SHREVEPORT – A biomedical researcher can’t just wake up one day and decide to “do science.”
Building a team and securing funding are key aspects along with the academic exercise of “doing science,” Dr. Kevin Lin told more than 100 aspiring researchers at the Biomedical Research and Industry Day (BRAID) hosted by LSUS.
Lin, an associate professor of neurology at LSU Health Shreveport, emphasized that “the science” that everybody loves to perform requires networking, grant writing, and relationship building.
“The best way to go about this is that you need to get grants before you publish your papers,” Lin said. “People and the relationships you form help you get funded, and faster.
“A lot of people say they got into science because they want to hide behind the bench and never talk to anybody, but that’s not the way the world works.”
The BRAID event is designed to build bridges between research and industry, making connections that will foster future scientific innovation.
LSUS hosted the event in partnership with LSU Health Shreveport entities such as the Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences, the Center for Brain Health and the Louisiana Addiction Research Center. Other university partners included Centenary, Grambling, Louisiana Tech and ULM.
“BRAID is more than just a conference, it’s a vibrant ecosystem of ideas fostering innovation among students, scientists and clinicians,” said Wayne Nix, chief innovation officer at LSU Health Shreveport. “We celebrate the great minds of academia and industry brought together for a collaborative effort from all of our partners.
“We aim to build bridges between research and the industry world. We’re all about starting conversations that lead to new discoveries and giving tomorrow’s leaders the educational resources, the collaborative networks, and the real-world experience that you need to explore every career possibility in biomedical science.”
Lin was one of three presenters and part of a full-day conference that featured two panels.
Dr. Prashant Nedungadi, the national vice president for guidelines from the American Heart Association, discussed how to translate research into clinical practice.
Dr. Gaurav Sharma touched on how artificial intelligence assists in the drug-making process.
The panels explored career trajectories for biomedical scientists and empowering biotech entrepreneurs. The latter panel delved into legal strategies and government initiatives as well as the role of artificial intelligence.
Student and faculty researchers from the partner institutions made up the majority of the audience.
These researchers submitted a total of 71 research abstracts and completed posters to illustrate their research interests.
LSUS chancellor Dr. Robert Smith highlighted the importance of such an event on this campus and in this region.
“This is an opportunity for students, researchers, clinicians and industry partners to interact with each other on a range of important topics to our state and country,” Smith said. “Louisiana has made significant investments in biotech and biomedical applications, and we have an opportunity in the next few years to create a major national hub right here in northwest Louisiana.”
