School of Medicine

Your Neck of the Woods

Chancellor’s Office
Chancellor Steve Nelson wrote a Letter to the editor of The Advocate to highlight the crucial role NIH funding plays in advancing modern medicine, treatment protocols, and maintaining the U.S. as the global leader in bioinnovation.

Interdisciplinary Oncology
Rinku Majumder, PhD, has been selected as a spokesperson for the American Society of Hematology to share the importance of ASH Bridge Grants. She interviewed with Heme Today. 

Internal Medicine
The department and UMC have acquired an Ion robotic navigational bronchoscope. The addition of this state-of-the-art endoscopic platform allows providers to reach ANY area of the lung for biopsy. Combined with increased CT screening for lung cancer and the arrival of a thoracic oncology surgeon this summer, the ability to diagnose and cure early lung cancer at UMC is about to take a quantum leap forward.

Dr. Victoria Burke (Infectious Diseases) spoke at the North American Skull Base Society meeting in New Orleans. She gave a talk entitled “Antifungals for Invasive Fungal Sinusitis” and was on a panel addressing “Invasive Fungal Sinusitis.”

Dr. Pia Chowdry (Hematology-Oncology) was interviewed by Soledad O'Brien about caring for patients at Lallie Kemp Hospital. The interview aired on Matter of Fact in February.

Dr. Julio Figueroa (Infectious Diseases) participated in a national media briefing sponsored by Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) about avian influenza in February during which he shared updates about preparation and cases in Louisiana.

Dr. Agustin Garcia (Hematology-Oncology) was a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Ovarian Cancer Expert Panel, which developed updated guidelines regarding neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced ovarian cancer that were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Paul Harch (Emergency Medicine) was recently interviewed for the city news in Montreal regarding a child he is treating after drowning receiving treatment inaccessible in Canada. The interview can be found here. 

Dr. Catherine Hudson (Gastroenterology) trained and received certification in Advanced Bariatric Suturing from the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) through their STAR Certificate Program which included a written exam and hands-on skills assessment lab in Chicago. These skills are essential to perform Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty and Transoral Outlet Reduction as part of a comprehensive bariatric endoscopic practice.

Dr. Farha Khan (Lafayette) and colleagues were featured in a recent Catholic Charities of Acadiana magazine, which described the Lafayette IM Homeless Shelter program.

Dr. Nisha Loganantharaj (Gastroenterology) lectured at the Mississippi GI society annual meeting on Complex Management in Crohn’s Disease and also participated in the IBD case study panel discussion. 

Dr. Rajesh Mohandas (Nephrology & Hypertension) worked with colleagues at LSU Shreveport on two posters, “Targeting Neutrophil Integrin α9 Enhances Microglial Efferocytosis and Improves Sensorimotor and Cognitive Recovery Following Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Mice”  and “Prolyl Hydroxylase Inhibitor Desidustat Improves Stroke Outcomes by Enhancing Microglial Efferocytosis in Mice with Chronic Kidney Disease,” that were presented at the International Stroke Conference.

Dr. Mihran Naljayan (Nephrology & Hypertension) has been selected to join the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Centers of Excellence in Home Dialysis Workgroup. The workgroup will develop criteria to define how a home dialysis facility may be distinguished as a center of excellence in home dialysis.

Dr. Naljayan's abstract titled “Characterization of Pediatric Patients Initiating Dialysis in a Network of Centers with Common Governance” has been selected as the top abstract and oral presentation at the Annual Dialysis Conference. He presented the abstract at the meeting in Las Vegas in March.

Dr. Naljayan also participated in the panel discussion "Care Journey Optimization" at the 21st Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (ASDIN) in Grapevine, Texas. The discussion focused on access placement and value-based care in patients with kidney disease.

Dr. Mehnaz Rahman (Cardiology) was selected to participate in the American College of Cardiology’s ACC Educator: Advanced Concepts, a master class in educational leadership open exclusively to graduates of the ACC Emerging Faculty Leadership Academy course.

Dr. Ben Springgate (Community and Population Medicine) served as an expert for Undue Medical Debt, an organization that seeks to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of medical debt faced by Americans, including LSUHSC patients. First Do No Harm: How Clinicians Can Champion the End of Medical Debt explores frontline healthcare workers’ experiences navigating cost-of-care conversations with their patients and sets the groundwork for helping clinicians become more engaged and empowered to tackle the medical debt crisis, the number one cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States. This work explores how practicing physicians can help reduce the likelihood that patients will face unmanageable or overwhelming debt after seeking needed health services. 

Dr. Elyse Stevens (Community & Population Medicine) recently spoke with Next Avenue (PBS) on health benefits of green tea.

The nationally-recognized Armory Project has expanded to Arkansas. Dr. Gala True (Community and Population Medicine) developed the model in partnership with firearm retailers to support safe firearm storage for veterans and others in times of crisis or need. 

The Pulmonary and Critical Care Section held its 69th Annual Tri-State Pulmonary Case Conference Seminar at UMC in January. The day featured fascinating pulmonary case presentations by visiting programs including the University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of South Alabama, University of Mississippi Medical Center, and LSU Shreveport as well as presentations by the LSUHSC New Orleans and Tulane programs. This year’s keynote, “Risk Stratification and Catheter-Directed Therapy for Acute Pulmonary Embolism,” was given by Dr. Roger Yusen, Associate Professor of Medicine in the John T. Milliken Department of Internal Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The event was well attended and a huge success. The Section also organized and hosted a CME symposium on Bronchiectasis and Mycobacterial Lung Disease as a pre-event. Speakers included Dr. Juzar Ali, Dr. Shelby MacRae, Dr. Amy Wolfe, Dr. Michelle Korah-Sedgwick, Dr. Judd Shellito, and Dr. David Welsh.

The Infectious Diseases team joined UMC pharmacists to present a research abstract as a poster at the American Society of Health System Pharmacists Midyear Meeting. Faculty Dr. MJ Nsuami, Dr. Victoria Burke, Dr. Julio Figueroa, and Dr. Ashaur Azhar’s poster was titled “Impact of Vancomycin Versus Daptomycin Use on Pharmacist Efficiency and Patient Outcomes at University Medical Center New Orleans.”

Dr. Asad Mussarat (IM Resident), Dr. Sepehr Sadeghi (IM Resident), Dr. Monica Hanzo (Cardiology Fellow) and Dr. Neeraj Jain (Cardiology) recently presented their poster on an unusual cause of cardiogenic shock at the annual meetings of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago. 

Dr. Fred Lopez (Infectious Disease) was invited to be a member of the American College of Physicians’ Confirmation of Relevant Education (CORE) Standard-Setting Committee. CORE is a new MKSAP enhancement that provides physicians with additional multiple-choice questions highly relevant to their practice and by which they can demonstrate knowledge proficiency and commitment to longitudinal learning. ACP MKSAP learners can unlock the CORE quizzes for a subspecialty after answering ACP MKSAP questions and meeting progress and proficiency thresholds.

Dr. Juzar Ali (Pulmonary/Critical Care) was recently interviewed by TouchRESPIRATORY. In this interview, Dr. Ali, a leading expert in respiratory medicine, reflects on his distinguished career specializing in tuberculosis, non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease and bronchiectasis.

Dr. Mihran Naljayan (Nephrology) was invited to give renal grand rounds at UCLA Harbor Hospital in Torrance, CA. His talk was titled “Outpatient management of patients with AKI-D on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.” 

The department was well represented at the recent American College of Physicians meetings in New Orleans. Dr. Angela McLean (Comprehensive Medicine) served as the Host Governor. Dr. Cathy Lazarus and Dr. Lee Engel were elected to Mastership of the ACP. Cynthia Brown, Fred Lopez, Neeraj Jain, Rajesh Mohandas, Daniel Raines, Taniya De Silva, Victoria Burke, and Amita Krishnan also led sessions and pre-courses.

Neurology
The Adult LSU Epilepsy Center at University Medical Center, led by Piotr Olejniczak, MD, PhD, has been accredited as a level 3 epilepsy center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). The three-year accreditation signifies that the center provides a range of neurodiagnostic evaluations and medical, neuropsychological, and psychosocial services needed to diagnose and treat patients with refractory epilepsy.

Obstetrics & Gynecology
Touro Hospital has been listed on Newsweek's list of America's Best Maternity Hospitals 2025. The department’s hospital/leadership team, attending physicians who educate and supervise the residents, and the hard-working resident teams who provide patient care share in this success. 

Office of Medical Education
The Office participated in LSU Day at the Capitol on April 23. The office brought patient simulators to increase awareness among legislators of the medical education techniques implemented here. 

Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
Dr. Moises Arriaga and Dr. Rahul Mehta received educational grants from Carl Zeiss Meditec, Stryker, and MED-EL in support of the Temporal Bone Course held in May.

The department held its annual Head-Neck Anatomy Course, including lectures and laboratory exercises with Drs. Daniel Nuss, Vilija Vaitaitis, Alyssa Ovaitt, Rohan Walvekar, Anand Kanwar, Rahul Mehta, Jason Mussell, and Anatomy personnel Anthony Wells and Shenell Thomas on March 29 at the LSUHSC CAP Lab.

 

Department faculty played an important role in advancing the understanding and treatment of head and neck cancers in the region at the Cancer Advisory Group of LA (CAGLA) Conference held on LSUHSC’s campus in New Orleans:

• Rohan Walvekar chaired and moderated the Head and Neck Cancer Section.
• Rula Mualla delivered an insightful presentation on the "Challenges in Early Detection of Head & Neck Cancers.”
• Sagar Kansara shared his expertise on "Immunology in Head Neck Cancers.”
• Katie Melder presented "Nuances of Cancer Treatment in the Skull Base & Sinonasal Cavity.”

Dr. Kansara also presented grand rounds (Circulating Tumor DNA in Head and Neck Cancer) at the University of Illinois – Chicago in April.

Dr. Kansara was also featured in the American Head and Neck Society Population & Health Clinical Research Service: A conversation with Ravindra Uppaluri, MD, PhD “Neoadjuvant Therapy for Advanced H&N Mucosal Carcinoma” with Sagar Kansara, MD. 

Dr. Walvekar also was interviewed recently by CSurgeries Member and Editor Liaison Cyn Franco regarding his experience with patients not having confidence in performing salivary gland massage, a common treatment recommendation.

The department had a significant presence at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) held in New Orleans in May:

• Laura Hetzler served as AAFPRS COSM course chair;
• Alyssa Ovaitt was a panelist for "Non-Traditional Approach to Defect Management" and an oral abstract author showcase moderator at AAFPRS COSM;
• Lisa Morris was an oral abstract author showcase moderator at AAFPRS COSM;
• Celeste Gary was a panelist for "Building an Aesthetics Practice in Academia" at AAFPRS COSM;
• Andrew McWhorter was a panelist and poster presenter on Zenker's Diverticulectomy at COSM.

Dr. Morris was also the visiting lecturer at Oregon Health Science University’s OSHU Grand Rounds on virtual surgical planning and comprehensive cleft care.

Drs. Morris and Ovaitt hosted a head and neck cadaver dissection workshop recently in the CAP Lab for LSU anatomy students.

 

 

Dr. Vilija Vaitaitis gave a presentation on head and neck cancer at the Cancer Crusaders’ monthly meeting in April at the LCMC Health Cancer Center.

 

 

 

Dr. Jill D’Souza was a panelist and presenter at the 2025 ASPO Annual Meeting held in Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Laura Hetzler participated in a clinical mission trip to Ecuador for Global Smile mission (cleft surgery) in March 2025.

Dr. Hetzler also presented at a national interprofessional/multiD webinar put on by Facial Therapy Specialists International (FTSI) on “Chemodenervation for Synkinesis.”

Dr. Hetzler also submitted an application to create a Facial Plastics Reconstructive Surgery (FPRS) Fellowship.

Drs. Hetzler, Ovaitt, and Stephen Hernandez will all serve as panelists at the 2025 Gulf States Regional Otolaryngology Conference later this year in Gulf Shores, AL.

Dr. Christine Settoon coordinated the Committee of Women Surgeons spring social on April 12^th.  The regional committee aims to promote the professional development of female surgeons within the institution, and includes faculty from various surgical specialties, including otolaryngology, obstetrics-gynecology, orthopedics, and more. ENT faculty present included Dr. Melder, Dr. Vaitaitis, Dr. Petrauskas and Dr. Settoon.

 

Pathology
Dr. Zhiyan Fu, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology, and Dr. Yu Liu, PGY2 resident, (pictured, below left) attended the USCAP conference in Boston, where they had the opportunity to reconnect with Dr. Wenjing Qiu, a 2024 alumnus (pictured, below right). 

 

 

 

 

Pediatrics
Drs. Moulton and Desselle treated the administrative staff to lunch at Barracuda Taco Stand on Administrative Professionals Day.

 

 

 

Department faculty, residents, and fellows had 31 abstracts accepted to the Southern Society for Pediatric Research Regional meeting, including 13 platform presentations. Trainees took the podium five times (more representation than any other university) during the Neonatal Clinical Case Symposium. Dr. Mary Johnson moderated the session. Dr. Julie Gallois served as lead reviewer for neonatal case abstracts. Dr. Luke Wall moderated the Allergy, Immunology, Rheumatology platform session and also served as an abstract reviewer, trainee travel award judge, and poster session mentor. Dr. Wall was also elected as SSPR Council Member. Prior to the meeting, Drs. Gallois and Wall co-organized the Manning Children's Oral Practice Presentation which included faculty volunteers Drs. Amy Creel, Kyle Fulton, Anne Tufton, Mary Johnson, Emily Masoumy, Caroline Straatmann, Shannon Palombo, Michelle Knecht, Maradith Skalak, and Bonnie Desselle.

The Working Moms in Medicine group met for a special Valentine's Luncheon and gift exchange.

 

 

 

The department was well represented at the APPD conference in Atlanta. Drs. Amy Creel and Amanda Messer presented "Innovations in Fellowship Scholarship: Promoting Fellow Success and Faculty Academic Advancement for Careers in Modern Medicine" along with colleagues from Stanford. Additionally, Drs. Amy Creel, Amanda Messer, Mary Lago, Bonnie Desselle, Mary Johnson, Karleigh Barkemeyer, and Christy Mumphrey presented posters.

Dr. Pinki Prasad (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology) was recently accepted to the 2025-2026 ASCO Leadership Development Program: Education Scholars Class.

Drs. Amy Creel, Robin English, Callie Roth, and Leslie Reilly recently attended the Council of Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP) annual meeting in Indianapolis. Dr. Creel presented the workshop, "8 Steps to Teach with Impact" and Dr. Reilly presented, "Full Speed Ahead: Coaching Post-Clerkship Students through Reflective Practice." Dr. Roth presented a poster with medical student Prashum Chanda.

The department recognized Wellness Week with a number of events, including hosting visiting professor Dr. Katrina Skinner, who met with wellness committee members, delivered Grand Rounds and held workshops for residents and the Working Moms' Group. Additional events included Heal the Healer and a resident wellness lunch. Wellness Ambassador Dr. Jerussa Aita-Levy and Emma Simon (Medical Education) planned the events.

Physiology
Nicholas Gilpin is the Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) 2025 Annual Meeting Program Chair.

Gilpin is also spearheading the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence (ADACE) collaborative event on Polysubstance Use with RSA and College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD).

Scott Edwards presented a talk titled “The Impact of Alcohol Use on Biomedical Comorbidity Risk” at the LSUHSC-NO Department of Medicine Grand Rounds.

Andrea Jones judged the Senior Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology and Junior Animal Science divisions at the Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair at Tulane.

Department representatives were active at the 2025 Alcohol-Induced End Organ Diseases Gordon Research Conference:

• Patricia Molina chaired the conference (Redundant Mechanisms of Multi-Organ Injury)
• Jason Gardner gave a talk entitled “ECM Modifications: A Mechanism of Alcohol-Mediated Cardiac Injury."
• Janos Paloczi gave a talk entitled “The Aftermath of Binge Drinking: Loss of Gut Integrity and Cardiovascular Dysfunction."
• Robert Siggins gave a talk entitled “Alcohol Interference with the Continuum: From Proliferation to Senescence.”
• Liz Simon gave a talk entitled “Fueling Metabolism: The Intersection of Calorie Dense Diets and Alcohol."