Bio

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I have divided my medical career of over 40 years to patient care, clinical research, and education of Internal Medicine residents and Rheumatology Fellows. 

I feel passionate that we care for people like family and try to stress the personal approach in training as much as accurate diagnosis and procedural techniques. 

After finishing my fellowship at Walter Reed in Washington DC, and seven years of Army service, I moved to Norfolk, Virginia to start a private practice and teach for Eastern Virginia Medical School.  I started the department of Rheumatology at EVMS, teaching medical school students and internal medicine residents.  Additionally, I spent 15 years volunteering for the American College of Rheumatology and became a national officer.  I received the designation Master of Rheumatology from the ACR in 2017.

In 1996, I moved to Louisiana to become Chief of Rheumatology at Ochsner-Baton Rouge.  In addition to teaching and caring for patients, I directed the Louisiana Arthritis Foundation for 10 years, receiving the Louisiana Lifetime Achievement Award.  I have led clinical research projects studying RA, SLE, Sjogrens, AS, PsA, OP and more recently large vessel vasculitis.  Since 2012 I have been interested in vaccine research in our rheumatic populations, studying herpes zoster vaccines, presenting data at the ACR and publishing on this subject.  

Following hurricane Katrina in 2005,  I became involved in training Rheumatology fellows as well as APP’s with Ochsner.  In 2020, I joined the staff at LSUHSC Rheumatology and in April 2021 I became the Rheumatology Fellowship Program Director as well as Interim Rheumatology Section Chief within the Department of Medicine at LSUHSC. 

It’s rewarding to develop students into caring and highly trained providers.  It is fulfilling to help deliver high quality care to the large number of  people in our region that suffer from health disparities