University Partnerships for Health

There exists power in numbers.

As the Picard Center grows its research with the Coordinated School Health initiative, we continue to expand our partnerships. We are particularly proud of our partnerships within the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and with several universities around the state.

Internally, we work closely with Dr. Lisa Broussard of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions and Dr. Charity Bryan, Dr. Praphul Joshi and Dr. David Bellar of the Department of Kinesiology. Other UL partners include the Department of Dietetics and the Department of Counselor Education.

Around the state, the Picard Center collaborates with several universities to expand its reach of technical assistance and regional expertise to improve child health and combat childhood obesity. Researchers at these universities work with surrounding school districts to develop effective health interventions to address the unique issues and characteristics of each region.

University partners include:

• Dr. Luke Thomas and Dr. Wilson Campbell of University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM)
• Dr. Birgitta Baker, Dr. Melinda Solmon, and Dr. Alex Garn of Louisiana State University (LSU)
• Dr. Sonia Tinsley of Louisiana College (LC)

Other partnerships include working with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, Louisiana Department of Education and other nonprofit organizations interested in children’s health like Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Safe Routes to School Coalition and the 16th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.