School of Medicine

The Pulse - June 2024

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Editor's Pen

Denise Flock-Williams

One of my favorite aspects of editing The Pulse is staying in touch with so many people I have come to admire for their dedication to LSU Health Sciences Center’s mission. I was hired by the LSU Health Foundation in 1996, so many of these relationships go pretty far back! 

Dr. Steve Nelson is just one of the people I met early in my career who now has a very different role. I am delighted that he has been chosen to continue to lead the LSU Health Sciences Center as Chancellor. I look forward to seeing where his vision and stewardship take the Center. 

It can also be bittersweet, as is the case whenever someone who has left an incredible mark on the School and the Center announces a retirement. This quarter saw both Dr. Joy Osofsky and Dr. Juzar Ali announcing their retirements (our next issue will feature Dr. Ali). I had the great fortune of working with both on several grant opportunities throughout my time with the Foundation, and recently had the immense pleasure of attending Dr. Ali’s retirement celebration. I know I am not alone in being grateful for all that they did for the Center and our state.

Fortunately, retirements don’t always end with a permanent goodbye. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Bettina Owens who published her first book during her retirement.

As editor of The Pulse, I have the opportunity to meet so many of the amazing individuals who are making their own mark on the Center. I met Dr. Judy Crabtree, the assistant editor of The Pulse, when I took on this role. I was excited to see that she has been recognized for her dedication, along with four other worthy individuals with a Faculty Assembly award.

Please continue to tell me about your work! You can email me at dflock@lsuhsc.edu anytime with an idea for a story, information or pictures that we can share. I would especially love to share your graduation photos in our next issue if you send them to me. As always, I extend a sincere thank you to Dr. Judy Crabtree, Todd LaGrange, and Dr. Stephanie Taylor who all work behind the scenes to get each issue published.