The Louisiana Cancer Research Center has named Shalini Kulasingam, PhD, MPH, as associate director of population science.  In this new role, Kulasingam will collaborate with cancer population health researchers across LCRC’s partner institutions: Tulane University, LSU Health New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Ochsner Health.

Kulasingam will also serve as associate director of population science at Tulane Cancer Center, and she has been named founding director of Tulane’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine’s newly established Center for Cancer Prevention and Control, effective July 1, 2025.  

Kulasingam will hold joint faculty appointments in the departments of Epidemiology and of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease at Tulane.

“Dr. Kulasingam's interdisciplinary expertise and global leadership in cancer prevention will significantly advance the school’s mission in strengthening cancer control across the Gulf South, shaping national public health policy, and improving health outcomes for populations worldwide” said Thomas LaVeist, dean of the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity at Tulane.

Previously at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health, Kulasingam served as a member of the Masonic Cancer Center’s Screening, Prevention, Etiology, and Cancer Survivorship (SPECS) Program. Her research primarily focuses on the prevention and control of cervical cancer, with a particular emphasis on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and screening strategies.

Through her work, she has significantly influenced cervical cancer screening and prevention policies globally. Notably, she contributed to Australia's adoption of the HPV vaccine, positioning the country to eliminate HPV as a public health issue within the next two decades. Her research has also examined cancer screening in Canada, Singapore, and several African nations.

Beyond her focus on HPV, Kulasingam has applied her expertise in mathematical modeling to address other public health challenges, including collaborating with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Governor’s office during the COVID-19 pandemic to analyze transmission dynamics and inform policy decisions.

Kulasingam earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Washington, along with an MPH from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BA from Bryn Mawr College.

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