Longtime Pennington researcher and director retires

Dr. Donna Ryan, who has played a critical role in developing the clinical research efforts at Pennington Biomedical Research Center since its inception, is retiring after 23 years as a researcher and director at the center. Dr. William Cefalu will replace Ryan as the center’s associate executive director of clinical research. To honor Ryan’s contributions, the LSU Board of Supervisors is naming a clinical conference room in the new Clinical Research Building after her. Ryan was instrumental in establishing the early development of the research center and crafting plans to assure stable funding in its early years. She helped shape the vast clinical research programs and interventions for obesity and nutrition-related diseases at the center, and developed the military research program focused on optimizing the health and performance of military personnel. Ryan is widely recognized as a research scholar in obesity, having authored numerous studies and more than 130 peer-reviewed articles. She has also served as president of The Obesity Society, the leading U.S. scientific association dedicated to the study of obesity. Cefalu is a Louisiana native and LSU School of Medicine graduate who was recruited to the center in 2004 from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Read more about Ryan’s retirement and Cefalu’s appointment at the center’s website here.