School of Medicine

The Pulse

Editor's Pen

Denise Flock-Williams

Education. Patient care. Research. Public service. These are the four pillars of LSU Health Sciences Center's mission.

The faculty, staff and students who make up the LSU School of Medicine fulfilled each and every one of these components spectacularly over the past three months, and I am delighted to share with you just some of the ways you have embodied the mission of the Health Sciences Center.

Education: Dr. Steve Nelson recently announced a new partnership with Xavier University that will provide qualifying students with full four-year scholarships for medical school (see Top Stories). Be sure to take a look at the overwhelming number of awards and honors your colleagues have racked up this past quarter (SOM Achievements)!

Patient Care: Dr. Augusto Ochoa, Dr. Scott Delacroix, and Eileen Mederos were recognized by NCI for their “herculean” efforts to improve cancer care and survival for patients throughout our region.

Research: For just a small sample of the ongoing research happening here, don't miss the list of publications submitted by your colleagues and other highlights in Seen in the Papers.

Public Service: Dr. Rohan Walvekar, together with other ENT faculty and students, spearheaded a free head and neck cancer screening event (Your Neck of the Woods). Other public service is more global in nature. We are all horrified by the war and scenes coming from the Ukraine. Many of our students are actively working to get medical supplies to the region. Please see the story under Student Forum, which contains links to lend your support to these efforts.

These are the stories that demonstrate the absolute best of the School of Medicine and to further support the work done by our faculty, students and staff, I am excited to announce a new section that will be included in future editions of The Pulse - Unsung Heroes! Please send me suggestions on individuals we can highlight for Unsung Heroes. Each quarter, we will showcase someone who works tirelessly for the success of the School. This new section, like the entire newsletter, will depend on individuals sharing the wonderful stories and updates that happen every day. Please continue to contact me at dflock@lsuhsc.edu anytime with an idea for a story, information or pictures that we can share. As always, I extend additional thanks to Dr. Judy Crabtree, Todd LaGrange, and Dr. Stephanie Taylor who all work behind the scenes to get each issue published.