HJNO Jan/Feb 2026

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JAN / FEB 2026 37 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Scientists Uncover New On Switch for Pain Signaling Pathway Researchers at Tulane University, with a team of colleagues from eight other universities, have discovered a new nerve cell signaling mechanism that could transform our understanding of pain and lead to safer, more effective treatments. The study, co-led by Matthew Dalva, the Phyl- lis M. Taylor Presidential Chair in Brain Science at Tulane, and Ted Price at the University of Texas at Dallas, reveals that neurons can release an enzyme outside the cell that switches on pain signaling after injury. The work, published in Science , offers new insight into how brain cells strengthen their connections during learning and memory and point to a safer way to influence pain pathways. Because the study finding also indi- cates how interactions between cell-surface pro- teins outside the cell can be controlled, there’s a potential for simplifying drug development and reducing off-target effects, since the drug would not enter the cell. Next steps are to see whether this is a mech- anism specific to just a few proteins or part of a broader and underappreciated aspect of biology. Findings from that investigation could reshape treatment approaches for neurological and other diseases, Dalva said. The research was conducted in collaboration with Dalva, Price, and colleagues at the Univer- sity of Texas Health Science Center at San Anto- nio, the University of Texas MD Anderson Can- cer Center, the University of Houston, Princeton University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, New York University Grossman School of Medi- cine, and Thomas Jefferson University. The research was supported by grants from individual institutes within the National Institutes of Health. . Louisiana SurgeonGeneral Ralph Abraham, AVaccine Skeptic, Tapped For No. 2 Post at CDC Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham, who rolled back government vaccine distribution as the state’s top public health official, has been appointed to the second highest position at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Abraham, a 71-year-old medical doctor, lives in rural Richland Parish and served as a Republican congressman representing Northeast Louisiana from 2015 until 2021. According to reporting by Julie O'Donoghue in the Louisiana Illuminator , Abraham has espoused skepticism about vaccines for years. After becom- ing surgeon general in 2024, he scuttled Louisi- ana’s longstanding vaccine promotion program, shutting down its advertising campaign and elimi- nating mass vaccination events the state has con- ducted for at least two decades for the flu and other diseases. Recently, Abraham also drew criticism from other public health experts for waiting several weeks to make a public statement and offer guid- ance on whooping cough after two babies in Lou- isiana died from the illness in 2025. Gov. Jeff Landry, who has also expressed skepti- cism about vaccines, praised Abraham’s appoint- ment to help lead the nation’s leading public health organization. “While we are certainly sad to lose Dr. Abraham here in Louisiana, we are thrilled to see the CDC gain a selfless leader,” Landry said in a prepared statement. “There is no better advocate for health freedom than Ralph Abraham.” Prior to his government roles, Abraham worked as a veterinarian treating animals for a decade and then returned to school and earned his medical degree in 1994 at age 40. He operated a gen- eral practice and still treats patients on a part-time basis at a rural health clinic in Louisiana’s Missis- sippi Delta region, one of the poorest sections of the country. Gov. Jeff Landry tapped Abraham to be Louisi- ana’s health secretary for the first several months of Landry’s administration in 2024. The governor and state lawmakers then created the position of state surgeon general specifically for Abraham last year. In that job, the former congressman has been in charge of the state’s public health efforts and said he planned to focus on preventing dis- eases such as diabetes and obesity in Louisiana. In addition to casting doubt on the need for vaccines, Abraham has also promoted COVID-19 treatments that infectious disease experts have widely debunked. They include taking hydroxy- chloroquine, a medication used to prevent malaria, and ivermectin, a drug used for parasitic infections. Recently, Abraham cited talking points pro- moted by anti-vaccine groups in a public appear- ance. At a press conference, he highlighted a Cleveland Clinic study that skeptics use to cast doubt on the usefulness of the flu vaccine. Staff at the Cleveland Clinic and other disease experts have pushed back on the interpretation of the study Abraham reiterated and emphasized the study doesn’t prove the flu vaccine is ineffective. The Louisiana Illuminator article this news brief was taken from was shortened for space. To read the full article, go to: https://lailluminator. com/2025/11/25/louisiana-surgeon-general- ralph-abraham-a-vaccine-skeptic-tapped-for- no-2-post-at-cdc/ Louisiana Backs OffMedicaid Contract Termination,Will Offer ExtensionThroughMarch A week after Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration confirmed the sudden end of a $4.2 billion Med- icaid contract that provides health insurance to more than 330,000 people, state officials backed off their original plan and said they would seek an extension of the arrangement through March instead. The state will continue to work with United- Healthcare of Louisiana to provide Medicaid cov- erage if the company agrees to a short-term sup- plemental contract. The arrangement would be worth approximately $561 million for 90 days in 2026, Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein said in an article by Julie O'Donoghue in the Louisiana Illuminator . If accepted, the contract extension would keep 330,000 people with UnitedHealthcare Medicaid plans from being quickly moved to another insur- ance provider before the end of 2025. The Landry administration eased up on initial plans to abruptly cancel the UnitedHealthcare contract in response to pressure from state sena- tors during a hastily called legislative hearing after the announcement. Senators questioned whether the health department would be able to shift hun- dreds of thousands of people from one Medicaid plan to another over the next two weeks without massive disruptions. They worried that Medicaid enrollees — as well as hospitals, doctors and other medical providers —were not prepared for such a massive overhaul