School of Medicine

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Center for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (CIPECP)

Dr. Michael Dicharry, with the Department of Psychiatry, will represent the School of Medicine on the CIPECP Faculty Council. His three-year term began July 1, 2022. 

Office of Graduate Medical Education

The Office of Graduate Medical Education has welcomed many new Program Directors and Program Coordinators in the past two years, including: 

Program Directors:

• Kate Brown, MD: Internal Medicine - Pediatrics
• Scott Laura, MD: Internal Medicine - Interventional Cardiology
• Cody Roi, MD: Psychiatry - Child    
• Micah Siegel, MD - Emergency Medicine - Hyperbaric
• Stephen Lindsey, MD - Internal Medicine - Rheumatology
• Stacey Holman, MD - OB/GYN    
• Dominic Gargiulo, MD - Orthopedics - Pediatrics
• Colleen LeBlanc, MD - Pediatric - Gastroenterology
• Patrick Owens, MD - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation    
• Mignonne Morrell, MD - Radiology - Diagnostic
• Alexandra Fairchild, MD - Radiology - Interventional

Program Coordinators:

• Margaret Niles: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine Fellowship
• Krystal Fisher: Internal Medicine - Infectious Disease, Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Hematology/Oncology Fellowships
• Tammy Roberts: Psychiatry Addiction, Forensic
• Rebecca Calix: Pediatrics (assistant), Pediatrics - Gastroenterology, Hematology/Oncology
• Katherine Dickens: Psychiatry
• Cecilia Estep: Internal Medicine - Nephrology, Pulmonary
• Blythe Bissell: Psychiatry - Children, Baton Rouge
• Katy Smith: Neurosurgery

Internal Medicine

The New Orleans City Council commended Dr. Lisa Moreno (Emergency Medicine), Dr. Apres Dixon-Gleaves (EM Resident) and the EM residency program for the success of the recent Community Health Fair.

Faculty from the Hematology Oncology section presented at the Louisiana Oncology Society meetings:

• Practice Changing Updates in Breast Cancer - Michelle Loch, MD; 
• Practice Changing Updates in Colorectal Cancer - Thomas Reske, MD, PhD;
• Updates in Gynecologic Oncology - Agustin Garcia, MD.

The Lafayette Regional Campus faculty and residents have been contributing on the national level:

• A Diagnostic Dilemma Thirteen Years in the Making - Rebecca Lee-Prechter, DO; Shashi Gavini, DO; Mehanz Rehman, MD; Frank Smart, MD. 2022 American College of Cardiology Scientific Session - Presenter Rebecca Lee-Prechter, DO, Chief Resident
• Fulminant Myocarditis after Recovery from COVID-19 Infection - Tristan Dao, MD; Stephanie Barrow, DO; Rebecca Lee, DO. 2022 American College of Cardiology Scientific Session - Presenter Tristan Dao, MD, PGY-3
• Daptomycin-induced Eosinophilic Pneumonia - Ryan Chan, MD; Pavana Sakhamuri MD; Shaun Walker, DO. 2022 American Thoracic Society Meeting- Presenter Ryan Chan, MD, PGY-2
• Co-infection of Pneumocystis jiroveci and Covid-19 Pneumonia Following Use of Pulse Dose Steroids - Ryan Chan, MD; Pavana Sakhamuri, MD; Tristan Dao, MD; Karen Curry, MD. 2022 American Thoracic Society Meeting- Presenter Ryan Chan, MD- PGY-2
• A Giant Cell Arteritis Mimic - Pavana Sakhamuri, MD; Stephen Lindsey, MD; Ann Chauffe, DO, MPH. 2022 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology - Presenter Pavana Sakhamuri, MD, PGY-2
• Unsuspected Causes of Hypertension - David Heintze, MD; Jody Rosson, MD. 2021 CHEST Annual Meeting Virtual Presenter David Heintze, MD- PGY3

Several department physicians were speakers at the American College of Physicians annual meeting held in Chicago: 

• Dr. Victoria Burke and Dr. Fred Lopez (Infectious Diseases, New Orleans) - Update in Infectious Diseases
• Dr. Taniya de Silva (Endocrinology, New Orleans) - Rapid Board Review 2022 Pre-Course. Endocrinology
• Dr. Neeraj Jain (Cardiology, New Orleans) - Rapid Board Review 2022 Pre-Course. Cardiology
• Dr. George Karam (Internal Medicine, Baton Rouge) - Critical Care Medicine 2022 Pre-Course 
• Dr. Rebecca Lillis (Infectious Diseases, New Orleans) - Sexually Transmitted Infections: Challenges in Management
• Dr. Fred A. Lopez (Infectious Diseases, New Orleans) - Rapid Board Review 2022 Pre-Course. Infectious Diseases; Update in Infectious Diseases Clinical Pearls: Psychiatry and Infectious Diseases 

Dr. Ben Springgate and Dr. Elyse Stephens (Community and Population Health) recently spoke at the Recovery Walk in Gretna at the invitation of the Governor. 

Dr. Ben Springgate also presented a Presidential Panel for the American Psychiatric Association, along with several colleagues from Seattle, Toronto and Cambridge. The panel was entitled: Learning from the Global South: Psychiatrist Tasksharing, Community Empowerment, and Population Impact.

Survive and thrive: Personal stories of persistence and resilience in aging research, a career development symposium, was presented at the 2021 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society, which aimed to connect researchers in aging, through personal stories of persistence and shared strategies to build resilience and respond to setbacks. (Melisa L Wong, Cynthia J Brown, Dalane W Kitzman, Sandra Zeng, Supriya G Mohile)

Dr. Gala True (Community and Population Medicine) was asked to convene a national VA research conference on Lethal Means Safety and Its Role in Suicide Prevention among Veterans.

Dr. Michelle Korah-Sedgwick (Pulmonary & Critical Care/Allergy & Immunology) recently presided over the Louisiana Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (LSAAI)annual meeting in her role as President of the society. The meeting was held in New Orleans.

Members of the Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Section presented the research study Vertiflex Improves Quality of Life in Veterans with Back and Leg Pain:  A Prospective Study. Dr. Casey A. Murphy, Dr. Randolph L. Roig, Dr. Thomas Fincke, Dr. Carlos Trigo, Ashanti Santa Cruz, R.N., M.S.N., B.S.N.; Arnette Giles, R.N.; Daniel McBride, MS-4, Andrew Mercante, MS-2, Robert Mipro,MS-2 at a recent national meeting.

Dr. Fred Lopez (Infectious Diseases) has been invited to serve on the next ACP MKSAP Infectious Diseases committee.

Dr. Shane Sanne (Hospital Medicine) served as one of the moderators at the 10th Annual QI Forum. The event garnered over 40 submissions from students and residents.

Dr. Stephen Lindsey (Rheumatology) and colleagues have been invited to serve as a site for the Priovant PVT-2201-301 VALOR Study, a Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Investigate the Efficacy and Safety of Oral Brepocitinib in Adults with Dermatomyositis.

Dr. Tiffany Ardoin (Baton Rouge) was recently named President of the American Heart Association's Capitol Area Board of Directors.

Pathology

Ritu Bhalla, MD, Pathology Residency Program Director, gave a presentation on prostate cancer at her medical school, GAVM Medical College in Kanpur, India, and received recognition by the Dean of the school and was featured in the local newspaper. Photos, below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2022 Emma Sadler Moss Guest Lectureship of the LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine Department of Pathology was held on Friday, July 15, 2022 at University Medical Center. Michael Laposata, MD, PhD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Pathology John Sealy Distinguished Chair for MD/PhD Combined Degree Studies in Honor of Dr. Truman G. Blocker at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, gave a seminar entitled, “Integrative Diagnostics: Making the Pathologist an Indispensable Member of the Healthcare Team.”

Pediatrics

Dr. Kyle Fulton recently presented the lecture "Fluoridated Water Prevents Cavities: An Evidence Based Practice Medical Providers Can Provide" to the State Health Department. 

Several members of the Division of Hematology Oncology attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology in Pittsburgh. Dr. Pinki Prasad was asked to be the Chair of the Professional Development Committee at ASPHO and Dr. Dana LeBlanc was named the Vice-Chair for Hemoglobinopathies Special Interest Group at ASPHO.

Several members of the Division of Endocrinology presented their research at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting held recently in New Orleans. The research poster titled African-American Youth and Parent Perspectives on Advanced Technologies in Diabetes Management: Closing the Loop on Health Disparities included authors Alan M. Delameter, Elizabeth R. Pulgaron, Gabriela Guevara, Sonja A. Washington, Diane Z. Franz, Ricardo Gomez, Dania Felipe, Jayalakshmi Narayan Bhat, and Stuart Chalew, as well as researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Their poster was selected as a recipient of the National Health Disparities Committee's Top 10 Recommended Abstract. These posters detail research that helps us understand factors underlying diabetes disparities and inequities or demonstrates practical interventions that may contribute to eliminating them. 

Jordan Doss and Minelys Alicea Marrero presented posters at national conferences on behalf of the LSU Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division.

Dr. Ryan Pasternak, Hannah Simon, and medical student Alexis Hernandez from the New Orleans Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (NOARP) represented LSUHSC and CHNOLA alongside Bailey and Natasha Richardson at Family Equality Day at Long Vue House this past weekend. Dr. Pasternak spoke at the event which had over 1000 people registered to attend. Photo, below

• The department recently held its annual Faculty vs. Resident Quiz Bowl. The Resident Team, made up of Kayla Griese, Katie Procarione, Jinnesse Taylor, Heather Valdin, and Mike Evers, beat out the Faculty Team, made up of Caroline Straatmann, Kyle Fulton, Ray Watts, Callie Roth, and Zach Daniels. Thanks to Shubho Sarkar for hosting the event. Photos, below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Stuart Chalew gave an oral presentation at the recent Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Atlanta. His talk was titled "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Adolescent Healthcare - Factors Related to Outcome Disparities in African-American Youth with Type 1 Diabetes: Can We Affect Change?"

Physiology

Members of the department made the following presentations recently:

• Eden Gallegos: Chronic binge alcohol, SIV and liver injury-what happens before lipid accumulation? Poster at Gordon Conference on Alcohol-Induced End Organ Damage in Ventura, CA (April 2022)
• Elizabeth Avegno: Alcohol dependence activates ventral tegmental area-central amygdala circuitry in mice and rats. Oral Presentation, International Union of Physiological Sciences, May 2022. 
• Michael Dubic: Differential antinociceptive gene expression patterns in PBMCs and frontal cortex of chronic binge alcohol administered SIV-infected rhesus macaques. Poster at RSA, Orlando, FL (June 2022).

Lauri Byerley hosted the nutrition table at the UMC Health Fair, April 2022.

Psychiatry

Dr. Erika Rajo's wonderful work with the Trauma Recovery Clinic at UMC was recognized in Gambit's “40 under 40”: https://www.nola.com/gambit/digital_edition/aspx_5eddc8ba-f566-11ec-aafd-a7f81f7ba8b9.aspx

At this year's American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans (May 2022), the Department of Psychiatry organized a number of sessions and panels, including:

• “Why Didn't Y'all Just Evacuate? Examining the Effects of Systemic Racism and Social Disparities on Patients During the Pandemic and Natural Disasters” (Chair: Rahn Bailey, Presenter: Lee D Michals, Jennifer Creedon, LaKisha Mamon)
• Roundtable “Race & Excellence: The Continuation” (Cynthia Graham-Turner, Ezra Griffith, Rahn Bailey)
• Many faculty and trainees presented papers or posters, as well, including:
• “Exploring Social Determinants of Firearm Access and Suicidality Among Children and Adolescents Council on Children, Adolescents, and Their Families” (Chair: Jordan Andrew Wong, Presenter: Rahn Bailey, Brian Levins, Steven Adelsheim)
• “Natural Disaster and Academic Psychiatry: The Effect of Hurricane Zeta, Hurricane Ida, and COVID-19 on Medical Student Education in South Louisiana” (Mark H Townsend (presenter), Ronja R Bodola, Erin E Capone, Varad S Deshmukh, Morgan M Brooks)
• “Emerging Social Determinants of Family Wellness” (Andrew Silvera (presenter), Megan Maher, Cody Roi)
• "Relations Among Adverse Childhood Experiences, Positive Childhood Experiences, and Mental Health Symptoms in Women Attending a High-Risk OB Clinic" (Osofsky, J.D., Osofsky, H.J., Frazer, A.)
• “Intersectional Storytelling: Understanding Lived Experiences of Social Determinants Through Storytelling Exercises in Clinical Settings” (Ronja R. Bodola, Erin Capone (presenter), Mark H. Townsend)