As part of the Beacon of Hope initiative, the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, offers 10-week paid summer fellowships for students at Historically Black Medical Schools to gain experience in drug discovery, data analytics and clinical research practices - with the goal of training up to 250 scientific leaders over 10 years.

After being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, Van Lacour received a Novartis radioligand therapy as part of a managed access program in 2021. Today, he is living a fulfilling life in his hometown of Natchez, Louisiana, US.