In Memoriam
Two long-time faculty members who passed away earlier this year were remembered by colleagues and campus leaders.
William (Bill) Newman III, MD served for 46 years as an outstanding member of the Department of Pathology. He passed away peacefully on May 9 at the age of 81, surrounded by his loving family.
Dr. Walter J. Lukiw, an accomplished researcher in neuroscience and prominent professor at the LSU Neuroscience Center of Excellence, passed away on May 21 at the house his father built in Toronto.
Dr. Richard DiCarlo, Interim Dean of the LSU School of Medicine, announced Dr. Newman’s
passing earlier this year and shared his obituary:
Dr. Newman was born in Hodge, Louisiana on August 9, 1941. He is survived by his wife
of 53 years, Diane Catalano Newman, their two children, Rachel Winter (Eric) and William
Newman (Katie), and his seven grandchildren.
Bill attended LSU followed by LSU Medical School in 1962, taking time off to complete atherosclerosis research in the Amazon, before graduating in the top of his class in 1967. In 1971, Dr. Newman completed a pathology residency in the LSU program at Charity Hospital and then joined the LSU School of Medicine faculty in the Department of Pathology as a board-certified pathologist. He retired as a Professor Emeritus of Pathology in 2017.
Over the course of his prestigious career, Dr. Newman taught the pathology course to medical students and supervised pathology residents at Charity Hospital and the coroner’s office. He also performed over 10,000 autopsies, including those from Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Newman was an active researcher, having published and co-authored over a hundred research articles in atherosclerosis, PDAY (Pathobiological Determinants of Atherosclerosis in Youth), the Bogalusa heart study, and studies in heart disease in circumpolar health. He also made numerous appearances in court representing the coroner’s office and worked as a Laboratory Inspector for the College of American Pathologists.
Dr. Newman will also be remembered for his love of traveling, especially to Maine, watching his grandchildren in their activities, and cheering on the New Orleans Saints. He was also very involved in his church parish, St. Clement of Rome, where he was a member of the church choir and men’s group.
His family has established the Dr. William P. Newman III endowed scholarship in his memory. Memorials in his honor may be directed to the scholarship by visiting https://give.lsuhealthfoundation.org/newman.
Dr. Nicolas Bazan shared his memories of Dr. Lukiw in an email to faculty and staff.
Born in Canada, Dr. Lukiw received his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto in 1985 and later his master’s from York University and the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities in Staten Island, New York, before earning his doctorate from the University of Toronto in 1992.
In 1993, Dr. Lukiw joined the LSU Neuroscience Center of Excellence as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Bazan's laboratory. His creativity and dedication quickly earned him a promotion, and he rose through the ranks, eventually achieving the position of Professor jointly appointed in Neurology, Neuroscience, and Ophthalmology. In 2013, he was awarded the Bollinger Professorship of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) at LSU Health New Orleans following a review of his scientific impact.
Throughout his career, Dr. Lukiw made cutting-edge contributions to the field of neuroscience, focusing on the molecular genetics of aging and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. His research was widely recognized and published in prestigious scientific journals, garnering numerous awards and accolades over the years.
Notably, Dr. Lukiw’s groundbreaking work laid the foundation for a greater understanding of the relationship between gut health and Alzheimer’s disease, potentially leading to new strategies to manage lethal, progressive, age-related neurodegenerative disorders. His focus on the GI-tract microbiome and his pioneering work on messenger RNAs helped transform scientific knowledge of the disease and was widely recognized in the field.
He was a beloved mentor to his students and colleagues, and he was known for his unwavering commitment to their well-being and success. He was admired for his steadfast drive to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and his work ethic. He was also a respected member of his community, admired for his selflessness and his devotion to family and friends.
His contributions to the field of neuroscience will be deeply missed not only by his colleagues and students but also by the scientific community he worked so tirelessly to help. He leaves behind a legacy of commitment to the pursuit of science and the improvement of the human condition. His memory lives on through the countless lives he touched throughout his distinguished career and the valuable discoveries he made.
Dr. Bazan also noted that donations may be made in Dr. Lukiw's memory to the LSU Health Foundation to support Alzheimer’s Disease research in the Neuroscience Center of Excellence.