Shalini Kulasingam traces the arc of her career to Dr. Laura Koutsky, a mentor at the University of Washington, whose work on human papillomavirus opened a window onto one of public health’s most complex and consequential puzzles.
HPV is often acquired in late adolescence, yet the cervical cancer it can cause may not emerge until a woman is in her 40s or 50s — resulting ina profound challenge and a remarkable window for intervention.
That intersection of virology, epidemiology and prevention policy has defined Kulasingam’s research ever since. Her modeling work has shaped cervical cancer screening and vaccination strategies across the United States, Canada, Singapore and several African nations, and she contributed to Australia’s adoption of the HPV vaccine — a move that positions the country to eliminate HPV as a public health threat within the next two decades.
Kulasingam counts one of her proudest professional moments as presenting her research to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force while pregnant with her second child. The experience of influencing national screening policy for American women was, she says, something she never envisioned when she started out as a student.
Now, as founding director of Tulane’s new Center for Cancer Prevention and Control — as well as associate director of population science at both the Tulane Cancer Center and the Louisiana Cancer Research Center — Kulasingam has brought that global perspective to the Gulf South, collaborating with researchers across Tulane, LSU Health New Orleans, Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health.
Her near-term priorities are grounded and practical: building cross-institutional partnerships; advancing at-home screening options for cervical and colorectal cancer; and exploring the emerging field of multi-cancer detection tests. She’s also candid about the headwinds — federal research funding has grown increasingly scarce, requiring creativity and new revenue strategies that she’s determined to learn.
Company
Center for Cancer Prevention and Control, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Title
Founding Director
Assumed New Position
July 2025
