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MEDICINEMILITARY VETERANSA challenge in treating military veterans isfinding those who may be suffering frominvisible wounds and getting them to seektreatment, said Dr. Greg Stewart. Thereis, however, a new, successful treatmentconcept to help veterans heal and lowertheir risk for suicide. Stewart is the W.Kennon McWilliams Professor in SportsMedicine and the medical director for theTulane University Center for Brain Health,whose central mission is to providecare for military veterans regardless ofdischarge status.tulane.it/military-veteransARTEQUITY, DIVERSITYAND INCLUSIONThe Newcomb Art Museum has receiveda 500,000, three-year grant fromThe Andrew W. Mellon Foundation toestablish three interrelated initiatives tomake the museum more inclusive andaccessible. The funding comes from thephilanthropic foundation’s Art MuseumFutures Fund, launched in 2020 as part ofits emergency grantmaking in responseto the impact of the COVID-19 pandemicon arts and cultural institutions aroundthe ZAR’S NEW NOVELProfessor of EnglishZachary Lazar haspublished a new book,The Apartment onCalle Uruguay: A Novel(Penguin Random House,2022). It’s the story of acomplicated romancebetween an artist anda journalist.tulane.it/lazar-new-novelCOMPUTER SCIENCETEACHING ALGORITHMSTO BE FAIRNick Mattei, assistant professor ofcomputer science, is part of a NationalScience Foundation study to designmore equitable algorithm recommendersystems for all types of products andservices.tulane.it/teaching-algorithmsBOOK FESTIVALA BIG SUCCESSThe inaugural in-person New Orleans BookFestival drew 135 authors and 6,000 attendees,who flocked to the Tulane uptown campus forthree days in March, expressing their love of booksand the people who write them.The festival included Family Day and other activities, with book lovers of allages gathering to hear their favorite writers in venues across campus, including the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, the Berger Family Lawn,the Marshall Family Commons at the A. B. Freeman School of Business andDixon Hall.At the opening sessions were John Grisham and Jenna Bush Hager as wellas Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and Imani Perry. Other highlights were panel discussionsby Michael Lewis and Malcolm Gladwell; Walter Isaacson, David Rubenstein,Jon Meacham and John Barry; and Sarah M. Broom with Bernice McFadden.President Michael Fitts appeared with Darren Walker, Ford Foundationpresident.“The twice-delayed inaugural New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University was a resounding success on every level — from the number of attendees,to the quality of its programming, to the caliber of its authors and the promiseit holds to become one of the nation’s premier literary events,” Fitts said. “WithNew Orleans and Tulane’s rich literary history, our city and campus is a naturalhome for this Mardi Gras of the mind.”The New Orleans Book Festival is making plans for its second annual event:March 9–11, 2023.tulane.it/book-festival-success-20225

IN BRIEFCOVID-19R E S E A R C HMETABOLIC SYNDROMEPatients hospitalized with COVID-19 whohad a combination of high blood pressure,obesity, diabetes or other conditionsassociated with metabolic syndrome wereat much higher risk of acute respiratorydistress syndrome and death, accordingto a study published in the medicaljournal JAMA Network Open. Dr. JoshuaDenson, assistant professor of medicine,was the study’s lead author.tulane.it/metabolic-syndromeVIRUSES IN WASTEWATERThe Environmental Protection Agencyhas awarded a 1.24 million grant toa research team to come up withstandards for measuring viruses andother pathogens in treated wastewaterfor water re-use projects. SamendraSherchan, associate professor in theDepartment of Environmental HealthSciences and director of the WaterQuality Lab at the School of Public Healthand Tropical Medicine, is part of the team.tulane.it/viruses-in-wastewaterVIRAL DOSE ANDDISEASE SEVERITYChad Roy, professor of microbiology andimmunology and director of infectiousdisease aerobiology at the TulaneNational Primate Research Center, andDr. Gregory Bix, professor and vice chairof neurosurgery and neurology, directorof COBALT (COVID-19 Biobank andLibrary at Tulane), and director of theclinical neuroscience research center,were among a team of scientists whoco-authored a review of 115 peer-reviewedstudies in Clinical Infectious Diseases.Visit6They concluded that the viral dose, oramount of the infectious virus SARSCoV-2 transmitted from one personto another, does not appear to affectCOVID-19 disease ONS FOR TEACHERSA study led by Stacy Overstreet, professorof psychology, shows that when theCOVID-19 pandemic forced New Orleanspublic school teachers to switch fromin-person instruction to a virtual orhybrid setting, the transition left manyfeeling anxious over their ability to impactstudent learning. The study also revealsthat many teachers suffered from anxiety,depression and post-traumatic stress.It recommends expansion of accessto mental health care, improvement insick leave and bereavement policies andoffering hazard pay.tulane.it/lessons-for-teachersLINGERING IMPACTSON BRAINTracy Fischer, associate professor ofmicrobiology and immunology at theTulane National Primate ResearchCenter, led a study published in NatureCommunications, investigating howCOVID-19 affects the central nervoussystem. The research team found severebrain inflammation and injury consistentwith reduced blood flow or oxygen tothe brain, including neuron damageand death. Microhemorrhages, or smallbleeds in the brain, were also present.Surprisingly, these findings were seen insubjects that did not experience severerespiratory disease from the virus.ZOONOTIC DISEASEHannah Frank, an assistant professor inecology and evolutionary biology and batexpert, is sharing in a 1.25 million awardwith scientists from other universities tostudy how to mitigate zoonotic threats.Zoonotic disease — diseases fromnon-humans that can infect humans —are an increasing problem and threatto human health and well-being. Batsare a particularly important group tounderstand because they can spread andshed infections including SARS-CoV-2,which do not cause disease in bats but arehighly lethal to humans and other animals.tulane.it/zoonotic-diseaseMENTAL HEALTHCHALLENGESMore than two years into the COVID-19pandemic, behavioral health concernscontinue to disrupt the lives ofAmericans, and addressing thoseconcerns should be a priority, accordingto a study by the School of Social Work.Published in the journal Scientific Reports,research from Patrick Bordnick, dean ofthe school, and Tonya Hansel, a disastermental health expert who overseesthe school’s doctorate program, saysthat despite vaccinations and liftedrestrictions, mental health issues continueto be a crucial concern as the pandemicenters a recovery phase. The researchersfound increased anxiety, depression andalcohol misuse and that the pandemicexacerbated prior ngering-impactstulane.it /covid-19-research for more COVID-19 research news.Tulanian Magazine spring 2022

“What emerged in the research is that peoplehave been debating whether the sport is toorough as far back as the game goes. Thescience is new, but the debate is not.”JENNY MERCEIN, Tulane assistant professor of theatre. Mercein is co-creator, along with playwright KJ Sanchez, of X’s and O’s, a play that examinesthe lasting physical and neurological impacts from playing football. They presented a reading and panel discussion of X’s and O’s at the Jill H. andAvram A. Glazer Family Club at Yulman Stadium in February. Mercein was raised in a football family. Her father, Chuck Mercein, played six seasons inthe NFL and won a championship with the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl II.tulane.it/jenny-merceinP U B L I C H E A LT HLIBRARIESWINE IN MODERATION‘DR. DADDY-O’ DJDrinking a little wine with dinner may helplower risks of developing type 2 diabetes,according to researchers at the Schoolof Public Health and Tropical Medicine.Preliminary results of a study by Dr.Hao Ma, a research fellow at the TulaneObesity Research Center and the TulanePersonalized Health Institute, and otherswere presented at the American HeartAssociation’s Epidemiology, Prevention,Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic HealthConference 2022 in Chicago.Live broadcasts, interviews and radiosegments, which originally aired between1949 and 1958, by Vernon “Dr. Daddy-O”Winslow for “Jivin’ with Jax” on WWEZAM New Orleans are now availableonline via the Tulane University DigitalLibrary. These recordings represent theemergence of Black radio in New Orleans,while featuring Winslow’s work as the firstAfrican American radio disc jockey onNew Orleans airwaves. They are includedin the Hogan Archive of New OrleansMusic and New Orleans Jazz, a division ofTulane University Special Collections. Thedigitization project was funded in part bya grant from the GRAMMY Museum.tulane.it/wine-in-moderationECOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGYMORNING GLORIESThanks to a symbiotic fungus, manyspecies of morning glories containelements of powerful psychedelic drugs,according to a Tulane study published inthe journal Communications Biology.The seeds of the common tropicalvine, whose namesake trumpet-likeblooms only open in the morning, containcompounds that could be useful fortreating mental and physical diseases aswell as promoting well-being, said plantand fungal biologist Keith Clay, chairmanof the Tulane Department of Ecology andEvolutionary BUILDThe School of Architecture’s URBANbuild has partneredwith Bethlehem Lutheran Church on a four-year projectto build four Americans with Disabilities Act–accessiblehousing units in Central City. URBANbuild, a design/buildprogram in which teams of students design and constructprototypical, affordable houses around New Orleans, isdirected by Byron Mouton, Lacey Senior Professor ofPractice. Mouton met Bethlehem’s pastor, Ben Groth,who is also a PhD student in Tulane’s history department,during URBANbuild’s 2021 project, which happened to benext to Bethlehem’s parking lot.tulane.it/urban-buildtulan.it/dr-daddy-oFor more storiesabout Tulane,subscribe toTulane Todaytulane.it/tulane-today7

Up FirstBY THE NUMBERS2022COMMENCEMENTThe Unified Commencement Ceremony for the Class of 2022 was held outside49 47in Yulman Stadium on May 21. It was a glorious celebration, filled with music and joy.1stThe Unified CommencementCeremony for the Class of2022 was the first UnifiedCommencement Ceremonyheld in Yulman Stadium.2,9418Tulanian Magazine spring 2022The 2022 graduatesrepresent 49 U.S. statesand the District ofColumbia, as well as theU.S. territories of Guamand Puerto Rico. The stateswith the most graduatesare Louisiana, New Yorkand California.The number of degree candidates was2,941, including bachelor’s, master’s,doctoral, doctor of medicine, and jurisdoctor degrees.Members of theClass of 2022 arecitizens of 47nations. Thecountries with themost graduates are the UnitedStates, China, India, Spain andPanama.22More members of the Class of2022 were 22 years old whenthey graduated than anyother age.

ON CAMPUSACADEMICSDATALITERACYBY MARY ANN TRAVIST‘ TREE CAMPUS’RECOGNITIONBY LANCE SUMLERFor the 12th year in a row, the Arbor Day Foundation has singled out Tulane’scommitment to maintaining its extensive canopy of majestic oaks and othertrees by naming it an official Tree Campus USA among higher educationinstitutions. The organization, which has planted more than 350 million treesacross the globe, inspires people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees to promote a greenerand healthier future for the earth.Tulane’s historic oaks and expansive greenery are an essential part of the uptowncampus, which has more than 400 trees throughout. Live oaks, crape myrtles and baldcypress trees are a few of the species that have been a part of the university since Tulane’suptown campus was founded in 1884. All are regularly monitored, surveyedexterior wall of theand cared for by several partners within the Tulane community including TheGoldring/Woldenbergthe University Planning Office, Capital Projects and Facilities Services.Business Complex curves“I just can’t imagine the campus without these 100-year-old live oak to accommodate nearbytrees, and some of them are most likely older than that,” said Bill Mizell, live oak trees.Tulane landscape architect. “I think that’s one of the first things thatpeople notice when they come to campus so it’s an honor to be recognized by the ArborFoundation for the work that we’ve done to make sure that the trees on our campus areproperly cared for and thriving.”To be named a Tree Campus Higher Education Institution, Tulane must meet fivecore standards annually, including the establishment of a tree advisory committee, evidence of a campus tree care plan, dedicated annual expenditures for its campus tree program, an Arbor Day observance, and the sponsorship of student service-learning projects.The Newcomb Oaks lining the Newcomb Quad were planted from acorns takenfrom the original Newcomb campus more than 100 years ago. The metasequoia tree infront of the School of Architecture can be traced back to seeds collected in China.he Data Hub, Tulane’s newCenter for Data Literacy, isan educational endeavor thatthe university has created asits Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) forreaccreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).“One of the requirements for re ‑accreditation is that we create a QualityEnhancement Plan, a new endeavor thatdramatically improves the educationalexperience of a sizable percentage of ourstudents,” said Robin Forman, senior vicepresident for academic affairs and provost.When Forman asked faculty and stafffrom across the campus their thoughts onseveral possible themes for the QEP, dataliteracy emerged as the top contender.“Several folks explicitly talked aboutCOVID-19,” said Forman. “Every daywe were seeing statistics on the spread ofinfection and the demographics of hospitalizations, which made it increasinglyclear that you need to be able to think withand about data in order to make informeddecisions about your own health and safetyand that of your community.“The same could be said about manycrucial questions of public policy,” Forman added, “so this QEP is, in part, aboutfulfilling our role to educate engaged,informed citizens.”Data-intensive discovery has becomea fundamental method of inquiry acrossacademic disciplines and drives decisionmaking across industries. “The 21st centuryis in many ways the century of data science,” said Forman. “Data literacy is nowessential for a broad array of professionalopportunities.”“There’s not an industryI can think of thathasn’t been affectedby the growth of data,and which isn’t usingdata in new andinteresting ways.”ROBIN FORMAN, provost9

UP FIRSTSERVICEON THESIDELINEBY ROGER DUNAWAYTulane University and the NewOrleans community lost aninstitution of a man with thepassing of Gayle Letulle inJanuary 2022. He was 74.Gayle epitomized Tulane’s motto: Nonsibi, sed suis, or “not for one’s self, but forone’s own.” As an undergraduate in themid-1960s, he answered an advertisementin the student newspaper, the Tulane Hullabaloo, looking for student workers in theGreen Wave’s sports information officeunder the late, great Bill Curl.“I offered to work for nothing,” Letullesaid in a 2002 interview. “(Curl) couldn’trefuse that offer, I guess.”From that day until his passing, Gaylebegan a love affair and unmatched tenureof service to his alma mater as a statisticianand the unofficial and sometimes official,historian of Tulane football for over fivedecades. He was an extremely dedicatedand proud Tulane alum who witnessed10Tulanian Magazine spring 2022ATHLETICSsome of the greatest moments of Tulaneathletics and New Orleans sporting eventsfrom his sideline seat. He never played adown, half, quarter or inning for Tulane,but he recorded every one of them for overhalf a century.A New Orleans native, Gayle graduated from Francis T. Nicholls High Schooland then earned two degrees from Tulane,a bachelor of arts in 1969 and a law degreein 1972.A tax attorney by trade, Gayle not onlyworked for Tulane football, baseball andmen’s and women’s basketball games inan official capacity, but he also served hiscommunity. He worked with the Saintssince their founding in 1967 (missing onlyfour games), the NBA’s New Orleans Jazz/Hornets/Pelicans, the Allstate Sugar Bowl,the New Orleans Bowl, every men’s andwomen’s NCAA Final Four played in thecity, the Louisiana High School AthleticAssociation Prep Classic and all 10 of theSuper Bowls hosted in New Orleans.In 2010, Gayle’s legacy was cemented atTulane when he received the Billy SlattenAward, an honor presented annually tosomeone who has given extraordinary service, commitment and support to TulaneUniversity and its student-athletes, andwas inducted into the Tulane AthleticsHall of Fame.Gayle cared about two things: his family and his community. When he wasn’ttalking about one, he was chatting aboutthe other. He was a kind man who lackedego. Gayle just wanted to do his job.Gayle came to Tulane for an education.He ended up giving a lifetime’s worth ofservice back to his alma mater and enjoyedevery minute.Most sports fans may not have heardof Gayle or have known of his significantcontributions to the New Orleans sportslandscape, which he probably didn’t mind,but he will be greatly missed by thosewho worked behind the scenes and didknow him.While never in the limelight, for over five decades, Gayle Letulle (A&S ’69, L ’72) served essential roles on thesidelines — as a statistician and historian — for Tulane athletics and New Orleans professional sports teams.

NROTCSOCIAL NETWORKOn Instagram, Facebook and Twitter,people comment on the Class of 2020Unified Diploma ceremony, held on April22, 2022, in Yulman Stadium.what a great way tocelebrate and honor the #2020grads we loved it. Thank youthank you thank you@henryyktcSo cool that you madethis happen for them!Robin Meunier-MillspaughBetter late than never! I’m soglad you’re doing this!Roll Wave!Crystal Joy AllisonEXCELLENCE OFNAVAL ROTCBY ROGER DUNAWAYThe Department of Defensesingled out Tulane University’sNavy ROTC Unit from the 496colleges and universities that hostROTC units for the prestigiousDepartment of Defense ROTC andEducational Institution PartnershipExcellence Award.In a letter to Tulane PresidentMichael Fitts, Secretary of DefenseLloyd Austin said, “Your outstanding support is crucial to the education and training of the finest militaryleaders in the world.”Fitts said, “Tulane has a rich and proudhistory of supporting our Reserve OfficersTraining Corps, dating back to 1938, withthe formation of the Tulane NROTC. Thisrecognition is a wonderful honor for a special group of students, their commander andsupport staff, who exemplify the university’scall to service and elevate our mission ofeducating the leaders of tomorrow.”The Tulane NROTC is one of the oldest active NROTC Units in the nationand has commissioned over 2,150 Navyand Marine Corps Officers. Of those officers, 23 have died on active duty, serving inalmost every conflict since World War II.Among notable alumni are Gen. DavidBerger (E ’81), who became the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps in 2019 andleads the nation’s expeditionary branch; Col.Douglas Hurley (E ’88), a career MarineCorps officer who became a NASA astronaut and served on a pair of space shuttlemissions and was one of the first astronautsfor U.S. commercial spaceflights, commanding the SpaceX Crew Dragon in May2021; and Capt. Jennifer Wilderman (E ’94),a naval aviator who supported OperationDesert Fox, NATO operations in Kosovoand Operation Iraqi Freedom.Tulane’s Navy ROTC Unit gathers in the lobby of theNavy ROTC building on Freret Street on the uptowncampus for a group photo in December 2021.It was a beautifulceremony! Thank youso much to all thatmade it happen.# proudmom@Stephani marieIn the virtual graduationceremony of 2020, Tulanepresident Mike Fitts promisedthe graduates — “We’ll makeit up to you” — and they did,this weekend wi

After Tulane sent students home and shifted all classes online in March 2020, Beau Goodreaux drove around the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, sometimes as far as Bogalusa, for a change of scenery and a break from screen time. When Goodreaux and other members of the Class of '22 began their academic journey at Tulane in fall 2018,