Dr. Flori Corpodean Selected for Prestigious Resident Research Award

Pennington Biomedical Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Corpodean is the sole recipient of the 2024 award presented by the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract

BATON ROUGE—Dr. Florina Corpodean, a postdoctoral researcher and surgical research fellow at Pennington Biomedical, was named as the 2024 Resident Research Award recipient by the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, or SSAT. Dr. Corpodean works in the Translational and Integrative Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Research laboratory, or TIGER lab, at Pennington Biomedical under the direction of Dr. Vance Albaugh.

As an aspiring surgeon-scientist, Dr. Corpodean is currently dedicating her postdoctoral research to explore how the brain and intestinal tract communicate. The SSAT recognition comes with a $25,000 award to further support Dr. Corpodean's research. Her study, entitled "Neural Characterization of the Gut-Brain Axis to Altered Nutrient Delivery," is developed in collaboration with Pennington Biomedical researchers, with Dr. Albaugh as primary mentor and Drs. Philip Schauer, Christopher Morrison, and Heike Münzberg as co-mentors.

"This award is not only an honor, but an opportunity to continue my research in the growing field of gut-brain communication," said Dr. Corpodean. "I am humbled by this recognition, and I am confident that it will serve as a catalyst for further study and new knowledge in the field of metabolic and bariatric surgery. A debt of gratitude is owed to my mentors, Dr. Albaugh and Dr. Schauer, who have guided me through this research and along my career path; I look forward to continuing to work with them over the next two years thanks in part to this award."

Dr. Corpodean is a research fellow at Pennington Biomedical, and its affiliate Metamor Institute, which is focused on advanced treatments for obesity and diabetes, including metabolic surgeries. She is also in the general surgery residence program at LSU New Orleans.

"We congratulate Dr. Corpodean on this prestigious honor and look forward to reading more about her research study once it's completed," said Dr. John Kirwan, Executive Director at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. "Mentoring young researchers plays such a key role in what we do at Pennington Biomedical, and Dr. Corpodean has some of the best mentors in the world in Dr. Vance Albaugh, Dr. Chris Morrison and Dr. Heike Münzberg."

Dr. Kirwan added, "This recognition is also a testament to the unique partnership set forth by the Governor's Office and Louisiana Economic Development to bring together Pennington Biomedical, Our Lady of the Lake, and LSU Health New Orleans in establishing the Metamor Institute. Awards like Dr. Corpodean's will become more commonplace thanks to the foresight to build partnerships here in Baton Rouge that focus on advanced treatment of obesity and diabetes."

Dr. Corpodean earned her Doctor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and she is a 2016 graduate of Knox College where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience.

"I am exceedingly proud of Flori for receiving this highly coveted award," said Dr. Albaugh, Assistant Professor of Metabolic Surgery in Pennington Biomedical's Metabolic Surgery Lab. "As a mentor, the best part of this job is seeing the success of your trainees and watching them go forward in their careers. It is an honor to champion Flori and her hard work, and I look forward to continued collaboration in the TIGER lab."

The Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract is primarily focused on advancing the science and practice of gastrointestinal surgery. There are few awards given to trainees in the surgical field given annually, with the Resident Research Award among the most competitive and sought-after.

Dr. Corpodean's research in the TIGER lab combines her surgical interests with her undergraduate background in neuroscience. Using animal models, she is combining clinical and basic science efforts and is exploring the intestinal nutrient delivery and communication between the brain and the digestive system.

About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
The Pennington Biomedical Research Center is at the forefront of medical discovery as it relates to understanding the triggers of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. Pennington Biomedical has the vision to lead the world in promoting metabolic health and eliminating metabolic disease through scientific discoveries that create solutions from cells to society. The Center conducts basic, clinical, and population research, and is affiliated with LSU.

The research enterprise at Pennington Biomedical includes over 480 employees within a network of 40 clinics and research laboratories, and 13 highly specialized core service facilities. Its scientists and physician/scientists are supported by research trainees, lab technicians, nurses, dietitians, and other support personnel. Pennington Biomedical a state-of-the-art research facility on a 222-acre campus in Baton Rouge.

For more information, see www.pbrc.edu.

Provided by Louisiana State University