Section on Integrative Medicine
Advisory Board biographies
Kristin Bassett, student at LSUHSC School of Medicine and member of the Integrative Medicine Interest Group.Ms. Bassett believes in the importance of educating future physicians in holistic approaches to medicine. She works closely with colleagues and healers to provide current information about alternative-health practices. As President of the Integrative Medicine Interest Group, Ms. Bassett leads her fellow students toward to the future of medicine. Ms. Basset was elected Treasurer of the LSU Student-Run Homeless Clinic. She is a member of the Academy of American Family Physicians and American Medical Student Association.
Christen S. Cali, student at LSUHSC School of Medicine and member of the Integrative Medicine Interest Group. She endeavors to help her fellow students understand holistic health paradigms. Ms. Cali believes that primary prevention, as part of holistic wellness, is key to mitigating the chronic disease epidemic. Ms. Cali is also a member of the Student Advocacy Committee at LSUHSC School of Medicine, through which she heads the Peer Advocate Liaison group for the medical school. This student group is planning to host speakers to discuss ways medical students can achieve and maintain emotional and physical well-being during medical school. She is a member of the American Medical Student Association and Academy of American Family Physicians.
Charles Carpenter, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Touro Infirmary Preventative/Alternative Medicine Clinic. Dr. Carpenter is also President of the New Orleans chapter of the Wholistic Wellness Network and a teacher of Tai Chi and Qui Gong Meditation.
Renee Gardner, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology. Her clinical specialties include leukemia/lymphoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma and soft tissue sarcomas. Dr. Gardner's research interests include late effects of cancer and treatment, hematopoiesis and chemoprevention. In addition, she has done research on the mitigating effects of herbs and supplements during chemotherapy.
Yazen Joudeh, student at LSUHSC School of Medicine and member of the Integrative Medicine Interest Group. He is interested in Pediatrics and Family Medicine as well as preventative medicine. In addition, Mr. Joudeh is currently studying kung fu and chi gong, furthering his appreciation of the need to incorporate Eastern medical practices along with Western medicine in order to provide a more holistic treatment of patients.
Kim Edward LeBlanc, MD, PhD, FAAFP, FACSM, Marie Lahasky Professor and Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and Director of Rural Education at LSUHSC School of Medicine-New Orleans. He also serves as President of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. LeBlanc is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Sports Medicine. In addition, he contributes as a reviewer to such journals as American Family Physician, Physician and Sports Medicine, and Family Practice Recertification. Dr. LeBlanc's research interests include the use of ergonomic aids in exercise and sports.
Alfredo Lopez, MD, PhD, Chief of the Section of Nutrition in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Lopez also serves as the vice chairman of academic affairs for the LSUHSC Department of Medicine, vice chairman of the Medical Center of Louisiana in New Orleans (MCLNO) Internal Medicine Center, chairman of the Nutrition Committee at MCLNO, and member of the Board of the Charity-LSU-Tulane General Clinical Research Center. Dr. Lopez is also the director of the weekly Lipid Clinic at MCLNO. This specialty clinic, established by Dr. Lopez in 1974, has been in existence longer than any other lipid clinic in the country. Dr. Lopez has been involved in research since 1958, when he initiated pioneering work on the metabolism of DHEA and its role in obesity and aging, and he continued this work when he joined LSUHSC Medical School in 1967. Since then, the section has been the recipient of NIH grant support for more than 28 years. The role of nutrition and exercise in chronic disease and in lipid and steroid metabolism has been the focus of the supported research projects of the section.
Robert L. Marier, MD, MHA, Professor, School of Public Health. Dr. Marier has been a member of the LSU Health Sciences Center faculty since 1978. He served as Dean of the LSUHSC School of Medicine-New Orleans from 1995 to 2002, when he stepped down to devote his full attention to the development and creation of the School of Public Health. An Infectious Diseases specialist, Dr. Marier has long had an interest in public health. He served as Medical Director of Charity Hospital, Chief Administrative Officer of University Hospital, Chairman of the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and Director of the Public Hospital System. He served in the United States Public Health Service as an Epidemic Intelligence Officer at the Centers for Disease Control.
Gabriel E. Mendy, MD, MPH&TM, Medical Director, Healing Healthcare. Dr. Mendy is also Medical Director of the NO/AIDS Task Force and Chairman of the New Orleans Regional Aids Planning Council.
Chandan Prasad, PhD, Professor (Medicine and Neuroscience) and Vice Chairman (Research) in the Department of Medicine. A current focus of Dr. Prasad's research is on the role of dietary supplements in obesity, diabetes and heart diseases. He has authored more than 200 papers in the areas of appetite regulation, obesity, and nutrition. He holds three U.S. and international patents for treatment of obesity and alcoholism. He also serves as Editor in Chief of Nutritional Neuroscience and Associate Editor of Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research.
Thomas M. Wolf, PhD, Clinical and Developmental Psychologist, Professor and Chief of the Section of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry. He conducts research on the stress, coping, perceived mistreatment, and health of medical students and has published more than 50 scientific articles and chapters. Dr. Wolf initiated the LSUHSC Health Promotion Program in 1986 for students to take responsibility for their physical and psychological well-being. He teaches and supervises medical students, psychiatry residents, psychology interns, and social-work trainees. He received the LSUHSC Dr. Ernst Lederle Award for Excellence in Research, Education and Patient Care as well as the Senior Scientific Achievement Award from the Louisiana Psychological Association.