Tulane Releases

Kim Boyle, one of New Orleans’ top lawyers and Michael D. Rubenstein, a Tulane graduate and leading attorney based in Houston, have been named to the Board of Tulane, the university’s main governing body. The board members began their appointments on July 1. Boyle previously served on the Tulane board from 2009-2021 and was elected to an additional term. Rubenstein will serve as the new Tulane Alumni Association member of the board.

Tulane physics professor Fred Wietfeldt has been awarded an $8.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to build a new apparatus aimed at solving what he calls “one of the most important problems in physics today.”

A new Tulane study suggests that the link between bats and coronaviruses is likely due to a long-shared history, and that genetic information can help us prevent and manage future pandemics.

Tulane University researchers will use a new $3.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to investigate how specialized immune cells may block cytomegalovirus transmission during pregnancy.  

Alumna Cheryl A. Verlander and her husband, Charles “Chuck” N. Bracht, have made a $1 million bequest to Tulane’s Verlander-Bracht Scholarship Endowed Fund, which they created in 2008 to support students who are pursuing master’s degrees at the School of Social Work.

A new study confirms what many on social media have long reported: The COVID-19 vaccines did affect people’s periods, especially for those who don’t typically have them due to long-acting contraceptives, gender-affirming hormone treatments or menopause.

Shawn Abbott, who has held leadership roles in enrollment management at NYU, Stanford, Columbia and other top universities, has accepted the appointment as Tulane University’s new vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission effective September 6.

Marcus Foster, a graduate of Tulane University’s School of Law, has been named the university’s new Chief Title IX Officer, effective July 1.