Tulane Names Shalini Kulasingam
Founding Director of New Cancer Prevention Center
The Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University has appointed Shalini Kulasingam, PhD, MPH, as the founding director of the school’s newly established Center for Cancer Prevention and Control, effective July 1, 2025.
She will hold joint faculty appointments in the departments of Epidemiology and of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease.
“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.
In a dual role, Kulasingam will also serve as associate director of population science at the Tulane Cancer Center, and her leadership will also extend to the Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC), where she will serve in the same capacity with the same title. She 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.
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.
