Posted on September 17, 2021
The ULM Foundation is organizing a reception to announce the
University of Louisiana System Foundation and Willis-Knighton Health Systems
Endowed professors at Chris Gissendanner, Ph.D., and Sharon Meyer, Ph.D.,
Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, 3 p.m. Center Laird Weems 4400, promenade Bon Aire
Two professors from the University of Louisiana Monroe whose innovative research could lead to significant advances in disease treatment and overall health have been selected to receive chairs endowed with $ 100,000.
Christopher Gissendanner, Ph.D., has been appointed University of Louisiana System Foundation and Willis-Knighton Health System professor of biology. Sharon Meyer, Ph.D., is professor of toxicology at the University of Louisiana System Foundation and Willis-Knighton Health System.
The Willis-Knighton Health System invested $ 120,000 and the UL System Foundation contributed $ 80,000 in matching funds for the Chairs. Both organizations required recipients to work in STEM programs.
The ULM Foundation will host a reception at 3 p.m. on Thursday, September 30 at the Laird Weems Center to honor Gissendanner and Meyer and recognize the significant financial contributions of the UL System Foundation and the Willis-Knighton Health System.
James K. Elrod, President and CEO of Willis-Knighton Health System, said: âThe two disciplines we choose to fund currently are Biology and Toxicology at $ 60,000 each for a total contribution of $ 120,000. . These funds are provided as part of our âtithe for the bottom lineâ philanthropic philosophy that invests in worthy projects, activities and educational opportunities to improve our community and region. We value our relationship with ULM and the quality graduates who are now employed at Willis-Knighton. We are delighted to maintain our continued relationship with this additional contribution to the health sciences curriculum. ”
âCongratulations to Drs. Gissendanner and Meyers. The STEM professions are vital to the future of our state’s economy and the faculty at ULM will play a vital role in ensuring that our graduates are prepared for the future of work, âsaid Dr Jim Henderson, president and CEO of the University of Louisiana System. âThese Chairs were made possible through an anonymous donation to the UL System Foundation, an investment that greatly supports the work of our nine member institutions.â
The ULM Foundation manages the investment and reporting of endowed chairs.
âWe are truly grateful to Willis-Knighton Health System for these two endowed chairs added to the five previously funded by them, and to the UL System Foundation for the matching funds. With these endowed chairs, Chris and Sharon are prepared to make a unique contribution to the missions of their departments and of ULM students, âsaid Susan Chappell, Executive Director of Advancement, Foundations and Alumni Relations. .
Christopher Gissendanner, Ph.D.
Gissendanner is Associate Director of the School of Sciences at ULM and Professor of Biology at the College of Arts, Education and Sciences. Gissendanner holds a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Georgia. After a post-doctorate with New England Biolabs, he joined ULM in 2004.
Gissendanner’s research focuses on the use of bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) as an alternative therapy to treat infections caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
âReceiving this chair is an honor and it will have a significant impact on the advancement of my research. It will also have an important role in helping to support the undergraduate and graduate students who work in my lab, âsaid Gissendanner.
âThe focus of my research is the development of bacteriophage therapy. Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria. The idea of ââbacteriophage therapy as a means of curing bacterial infections has been around for a long time, but it is recently has emerged as a successful and promising avenue for novel treatments against antibiotic resistant bacteria, “said Gissendanner.” The aim of my work is to develop phage therapy for opportunistic pathogens commonly found in the environment. ”
Sharon Meyer, Ph.D.
Meyer, a professor in the School of Basic Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Sciences at the College of Pharmacy, joined ULM in 2000. She received her doctorate in physiology from Cornell University and did post-doctoral work at Harvard Medical. Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Meyer’s two areas of research are health treatments derived from the echinacea plant and ensuring that northern Louisiana’s drinking water is free from contamination by chemicals left over from ammunition storage.
“I am honored to be the recipient of the UL System Foundation-Willis-Knighten Endowed Professorship in Toxicology. This is particularly significant since the work I have done at ULM has been facilitated by ULS,” said said Meyer.
“My findings should have important implications for protecting Louisiana residents from drinking water contamination from munitions, such as those used in the former Louisiana Army munitions plant in Minden,” explained Meyer.
Meyer’s research and testing of contaminants found at the former Superfund site was instrumental in the cleanup that brought Webster Parish’s site into EPA compliance.
The endowed chair will support Meyer’s research into echinacea as a dietary supplement to stimulate white blood cell production when the bone marrow has been compromised, such as during chemotherapy. Meyer proposes that the continued refinement of the active ingredients in Echinacea “will direct an effective treatment of plants to produce a treatment for myelosuppression of the bone marrow”.
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