Robert Batson, MD, FACS Retires
Earlier this year, the distinguished Dr. Robert C. Batson retired from the LSU School of Medicine. Dr. Batson joined the surgery faculty at LSU Medical Center in 1976. He served as the Program Director of the Vascular Surgery fellowship from 1980-1989, and again in 1996-2005, and Chief of the Section of Vascular Surgery from 1996 to 2011. In 2010, after a vacancy in leadership, he was appointed Interim Chair of the Department of Surgery and was shortly thereafter named Chair in 2011.
Dr. Batson has many awards and accolades to his name, including membership in Alpha Omega Alpha, recipient of the Shipley Award of the Southern Surgical Association, and on the Board of Directors of the Gulf Coast Vascular Society, LSU Medical Alumni Association, and the LSU Health Sciences Center Foundation. He has served as President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, the James D. Rives Surgical Society, the Jesse E. Thompson Vascular Society, New Orleans Surgical Society, Peripheral Vascular Surgery Society, Surgical Association of Louisiana. He has more than 30 refereed published manuscripts.
Dr. Batson’s greatest legacy, however, can be seen in the generations of surgical residents and fellows trained under his watchful eye. During his tenure as Chair, he saw over 100 residents and fellows graduate from LSU Health New Orleans. The General Surgery Residency grew from eight graduating chiefs per year to 11, becoming one of the largest programs in the country. There was the addition of integrated Vascular and Plastic Surgery programs; Colorectal, Minimally Invasive/Metabolic Surgery Fellowships; and recruitment of nationally prominent surgeons to lead clinical programs. He loved to teach, and it was an honor to be able to name the Robert C. Batson Faculty Award this year.
Dr. Batson has been a pillar of the surgery department for decades, and he has graciously agreed to continue to serve as a mentor to residents and faculty. He has received an Emeritus appointment within the department.