Tulane researchers at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Tulane National Primate Research Center have developed a Chagas vaccine that safely protects heart function in nonhuman primates. The development is a critical step toward human clinical trials. There is currently no available vaccine for Chagas.

The School of Liberal Arts and the Folger Shakespeare Library co-sponsored a scholarly conference and workshop, “Rac(e)ing the Shakespearean Archive: Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction New Orleans,” which examined the role of race and modern interpretations in William Shakespeare’s work. Held in February, the conference featured Othello performances with actors of different ethnicities and genders.

“Look at any map or satellite image of New Orleans, and you will still readily see the imprint of this old, French surveying system from centuries ago.”

Getting sick often may impact how quickly the brain ages and increase the risk of dementia or other forms of cognitive decline, according to a study led by Elizabeth Engler-Chiurazzi, assistant professor of neurosurgery and behavioral neuroscientist at the School of Medicine. The study found that repeated, intermittent experiences with moderate inflammation, such as that caused by the flu or a common cold, caused impaired cognition.

Chef Edgar “Dook” Chase IV, grandson of New Orleans’ Creole cuisine legend Leah Chase, and his wife, Gretchen, opened Chapter IV, a restaurant in the new Thirteen15 building on Tulane’s downtown campus. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and Sunday brunch. The Thirteen15 building, located on Gravier Street, is the current site of the Tulane Innovation Institute and home to apartments designed for members of the Tulane community.

The Louis Prima collection has been processed by Tulane University Special Collections and is now accessible to researchers. The collection includes personal and business papers, correspondence, sheet music, photographs, publicity materials and audiovisual materials related to Louis Prima, the legendary New Orleans-born singer, songwriter, bandleader and trumpeter.

Researchers at the Tulane National Primate Research Center will examine how chronic oral infections affect the severity of HIV infection and the efficacy of antiretroviral therapies used to treat HIV. A $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund this research, which will be led by Prasun Datta, associate professor of microbiology and immunology.

Tulane has joined the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Research University Consortium, which comprises a select group of ACLS associate members that are prominent institutions who play a leadership role in sustaining and enhancing the national infrastructure of humanities and interpretive social sciences research.

Tulane Women’s Basketball Head Coach Lisa Stockton became the all-time winningest women’s college basketball coach in the state of Louisiana with 577 wins after leading the Green Wave to a 65-54 victory at Cincinnati in February. In March, men’s basketball head coach Ron Hunter garnered his 500th career win with Tulane’s 83-82 victory over Temple, the Green Wave’s regular season finale.

Mariam Taqaddusi, who fled Afghanistan, and Islam Ahmed, who fled Egypt, are part of the Tulane Global Visiting Scholars Program, which was established to broaden and deepen global perspectives at Tulane while supporting scholars who face significant risk to their lives and well-being. Taqaddusi is affiliated with the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and the Newcomb Institute. Ahmed is affiliated with the Department of Political Science and the Middle East and North African Studies Program.