HJNO Jan/Feb 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JAN / FEB 2021 63 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com certified in Louisiana for this innovative proce- dure,” according to an AVALA spokesperson. Tulane Researcher Uses Gene Editing Technology in Promising Step Toward Eliminating HIV While HIV infection is now largely manageable with the help of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the virus persists in hard-to-reach reservoirs of the body, requiring those infected to remain on ART for life. Now, research at Tulane and Temple universi- ties may offer a promising step toward eliminat- ing HIV throughout the body. Scientists, using a sophisticated method of gene editing to precisely cut and remove segments of simian immunode- ficiency virus (SIV)-specific DNA in viral reservoirs, have prevented the replication of new virus. SIV is a virus closely related to HIV. The team’s find- ings were published in Nature Communications. The gene editing construct used in this research was developed at Temple and employed at Tulane National Primate Research Center. Using a nonhuman primate model of SIV infec- tion, the researchers demonstrated that an adeno- associated virus can deliver CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing molecules into SIV viral reservoirs in the lymph, spleen, bone marrow, and brain. Like using “molecular scissors,” the treatment cuts out sec- tions of viral DNA to prevent the cells in these res- ervoirs from making new virus. Within three weeks, the treatment eliminated up to two-thirds of the virus from some hidden reservoirs in nonhuman primate subjects on ART. Co-corresponding author Andrew MacLean, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane National Primate Research Center, is encouraged by the findings. “This is an important development in what we hope will be an end to HIV/AIDS,” MacLean said. “The next step is to evaluate this treatment over a longer period to determine if we can achieve complete elimination of the virus, possibly even taking subjects off of ART.” MacLean is hopeful that this treatment strat- egy will translate to people living with HIV. While lifesaving, ART may also have unintended side effects, and the viral reservoir untouched by the therapy may still be capable of causing neurologi- cal complications. Kamel Khalili, PhD, Laura H. Carnell professor and chair of the department of neuroscience and director of the center for neurovirology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple Uni- versity, was a senior co-investigator on the study with Tricia Burdo, PhD, associate professor in the department of neuroscience. Pietro Mancuso, PhD, an assistant scientist in Khalili’s laboratory in the department of neuroscience, was first author on the report. Children’s Hospital New Orleans Names JamieWiggins as Senior VP, Chief Clinical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer Children’s Hospital New Orleans announced the internal appointment of Jamie Wiggins as the organization’s senior vice president, chief clinical officer, and chief nursing officer “Jamie has been instrumental in Children’s Hos- pital’s growth and success since he joined the team in 2017, and we are thrilled that he will be assuming additional clinical responsibilities in his expanded role,” said John R. Nickens IV, presi- dent and CEO of Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “With Jamie’s work ethic, leadership, and vast clin- ical experience, Children’s Hospital will continue to provide expert care for patients and families across Louisiana and the Gulf South.” As chief clinical officer and chief nursing officer, Wiggins will serve as the hospital’s executive over non-physician clinical services including radiology, pharmacy, laboratory, rehabilitative services, and nursing. Wiggins retains executive oversight for Children’s Hospital New Orleans human resources functions. He will also serve as the service line executive for the Cancer Center, surgical services, and neonatology at Children’s Hospital, three of the hospital’s signature programs. Wiggins joined the Children’s Hospital leader- ship team in 2017 as senior vice president and chief nursing officer. Prior to joining Children’s, Wiggins held leadership positions at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Children’s Minnesota, and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Wiggins is adjunct faculty at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans School of Nursing and is a board member on the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Wiggins earned an associate degree in nursing from Pitt Community College, a bachelor of science in nurs- ing from University of San Francisco, a master of science in nursing and health systems leadership from University of California – San Francisco, and a master of business administration from Nich- olls State University. Wiggins is a doctor of nurs- ing science candidate at LSUHSC-NO where he is researching the association of the nursing pro- fessional practice environment on pediatric acute care outcomes. Wiggins is a fellow of the Ameri- can College of Healthcare Executives and is a cer- tified nurse executive-advanced by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Ochsner Health Donates 20,000WindowedMasks to Schools Across Louisiana Ochsner Health kicked off the holiday season early this year by donating 20,000 windowed masks to schools and school systems across Lou- isiana. An innovative addition to a traditional cloth face covering, Ochsner’s clear windowed masks feature a vinyl window in the middle of a cloth mask, enabling one to see an individual’s lips and facial expressions. In the Greater New Orleans Area, Ochsner is donating windowed masks to schools and school systems including Jefferson Parish Schools, NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS), St. Bernard Parish School District, St. John the Baptist Parish Pub- lic Schools, the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and St. Mary Parish Schools. “Recognizing and connecting with facial expres- sions – especially lips – is key for development in children as they learn to express themselves. The windowed masks enable the wearer to still Jamie Wiggins