School of Medicine

Your Neck of the Woods

Anesthesiology
The department recently hosted the Mack A. Thomas, MD Endowed Lectureship Series. Paul F. White, PhD, MD, FAACS, FANZCA presented "The Changing Practice of Anesthesia: A 50-year Journey in Academic Anesthesia." White is a retired anesthesiologist and research consultant at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at Los Angeles who helped shape and revolutionize the field of ambulatory anesthesia and intravenous anesthesia. A reception preceded the lecture. 

Cardiovascular Center of Excellence
Eric Lazartigues, PhD, Director of the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence at LSU Health New Orleans, has been selected as Associate Editor for Cardiovascular Research.

Drs. Xinping Yue and Nour Abbes both had their abstracts accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the South-Central Chapter of the Society of Toxicology. This chapter serves academic, government, and industrial toxicologists throughout the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and western Tennessee. Established in 1982, the SCC’s mission is to foster scientific exchange among those in the region involved in toxicological research and teaching plus its application to human and environmental risk assessment.

Cell Biology and Anatomy
Professor and Department Chair Dr. Carmen Canavier hosted a reception at her home to welcome three new faculty members: Clairissa Mulloy, MD; Adekunle Omole, MD, MSc, MBA, PGDip; and Joey Marion, PT, DPT, PhD. Emeritus Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy Dr. William Swartz gifts Dr. Marion, Dr. Omole and Dr. Mulloy with anatomy texts while Dr. Canavier looks on (image, left).

 

 

 

 

Internal Medicine
Dr. David Aguilar (Cardiology) recently presented at Tulane’s Internal Medicine Grand Rounds highlighting his work on the 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA HF guidelines. The presentation was entitled “Exploring Key Updates in the 2022 ACC/AHA Heart Failure Guidelines.”

Dr. Allison Augustus-Wallace has been asked to serve as a guest speaker at the 38th Annual International Clinical Cytometry Meeting and Course being held in New Orleans. She was also asked to present as part of the diversity session for the Southwest Regional Meeting.

Dr. Meredith Clement (Infectious Diseases) moderated a symposium titled "Addressing the HIV and STI Syndemic: What Prevention Looks Like in 2023" at the 2023 STI and HIV World Congress in Chicago.  

Dr. Julio Figueroa (Infectious Diseases) has been appointed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America Board of Directors as the Vice Chair of the Quality Measurement & Improvement subcommittee for a two-year term.  

Dr. Agustin Garcia (Hematology-Oncology) presented on gynecological malignancies at the Best of ASCO meetings in Los Angeles.

Dr. Rebecca Lillis (Infectious Diseases) presented the results of a multicenter trial "Validation of an Easy to Administer Algorithm to Define Penicillin Allergy Status in STI Clinic Outpatients" at the 2023 STI and HIV World Congress in Chicago as an oral presentation. 

Dr. Nisha Loganantharaj (Gastroenterology) was recently invited to serve on the Intestinal Ultrasound Group of the U.S. and Canada (iUSCAN) Communications committee.

Dr. Fred A. Lopez (Infectious Diseases) and Dr. Cynthia J. Brown were recently invited to direct the American College of Physicians (ACP) Rapid Board Review 2024 Pre-Course at its Annual Session in Boston, MA in April 2024.

Dr. Lopez also recently participated on the ID MKSAP committee in Philadelphia. 

Dr. Mihran Naljayan (Nephrology) was recently part of a video about peritoneal dialysis and successful treatment of “Kevin,” who is now transplant ready. Tune in here: How Kevin Engaged in His Health Care and Took Control of His Journey.

Dr. Efrain Reisin (Nephrology) spoke at the International Conference on Prehypertension, Hypertension and the Cardio-Metabolic Syndrome by the European Society of Hypertension, International Society of Hypertension and the International Society of Vascular Heath in Zagreb, Croatia in October. His talk was titled "Obesity Hypertension and the Kidney - the Benefits of the DASH and Mediterranean Diets.”

Dr. Lauren Richey (Infectious Diseases) was selected to serve as the vice chair for the HIVMA Ryan White Provider Community of Practice. This will include two years as vice chair followed by two years as chair.  

Dr. Casey Murphy (PM&R) and Dr. Randy Roig (PM&R) both served on the planning committee for the Southern Pain Society’s 37th Annual Meeting. The LSU Pain Fellowship was well represented at the meeting. Fellows Dr. Patrick Fitzsimmons, Dr. E. Thomas Fincke, Dr. Belal Alammar, Dr. Jonathan C. Pham and Dr. Jonathan Liu each had a poster, with either Dr. Murphy or Dr. Roig serving as senior author.

Center for Healthcare Value and Equity Directors and Dual-PIs Dr. Ashley Wennerstrom’s and Dr. Ben Springgate’s (Community & Population Medicine) multiyear cooperative endeavor agreement with the Louisiana Department of Health has been renewed through June 2026 (with an option to extend to June 2028) and will provide at least $9 million for the Center's efforts to expand collaborative research and evaluation, innovation, and partnerships improving health and health care for the people of Louisiana.  

Dr. Springgate (Community & Population Health) and Professor Ken Wells of UCLA's Center for Health Services and Society provided a seminar highlighting two decades of partnered research collaborations across New Orleans and Los Angeles to fellows from multiple UCLA training programs, including the UCLA Clinician Scholars, as well as to leading research partners, such as the CEO of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Anish Mahajan, and Healthy African American Families. The seminar was titled Developing a Vision and a Plan for Community-Partnered Participatory Research Programs. 

Dr. Springgate also joined CMS' Director of Medicare, Dr. Meena Seshamani, at the AARP Community Center in New Orleans in September for a roundtable discussion with Medicare beneficiaries on implementation of Medicare's new drug price negotiations with the pharmaceutical industry, the $35 monthly insulin price cap, and the $2,000 annual out of pocket cost cap for Medicare Part D drug expenses.

 

 

Dr. Springgate and Dr. Tiffany Ardoin (Baton Rouge), together with L4 MD/MPH student Hannah Doran, presented preliminary findings from the PROUD (Promoting Resilience Among Medicaid Members with Opioid Use Disorder) Study to LDH leaders, researchers, and Medicaid stakeholders at the Louisiana Department of Health in Baton Rouge earlier this year. (Image, above right: From left to right, Dr. Ardoin, Dr. Springgate, Kathleen Murphy of the Public University Partnership Program, and Hannah Doran)

Dr. Springgate also presented a talk, “Current Issues in Health and Aging Policy in the United States Senate,” at the Health and Aging Policy Symposium at the National Quality Forum in Washington DC earlier this year.

CBS News highlighted Dr. Gala True’s work for gun safety among veterans: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/veteran-gun-shop-stored-firearms-started-saving-lives/

Dr. Farshid Yazdi (Nephrology) was featured on a recent Fox8 segment about the dangers of uncontrolled blood pressure and the importance of screening for hypertension.

Thirty-four faculty recently completed the inaugural class of the LSU Leadership Academy. This year-long learning focused on skills needed to be a strong leader including self-management, conflict management, building and working in teams as well as a variety of other topics. Dr. Cathy Lazarus and Dr. Cynthia Brown serve as co-directors for the Academy. (Image, left: Dr. Frank Smart, Dr. Keith Van Meter, Dr. Taniya De Silva, Dr. Danny Raines, Dr. David Borne, Dr. Tom Reske, Dr. Agustin Garcia, Dr. John Amoss, Dr. Julio Figueroa, Dr. Raj Mohandas, Dr. Gary Glynn, Dr. Steve Lindsey, Dr. Kyle Happel, Dr. Fred Lopez, Dr. Mike Hagensee, Dr. Karen Curry, Dr. Angie Johnson, Dr. Lee Engel, Dr. Shane Sanne, Dr. Cacky Hebert, Dr. Dean Lauret, Dr. Daniel Stout, Dr. Matthew Carlisle, Dr. Casey Murphy, Dr. Neeraj Jain, Dr. Zee Ali, Dr. Paul LeLorier, Dr. Victoria Burke, Dr. Farshid Yazdi, Dr. Shane Guillory, Dr. Najy Masri, Dr. Meredith Hall, Dr. Pierre Detiege, and Dr. Miranda Mitchell.)

The Section of Infectious Diseases was well represented at the ID Week meetings held in Boston earlier this year:

• Dr. Meredith Clement had two talks, a State-of-the-Art HIV Care and Prevention lecture titled “Diagnosis of HIV in People on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis” and an HIV Management: Clinical Case Conundrums – “A Wheel of Knowledge Challenge.”
• Several posters were also presented:
  • Weight Gain and Weight Loss Attempts among People with HIV(PWH) in Louisiana. Authors included Dr. Lauren Richey, Dr. David Welsh (Pulmonary/Critical Care), and colleagues.  
  • Evaluation of Comparative HIV Care Continuum Outcomes Following Three Years of Program Implementation of the PositiveLinks Smartphone Intervention among People with HIV with and without Substance Use. Authors included Dr. Richey, as well as colleagues from the University of Virginia.
  • ID Fellow Quality Improvement Project Shows Gains in Oral Health: Exams for People with HIV. Authors included Dr. Terrence Park (ID Fellow), Dr. Richey, and Dr. Paula Seal.  
  • Promising Changes in Antibiotic Utilization Associated with Implementation of Rapid Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing for Bloodstream Infection. Authors included: Dr. Tat Yau, Dr. Michelle Blyth, and Dr. Julio E. Figueroa.  
  • Compliance with Human Papillomavirus Vaccination At the HIV Outpatient Program in New Orleans, Louisiana. Authors included Dr. Yau, Dr. Maria Frontini, and Dr. Michael Hagensee.

Office of Diversity and Community Engagement
Dr. Robert Maupin has been elected as the AAMC’s Southern Regional Representative for the Group on Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee, effective November 3, 2023. Regional representatives serve for two years and are responsible for planning the GDI Professional Development Conference scheduled for March, 2024, in Philadelphia, PA. In this role, Dr. Maupin will assist with developing, implementing, and evaluating the annual GDI Professional Development Conference, including managing the call for proposals, reviewing and accepting submissions, organizing program content, and overseeing conference sessions and activities.

Opthathmology
Kevin Kirchner, MD, Associate Professor and Medical Student Director, is hosting a wetlab for the SOM Ophthalmology Interest Group later this year.

Maria Reinoso, MD, Associate Professor and Residency Program Director, attended the Mid-Career Minority Faculty Leadership Seminar in Washington, DC earlier this year. She was nominated by the LSUHSC Office of the Dean.

Department Head Jayne S. Weiss, MD was invited to speak at and attend the OPHTA-ITI Congressional Meeting in October. She presented her talk, "What's New in the Corneal Dystrophies? A Preview of IC3D 2023, Edition 3."

The George S. Ellis, Sr, MD Endowed Lecture was held in October in the Lions building. The department hosted Monte A. Del Monte, MD, Active Emeritus Professor of both Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences & Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the University of Michigan School of Medicine Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor, MI. (Image, left to right: George S. Ellis, Jr, MD; Jim Piccione, MD; Monte del Monte, MD; Maria Reinoso, MD; Reeves Samaha, MD; Alejandro Leon, MD; Robert Balkan, MD; and Sprague Eustis, MD. Ellis, Samaha, Leon, Piccione, and Eustis are all Pediatric Ophthalmologists. Ellis, Reinoso, Leon, Balkan, and Eustis, all work directly with the department’s resident team.)

Lama Assi, MD, volunteered with medical students Lana Thaljeh, Alaa Malik, and Cade Nelson. They gave 42 patients visual acuity and intraocular pressure checks at a Health Festival at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge. (Image, left to right: Cade Nelson MS2; Lama Assi, MD PGY3; Alaa Malik, MS3; Lana Thaljeh, MS4)

 

 

Jayne S. Weiss, MD appeared on WVUE in October in her role as CMO of the LSU HealthCare Network on the post-COVID applications of virtual medical appointments in patient treatment.

The Vitreoretinal Fellowship Team interviewed potential candidates for the upcoming year capped off with lunch at Superior Seafood. (Image, left to right: Thamolwan Surakiatchanukul, MD, Sr. Fellow; Maria Reinoso, MD, Residency Program Director; Aravinda Rao, MD, Fellowship Program Director; and Matt Williams, MD, Jr. Fellow)

 

 

Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Melda Kunduk, PhD; Lacey Adkins, MD; and Andrew McWhorter, MD; organized the workshop "Getting Back to Life After Total Laryngectomy" for their total laryngectomy patients, their families and the community speech pathologists. Participants learned about the communication options and tips to improve the voice quality and to optimize breathing. This workshop also provided attendees with an opportunity to meet other total laryngectomy patients who are at varying stages of recovery. The workshop was held at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

Sloane Clay, BS; J. Logan Sobiesk, MD; Zhide Fang, PhD; and Lacey Adkins, MD’s poster “Laryngeal Injury in Hi-Lo Evac Endotracheal Tubes versus Standard Endotracheal Tubes” was presented at the Fall Voice Conference. 

Pathology
Faculty and residents recently presented posters at CAP (College of American Pathologists) Conference in Chicago (Images, left: Residents Yang, Sadough, and Feroze; below, right: Dr. Bushra Nazir):

• “Post-acute Covid-19 Dermal Endotheliitis: A Case Series Characterizing a Novel Diagnostic Entity,” Jihuan Chen, MB, PhD; Liz Yang, MD; and Sharon Fox, MD, PhD.
• “Correlation between prostatic specific antigen level and tumor burden in prostatic carcinoma grade group,” Maryam Sadough, MD; Angelle Leger, MD; Haibo Wang, BMBS, PhD; and Ritu Bhalla, MD.
• “Giant Vascular Eccrine Spiradenoma - A Rare Variant Presentation of Cutaneous Adnexal Tumor,” Asra Feroze, MBBS; Michael Forte, BS; and Todd M. Leleux, MD.
• “Rare Candida Metapsilosis Septicemia and Brain Micro-abscesses with a Fatal Outcome,” Asra Feroze, MBBS; Gordon L. Love, MD; Luis Del Valle, MD; and Ellen E. Connor, MD, PhD.

Pediatrics
The administrative staff participated in a team-building retreat. The staff divided into two teams (Purple and Gold) and played cornhole and a game of trivia. The group also enjoyed some pet therapy and a history lesson of the State Street campus. Shout outs were sent to the staff that boosted morale and made everyone feel  appreciated. 

The department’s newest fellowship program, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, has been awarded “Initial Accreditation” status from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Program Director and Clinical Assistant Professor Dr. Patrick Ryan plan to recruit and match two candidates for the 2024/2025 academic year.

 

Dr. Cori Morrison, Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics Division of Hematology/Oncology, was invited by the National Healthy Start Association (NHSA) to present "Sickle Cell Disease in Pediatrics: Diagnosis, Management and Advocacy" at their quarterly Grand Rounds conference in September, which is Sickle Cell Disease awareness month. NHSA is a leader in advocacy initiatives that support families and children in early childhood education.

Dr. Pinki Prasad, Associate Professor in the Hematology/Oncology division, was welcomed as an NCORP representative with the Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma Steering Committee (PLLSC). Dr. Prasad will serve a three-year appointment that began in October. The PLLSC was established in 2011 and its members include representatives from the Children’s Oncology Group, pediatric and medical oncologists and other specialists, translational scientists, biostatisticians, patient advocates, and National Cancer Institute staff. Together, these representatives address areas of unmet clinical need, important unanswered clinical questions, and potential new approaches to disease treatment.

Psychiatry
Dr. Joy Osofsky presented at an invited panel on "The Impact of Trauma on Women's and Children's Mental Health" for the 2023 Health Summit: Advancing Population Equity and Well-Being sponsored by the Louisiana Center for Health Equity in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Health Office of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

Ronja Tripp-Bodola was named Chair of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Career Development Committee.

The department was well represented earlier this year at the annual international Academic Psychiatry conference in Vancouver, BC, Canada:

• Poster
  Mark Townsend, Ronja Bodola, Erin Capone, Cause and Effect: Gauging Medical Student Well-Being after Natural Disaster
• Presentation
  Ronja Tripp-Bodola, Psych Story Lab – Narrative Ethics and Narrative Medicine for Psychiatry Clerks and Seniors Students
• Media Presentation
  Ronja Tripp-Bodola, Sarah Stuart, Eric Wilde, Derailed – A novel online game to teach Psych Ethics
• Workshop
  Ronja Tripp-Bodola, Mark Townsend, Intersectional Storytelling: Implementing Dei Measures into the Psychiatry Curriculum (UME/GME)

Ronja Tripp Bodola chaired and organized the panel Graphic Psychiatry - Exploring Visual Narratives of Mental Health, SAMLA 95, November 9-11, 2023, Atlanta, GA.

Physiology
Dr. Lisa M. Harrison-Bernard served as a member of the study section for the NSF Leading Cultural Change through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS) Panel P232536 and for the Florida Department of Health James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program. 

Eden Gallegos, Taylor Fitzpatrick-Schmidt, and Joshua Edavettal have started an LSUHSC-NO chapter of the American Physician Scientist Association. They are planning events for the upcoming year.

Dr. Patricia Molina chaired a symposium “Alcohol-related multisystemic organ injury” and was a speaker for “Contribution of alcohol associated metabolic instability to aging comorbidities” at the 19th European Society for Biomedical research on alcoholism conference, at Graz, Austria. 

Dr. Molina also chaired a symposium “Cross vulnerabilities that promote substance use disorder” at the 2023 National Hispanic Society Network Conference. Dr. Molina was a panelist at the Grant Writing Workshop of the Conference.

KM Rodríguez-Graciani, P McTernan, DE Levitt, P Molina, and L Simon presented the poster “Effect of chronic binge alcohol administration on myoblast mitochondrial integrity in SIV-infected female macaques” at the 2023 National Hispanic Science Network Annual Conference.

 

 

 

Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center
Dr. Augusto Ochoa, Deputy Director of the LSU LCMC Health Cancer Center, took part in the President’s Cancer Panel discussing patient navigation held in New Orleans in early October. The panel explored patient needs from the time of suspected or confirmed cancer diagnosis through the end of treatment. The team discussed ways to improve current technologies and utilize future technologies to reduce cancer care inequities and further break down cancer care barriers.