The Office of Health Research (OHR) is a community-based clinical research facility located in downtown New Orleans and co-directed by Drs. Kirsten Dorans and Lu Qi. The OHR is equipped with a clinical laboratory, examination rooms, conference rooms, a dietary interview room, an intervention room, a kitchen, secured data storage rooms, a freezer room, and staff office space. It houses several NIH and foundation-funded studies, including Sodium Lowering Vascular Effects (SOLVE), Cooking for Health Optimization and Disease Prevention (CHOP), the Precision Health Study (PHS), and the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study (CRIC).
The OHR’s 500 square foot clinical laboratory and the Department of Epidemiology’s 800 square foot biochemical lab support phlebotomy work, sample processing, storage, shipping, molecular analyses, and multiplex biomarker assays. Investigators and credentials may be found by visiting TUTSI.
Current Studies
Precision Health Study
Project Lead: Lu Qi, MD, PhD
Project Summary: Excessive postprandial glycemia has been identified as a key factor regulating energy intake and driving obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. The dietary glycemic index (GI) of carbohydrates is the most important dietary factor affecting postprandial glycemic response to carbohydrate-rich foods. High-GI foods have a greater effect on increasing blood glucose, while low-GI diet interventions improve postprandial hyperglycemia and cardiometabolic risk factors. This study examines the intrinsic factors that determine the individual variability in continuously monitored glycemic dynamics and postprandial glycemic response to diets with distinct GI levels and/or carbohydrates.
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Cooking for Health Optimization and Disease Prevention (CHOP)
Project Lead: Lu Qi, MD, PhD
Project Summary: Poor nutrition-related diseases disproportionately impact seniors and racial/ethnic minorities who are more likely to experience disparities in proper nutrition. Culinary medicine is a new evidence-based educational approach that blends the art of food and cooking with the science of medicine. Built upon the well-established community teaching kitchen at The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine (GCCM) at Tulane University and more than 10 years of experience in delivering culinary education of Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), we conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the feasibility and efficacy of 3-month community teaching kitchen-based culinary education of MedDiet on improving cardiometabolic and mental health among racially and ethnically diverse seniors.
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Sodium Lowering Vascular Effects Trial (SOLVE)
Project Lead: Katherine Mills, PhD, MSPH (Multi PI), and Hua He, PhD (Contact PI)
Project Summary: The overall objective of the SOLVE trial is to test the effect of dietary sodium reduction on cardiac and vascular structure and function. Specifically, this study is testing whether dietary sodium reduction (targeting a dietary sodium intake of <2,300 mg/day) improves left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LVGLS), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) compared to usual intake. Additionally, the study is testing whether this effect is independent from BP reduction. 256 adults were enrolled between January, 2023 - June, 2026 with elevated BP or hypertension from the greater New Orleans area and randomly assigned to a dietitian-led behavioral intervention aimed at decreasing dietary sodium intake to <2,300 mg/day for 12 months or to a usual diet. Findings from this study will fill the knowledge gap on the underlying mechanisms of dietary sodium intake on cardiovascular disease risk in addition to blood pressure and could provide further evidence on sodium reduction for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
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Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC)
Project Lead: Lee Hamm, MD (Contact PI), and Jing Chen, MD (Multi-PI)
Project Summary: The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study was established in 2001 by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to improve our understanding of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression and related cardiovascular disease. The CRIC Study initially enrolled over 3939 people with CKD who remain in long-term follow-up. Between July 2013 and August 2015, an additional 1560 people with CKD were invited to join the study with an emphasis on older Americans. The focus of the study was modified to emphasize early forms of CKD and the impact of CKD on multiple dimensions of health status. Follow-up of study participants concluded in June 2026 at eleven CRIC Study Centers.
Church-based Health Intervention to Eliminate Racial Inequalities in Cardiovascular Health (CHERISH)
Project Lead: Keith C. Ferdinand, MD (Contact PI), Jiang He, MD, PhD (Multi-PI), Katherine Mills, MSPH, PhD, (Multi-PI)
Project Summary: The CHERISH Study is an 18-month research project designed to improve heart health in predominantly Black church communities. The study compares two approaches for implementing evidence-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention strategies recommended by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) 2019 guidelines. Using a cluster randomized trial and an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design, the study will evaluate:
- A Community Health Worker (CHW)-led multifaceted strategy
- A group-based education strategy
Both approaches deliver the same evidence-based intervention, allowing researchers to determine which strategy is most effective in improving implementation, participant engagement, and cardiovascular health outcomes. The findings from the CHERISH Study will help identify practical, sustainable, and community-centered approaches to reducing cardiovascular health disparities and promoting heart health equity in Black communities.
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Blood Pressure Lowering Strategies to Eliminate Hypertension Disparities (BLESSED)
Project Lead: Keith C. Ferdinand, MD (Multi- PI), Jiang He, MD (Contact PI), PhD (Multi-PI), Katherine Mills, MSPH, PhD, (Multi-PI)
Project Summary: The BLESSED Study is designed to improve blood pressure control and reduce hypertension-related health disparities in Black communities. The study evaluates a Community Health Worker (CHW)-led, church-based multifaceted implementation strategy compared with enhanced usual care to determine its effectiveness, adoption, and long-term sustainability. Using a cluster randomized trial and an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design, the study aims to:
- Evaluate the impact of the intervention on blood pressure control.
- Compare implementation outcomes between intervention and control groups.
- Assess the sustainability of the intervention through a 6-month post-intervention follow-up period.
The findings from the BLESSED Study will provide valuable insights into community-based strategies that can effectively support hypertension management and promote lasting cardiovascular health improvements in Black communities.
Strategies for Implementing a Postpartum Lifestyle Intervention in Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) ClinicsE)
Project Lead: Kirsten Dorans, ScD (PI)
Project Summary: The STRIVE Study is an 18 month long study that aims to compare the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of different strategies for implementing the Diabetes Prevention Program. The intervention is centered around postpartum women enrolled in WIC services who have a history of gestational diabetes in any pregnancy, or a history or past or current obesity. The main goal of this study is to help postpartum women achieve a weight loss goal of 7% through healthy eating and increased physical activity.
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