trauma, pediatric orthopedics, and rehabilitation. Gulf South Orthopedic Partners will be built by a team of experienced orthopedic surgeons, phy- sicians, and support staff dedicated to improv- ing mobility, function, and overall quality of life for its patients. At inception, Gulf South Ortho- pedic Partners will have 54 board-certified phy- sicians with 48 being fellowship trained orthope- dic surgeons. In a joint statement, Henry L. Eiserloh, MD, chairman of BROC, and Matthew D. Williams, MD, president of LOS, announced, “We are excited about the formation of Gulf South Orthopedic Kristen Gradney, MHA, RDN, LDN