Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center

(Approved by the Board of Regents, 1991)
Augusto Ochoa, MD, Director

The Louisiana Board of Regents approved the formation of the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center (SSSCC) in 1991. The Center is a multidisciplinary matrix organization, drawing membership and expertise from every school within the LSU Health Sciences Center and other affiliated institutions throughout Louisiana. The Center is part of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium, which also includes the Cancer Center at Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Xavier University, and the Ochsner Medical Center.

The primary mission of the SSSCC is to conduct basic and clinical research with a focus on the prevention and treatment of cancer, particularly among underserved populations. The Center also supports patient care through state-of-the-art clinical trials, and engages the community through various community-based participatory research projects. Our funded research projects offer a wide variety of opportunities for faculty development and training of students. The SSSCC Invited Speaker Series, supported in part by the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium, is a continuing medical education activity that brings renowned scientists twice a month to lecture at the Center and discuss research topics with faculty members school wide. Currently, SSSCC faculty members hold over $17 million in annual funding for their research projects. Research is conducted in such areas as Molecular Signaling; Population Studies; Molecular Genetics; Immunology, Infection and Inflammation; and the clinical sciences. Support to researchers is provided in many forms, including several core facilities, such as Genomics, Proteomics, Immunology, Imaging, tissue biorepository and Biostatistics/Bioinformatics. In addition, faculty benefit from a dedicated clinical trials office and a grants and development office that assists with strategic development of proposals as well as with the application processing and award management. The Center is actively enhancing its translational and clinical research programs to complement its strong basic science component.

Through our award-winning Minority Based-Community Clinical Oncology Program, funded by the National Cancer Institute, forty physicians enroll patients in state-of-the-art prevention and treatment trials at seven different affiliated sites in South Louisiana. Patients benefit from clinical trials in a variety of solid and hematologic malignancies as well as HIV/AIDS related malignancies. Our NIH-funded “Mentoring Translational Researcher in Louisiana” headed by Dr. Augusto Ochoa, supports the development of junior faculty working on the genetic and molecular mechanisms of a variety of cancers. The overarching theme of this center of excellence is the study of inflammation as a contributor to the pathogenesis of chronic diseases such as cancer. The Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, a partnership with Dillard University, funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and headed by Dr. John Estrada at our Center, supports research on the molecular bases of health disparities such as prostate cancer, breast and cervical cancer, and neurologic and hematologic malignancies. In addition, our center supports health disparities research on the mechanisms of inflammation in asthma and obesity. An important feature of these programs is the formal training of minority researchers to increase minority participation in clinical research

Our various funded programs and individual grants held by our faculty offer formal educational opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, medical students, residents, fellows and other health care professionals. MD/PhD and PhD students are mentored by our faculty as part of their formal training. A formal clinical research educational program trains nurses to become clinical research associates. This program is offered in collaboration with the School of Nursing at Dillard University. In addition, we offer mentored training in cancer research to residents and fellows from various surgical and medical disciplines. Our NIH-funded Short-term Experiences in Cancer Research is conducted annually during the summer months and offers a 2-month training in cancer research to undergraduate students and medical students. Electives in cancer research and bioethics of cancer research and health disparities are also offered at the SSSCC. Students can earn academic credits for participating in these training opportunities. Credits are awarded according to the requirements of the programs they are enrolled in. To discuss educational opportunities contact Dr. John Estrada, Director of Education and Community Services at Jestra@lsuhsc.edu, 504-568-5151 or visit our website at the LSUHSC School of Medicine under centers.