Your Neck of the Woods
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Dr. Suresh Alahari organized an international meeting entitled “Oncology 2023” in Rome, Italy, where
he also presented on Nischarin’s function in breast cancer in June, 2023.
Dr. Alahari was invited to give a talk at the University of Serbia School of Medicine, Belgrade,
Serbia, where he also presented his work on Nischarin.
Dr. Alahari was invited to present his work on the important role of microRNAs in breast cancer
at the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Istanbul, Turkey.
Internal Medicine
The department was well represented at the annual American College of Physicians (ACP)
in San Diego, CA. Dr. Fred Lopez helped direct the Board Review pre-course. Speakers in the course included Dr. Taniya DeSilva (Endocrinology), Dr. Neeraj Jain (Cardiology), Dr. Fred Lopez (Infectious Diseases) and Dr. Amita Krishnan (Pulmonary/Critical Care).
Dr. Pia Chowdry (Hematology-Oncology) recently presented at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting as part of the ASCO Voices. Her presentation, The Long Road to Equity: Life in Cancer Alley, can be viewed here.
Dr. Pedro Cox-Alomar (Cardiology) has been selected to serve as faculty for the upcoming Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Intervention Scientific Meeting 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. This international meeting is highly ranked among the interventionalist community.
Dr. Elyse Stevens (Community & Population Medicine) was recently acknowledged for providing exceptional feedback to students, as evidenced by being in the top 25% of faculty graders for Team Up. Team Up is the two-year interprofessional education curriculum that helps meet accreditation standards for most of our institution’s programs. Faculty Graders are usually assigned two student teams (approximately 24-30 students) and are essential in student assessment of reflection assignments. Dr. Stevens was noted to provide consistent and detailed feedback to students for the entire academic year.
Dr. Raj Mohandas (Nephrology) was recently appointed the American Heart Association’s Chair of the Early Career Committee of the Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease (KCVD). Dr. Mohandas already serves as a Member of the KCVD Leadership Committee.
Dr. Thomas Reske (Geriatrics/Hematology-Oncology) serves on the Geriatric Medicine Board which held its spring meeting in late April. The ABIM Specialty Board was joined by Nancy E. Lundebjerg, MPA, Chief Executive Officer of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), and included updates on activity at ABIM and allowed for discussion of pressing issues in the field.
Dr. Catherine Hudson (Gastroenterology) was recently interviewed about anti-obesity medications. She shared the pros and cons of the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists. You can hear her interview here.
Several Emergency Medicine faculty and residents recently attended the World Association
of Disaster and Emergency Medicine in Killarney, Ireland. Faculty members Dr. Jim Aiken, Dr. Meghan Maslanka (Emergency Medicine) and Dr. Kyle Hebert, 4th year EM resident, spoke at and presented a poster at the meetings.
Dr. Michelle Blyth (Infectious Diseases) was elected a council member of the International Society for
Evolution, Medicine & Public Health.
Dr. Suki Subbiah (Hematology-Oncology) recently presented a plenary session entitled "COVID-19 and Cancer: Inception, Methods, and Outcomes" at the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) conference which was hosted by the LSU Health New Orleans Louisiana Tumor Registry.
Dr. Ben Springgate (Community & Population Medicine) was recently cited in the American Heart Association News' article, "How heart attack and stroke survivors can prepare for wildfires and hurricanes." The article provides practical advice for patients and families.
The Armory Project, headed by Gala True, PhD (Section of Community and Population Medicine), recently expanded participating partners to now include northern Louisiana. The Armory Project is part of a larger program made up of veterans, community leaders, firearm professionals and instructors, law enforcement officers, community leaders, and healthcare professionals working to prevent veteran suicide by creating time and distance between a person in a suicidal crisis and a firearm. The Armory Project provides options for veterans and others to store firearms with retail partners. The full list of partners can be found here.
The department’s 34th Medicine Research Day was a huge success. More than 50 abstracts were submitted by students, residents, fellows, and faculty in translational research, clinical vignette and quality improvement categories. More than 100 people attended the oral and poster presentations. Dr. Michael Hagensee organized the event, with assistance from Dr. Lee Engel and Amber Trauth. Posters can be viewed here.
Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology
Dr. Jeff Hobden (MIP) appeared on Fox 8 television in New Orleans to discuss ‘Bed Linens and Bacteria’
on July 3 and ‘Germy Household Items’ on July 7.
Neuroscience Center of Excellence
Dr. Nicolas Bazan has dedicated time and effort to mentoring promising future doctors and clinician
scientists.
Some of the individuals who work in his lab are: from left to right, Alise Aucoin (honors LSU medical student), Warner Moore, MD, PhD (graduate of LSUHSC - Shreveport SOM and now a postdoctoral fellow), Brian Giles (sophomore at Tulane), Gethein Andrew (neuroscience graduate student), Samuel E. Baum (recently completed second year of medical school at LSU SOM New Orleans and now working for one year in Dr. Bazan's laboratory), Jeff X. Ji (MD/PhD student who recently was awarded a competitive graduate fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research), and Rasangi Perera (a PhD in Chemistry from LSU Baton Rouge and currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Bazan's laboratory).
Orthopaedics
Dr. Clement, together with Dr. Craig Louer from Vanderbilt and Dr. Julia Sanders of Children’s
Hospital Colorado, hosts the Peds Ortho podcast, the official podcast of the Pediatric
Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). At this year’s annual meeting, a live
session of the podcast was recorded. In this episode, the doctors interviewed moderators,
course chairs, and award winners from the first few days of the meeting to discuss
their sessions and papers.
Pediatrics
Dr. Kyle Fulton recently attended the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association’s 2023 International
Meeting which took place in Raleigh, NC in May. He was a panelist speaker for “Challenges
and Controversies in Feeding, Nutrition, and Growth for Infants with Cleft.” As a
faculty mentor, Dr. Fulton also presented three posters:
- An Analysis of Age at Cleft Surgery Based on Gender, Race, Distance from Treatment Center, and Payor Status - Students – Sarah Rimmer (LSU CoM of 2023) & Jonathan Richard (LSU CoM 2025)
- Neonatal Mandibular Distraction in a patient with Trisomy 13 - Student – Jonathan Richard
- Neonatal Mandibular Distraction in a patient with Nablus Mask-Like Facial Syndrome - Student – Jonathan Richard
Dr. Fulton was also a panelist speaker for “Challenges and Controversies in Feeding, Nutrition, and Growth for Infants with Cleft”
Drs. Maria Velez and Dana LeBlanc of the Hematology/Oncology Division were recently featured in the NOLA Family Magazine for their work with the GABS Clinic. The GABS Program, or Our Girls and Adolescents
with Bleeding and Sickle Cell, seeks to provide relief and education opportunities
for young women suffering from a variety of blood disorders. This unique program is
the only one of its kind in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Region. Read the article
here.
Volunteers from Adolescent Medicine and LSUHSC medical student group New Orleans Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (NOARHP) represented LSUHSC at the Longvue Family Equality Day. Participants enjoyed a day of fun activities in an inclusive environment and the opportunity to learn more about partner organizations.
LSU Pediatrics was strongly represented at Tulane School of Medicine's annual Teaching
Scholars Education Day & Award Ceremony held in May 23. At this event, the Tulane
School of Medicine Dean recognizes the scholarly accomplishments of master medical
educators and provides faculty, fellows, residents, staff, and students the opportunity
to present new and innovative work in health sciences education. Dr. Amy Prudhomme of the Hospital Medicine division was selected as the winner of the Outstanding Platform
Presentation Award for her presentation entitled Exploring Implicit Bias in Third Year Medical Students. Also in collaboration on the project were Dr. Lauren Davis, Dr. Christy Mumphrey, Dr. Jinnesse Taylor (PGY-3), and Dr. Robin English. Dr. English also made a platform presentation titled Critical Consciousness in Medicine: A Longitudinal Course in Health Equity for LSU
Medical Students. Margaret Huntwork (presenter), in collaboration with Amy Creel, Bonnie Desselle, and Emma Simon presented Exploring Physician Experiences with and Perceptions of Communities of Practice. Jessica Patrick and Amy Prudhomme had a poster presentation, Gamification of Didactics: Does the Knowledge Stick? Click here for more photos from the event.
Hannah Simon, MPH, and Colleen Frantz Bodet, APRN, FNP-C, and the entire adolescent medicine team recently presented at the School Based Health Alliance Conference held at American University Law School in Washington, D.C. Their presentation, "Improving Chlamydia Screening Rates Among Adolescents in an SBHC in New Orleans,” explored the impact of a successful quality improvement project involving a short sexual risk screener on STI testing and treatment within the school-based health clinic at New Orleans Science and Mathematics Charter School. The conference brought together over 700 advocates, researchers, care providers, social workers and stake holders from all over the United States to share their passion for improving pediatric and adolescent health within school-based health clinics.
Dr. Amanda Messer has been appointed as the Lead Fellowship Director of the department’s Fellowship Directors’ Group for a two-year term. Dr. Messer will be responsible for organizing monthly meetings and ensuring that the department is informed about requirements related to Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Colleen LeBlanc will serve as the Associate Lead Director and Dr. Kelly Gajewski as the Ex-officio Lead.
The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale partnered with the New Orleans Recreation Department
to host its annual back-to-school event, Tools for School Health and Resource Fair,
on Saturday, July 22. Vaccinations, sports exams, health screenings, and testing were
available to the community. The departmental team of pediatric and internal medicine
faculty and residents, alongside med student group CORE (Community Outreach Rebuilding
Education), provided physicals for approximately 40 patients and screened another
30, providing care for around 70 patients in the span of five hours. Organizers, volunteers,
residents, and faculty who participated include Dr. Hamilton Farris, Dr. Joey Sansone, Dr. Lee Engel, Dr. Zaria Williams, Dr. Hannah Nguyen, Dr. Leah Smith, Dr. Sara H. Anderson, Jenny Quach, Aysha Gibson, Jason Kim, Mason Calico, Reed Smith, and Emmanual Perez.
Brooke Naranjo, FNP of the Adolescent Medicine Division recently published an article entitled "Get It and Forget It Birth Control: LARCs" in Geaux Girl Magazine.
Physiology
Dr. Jason Gardner has been voted as President-Elect of the LSUHSC SOM Faculty Assembly.
Dr. Lisa M. Harrison-Bernard is the new Associate Editor for the American Physiological Society journal, Advances in Physiology Education.
Dr. Harrison-Bernard also provided two hours of medical renal physiology review to the pediatric nephrology fellows at Children's Hospital.
Dr. Scott Edwards chaired the symposium “Neuroendocrine Mechanisms of Stress and Alcohol Use Disorder” at the 2023 Volterra Alcoholism and Stress Conference.
Dr. Edwards also presented “Understanding Patient Environments as They Relate to Outcomes: Stress & Healing” at the LSU Health New Orleans Foundation’s Opioid Mitigation Initiative (OMI).
Dr. Patricia Molina chaired a symposium and was speaker for “Neuroendocrine Mechanisms of Stress & Alcohol Use Disorder” at the 2023 Volterra Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for Future Treatment Strategies Conference.
Dr. Molina also gave a talk “Bidirectional Translational Studies on Alcohol Interaction with HIV Disease Pathogenesis” at the Enhanced Interdisciplinary Research Training Institute on Hispanic Drug Abuse (eIRTI) Annual Summer Training Program in Los Angeles, CA.
Dr. Flavia Souza-Smith was invited to speak at Vasculata 2023 in New Orleans on “Immunometabolic Consequences of Lymphatic Dysfunction.”
Dr. Rajani Maiya gave a talk "Transcriptional signatures of social stress-escalated alcohol consumption at the Genes, Brain, and Behavior meeting held in Galway, Ireland as part of the outstanding travel award series.
Dr. Maiya also presented “Molecular and Circuit Mechanisms Linking Social Stress and Addiction” at the Department of Neuroscience Brown University.
Dr. Elizabeth Avegno, Dr. Jessi Cucinello-Ragland, Dr. Lisa Wilson, and Dr. Edwards organized an outreach activity at College Track New Orleans in April focused on helping college-bound students understand the risks of alcohol and substance use in college environments.
Physiology alum Dr. Allyson Schreiber began a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis.
The department was well represented at the 2023 Research Society on Alcohol Annual
Meeting held in Washington earlier this year:
- Dr. Avegno moderated the Enoch Gordis Research Recognition Awards – Student Finalists.
- Dr. Edwards chaired the symposium “Intersection of Pain-Related Negative Affect and Alcohol Use Disorder Risk.”
- Dr. Robert Siggins chaired the symposium “Bioenergetic dysregulation; cross-organ mechanism of alcohol-associated pathology” with Dr. Molina. Dr. Siggins also gave the talk “Effects of alcohol on bioenergetics in cells of the immune system and its impact on immune activation and senescence.” Dr. Liz Simon introduced the symposium and Dr. Patrick McTernan was the discussant.
- Drs. Tekeda Ferguson and Flavia Souza Smith were guest panelists for “Mentorship and Personal Intersectionality-How Both Impact Current & Future Scientists: A DEI Workshop” along with RSA President Dr. Lara Ray, and Dr. Amelia Talley, chair of the RSA Diversity Committee and Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Texas Tech University.
- Dr. Maiya chaired the symposium "Advanced genomic strategies for understanding alcohol use disorder" and gave a talk as part of this symposium titled "Transcriptional signatures of social stress escalated drinking." Dr. Maiya also chaired the "Bidirectional Interactions between Alcohol and Stress in the Extended Amygdala" symposium with Dr. Tiffany Wills.
- Dr. Franciely Paliarin gave a talk titled "BLAKORs regulate social stress escalated drinking."
- Many faculty had posters accepted or presented at the 2023 Research Society on Alcohol
Annual Meeting:
- Avegno E, Van Savage J, Cruise SC, Gilpin, N: Orexin activation in VTA and extended amygdala subregions during alcohol withdrawal and contribution to anxiety-like behavior in rats
- Gallegos E, Molina P.E., Simon L.: Metabolic and Fibrotic Alterations in Macaque Liver: Implications of Chronic Binge Alcohol and Calorie-Dense Diet
- McTernan, P.M., Siggins, R.W., Welsh, D.A. Simon L., and Molina, P.E.: Alcohol Disrupts Mitochondrial Membrane Polarization Within Differentiating CD4+T Cells
Psychiatry
Current Training Director Dr. Dani Archie and Associate Training Director Dr. Danielle Cohn participated on the panel discussion "Internship Panel: From Applications to Interviews
- Understanding the Many Layers of the Internship Selection Process” at the recent
Louisiana Psychological Association Annual Conference.
Dr. Shane Bierma has successfully defended her title as the chocolate chip cookie baking champion after winning the Psychology Section’s Third Cookie Challenge competition. Although she had four other competitors who hoped to win the Section's coveted cookie medallion, Dr. Bierma's delectable cookies reigned supreme once again! The Cookie Challenge has been a fun competition in the Section of Psychology that builds community and provides the opportunity to enjoy delicious homemade cookies in the process.
Dr. Charles Coleman and Dr. Ronja Tripp-Bodola offered a workshop on “Addressing Misuse of Race Data through the IRB Review Process”
at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (6/2/2023). The
90-minute workshop engaged 70 active participants from diverse backgrounds in a discussion
on how to eliminate the use of race as proxy in medical research.
Dr. Tripp-Bodola presented two posters at the Educational Research Day at Tulane University (5/23/2023):
“Gamification Beyond the Pleasure Principle – Teaching Psychiatric Ethics 2.0”, as
well as “Intersectional Storytelling in the Clerkship – Teaching socio-cultural determinants
and Expanding the Boundaries of Medical Humanities” (co-authors Drs. Erin Capone,
Mark Townsend).
Surgery
The department recently hosted Plastics Grand Rounds with guest speaker Paul Cederna,
MD, on Innovation and the Plastic Surgeon.
Drs. Morrison and Hodgdon recently visited the University of Pleven in Pleven, Bulgaria for the third time.
The trip consisted primarily of lectures related to minimally invasive surgery aimed
toward education of medical students and surgical residents at the University. The
program also included hands-on suture labs on live pig models. The university is an
international medical school with students from all over the world. This trip also
included lectures by the World Team given at the inaugural meeting of the Bulgarian
Association of Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgeons. Last year they were included
as lecture guests of the Bulgarian Surgical Association at their annual congress,
and in 2019 they lectured at the meeting of the Society of European Robotic Surgeons
in Sofia, Bulgaria. The World Team is comprised of a group of surgeons, gynecologists,
and urologists from the Society of Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgeons here in the U.S.
This team has traveled to several different countries educating local practicing surgeons
and residents. There are currently two more planned trips for next year in affiliation
with the University of Pleven.
Dr. Harel Glen Schwartzberg’s research was selected from among 90 other submitted abstracts to compete in the Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (SESPRS) Glancy Competition. Every year a total of 10 papers are selected to compete for the coveted Glancy Award, which is awarded to the best research presentation of the past year. Dr. Schwartzberg (division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery) traveled to Nassau to present his research titled “Increased Time Interval of Postoperative Flap Monitoring after Autologous Breast Reconstruction” to judges from across the Southeastern United States. Dr. Schwartzberg’s research is centered around making autologous breast reconstruction a more accessible and less costly option for patients following mastectomy. Through his multiyear study he was able to prove that by lengthening the interval of postoperative free flap monitoring, hospitals can save an average of $20,000 per patient without sacrificing the safety of the operation.