NEW & NOTEWORTHY

PHYSICAL SOCIAL WORKPLACE

EMOTIONAL FINANCIAL

New Wellness Program

LSU Health Shreveport administration invested in the totalbody wellness of the campus with the launch of the new Institutional Wellness Program. Headed by Dr. Marie VazquezMorgan, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Institutional Wellness and Associate Professor of Physical Therapy for the School of Allied Health Professions, the mission of the program is to empower individuals to take responsibility for their health and to support a sense of community in which overall well-being is recognized as an essential element of success.

Faculty, staff, students and residents participated in a campuswide survey, which scored and assessed the individual’s well-being and then provided resources to improve the score. Students and residents were also directly connected to expanded mental health services being provided by the LSU Health Shreveport Counseling Center. Dr. Mark Cogburn, Director of Student Mental Health and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, led the relocation and expansion of the Student Counseling Center. In addition to a larger physical footprint, the Center also introduced a Mental Health Crisis Line that is staffed 365 days a year by three licensed and trusted professionals.

The program’s focus on the five core areas ushered in several initiatives across the campus, including the addition of refrigerated vending machines stocked with hearthealthy options, tasting events and cooking demonstrations highlighting healthy foods, the creation of indoor and outdoor walking paths, financial seminars, music therapy and mindful meditation workshops, and the introduction of the BurnAlong wellness app available to LSUHS employees, students and their families.

School of Medicine Academic Medical Societies

Established this year by Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Debbie Chandler, MD, MBA, the LSUHS Academic Medical Societies exemplify our institution’s innovative approach to medical education. The six societies serve as the organizational framework for students’ general medical education, professional growth, and social support, thereby forming an integral part of the LSU Health Shreveport experience.

Using community-style medical education, the Academic Societies at LSU Health Shreveport bring together faculty members, students, society advisory deans, and coordinators to provide support for career planning and choosing residencies, as well as offer enrichment opportunities and promote individual growth. Each society is named in honor of former Deans or Chancellors of LSU Heath Shreveport: Hull, Muslow, McDonald, Williams, Rigby, and Chesson. Societies hold exclusive networking events and engage in social and academic competitions that increase engagement among students, while also acting as ambassadors for those interested in our academic medical institution.

School of Medicine Student Lounge Refreshed

Students with the LSUHS Executive Council surprised Chancellor G.E. Ghali with a THANK YOU for his positive response to their request to update the Student Lounge. During a quarterly student meeting, it was brought to Dr Ghali’s attention that the student lounge had not been updated in over a decade. The prompt response transformed a very mundane space to a bright and relaxing space with new furniture, art, rugs, plants, lighting and a full-size fridge allowing more students a place bring their lunch.

NEW Student Commons

A new space on the ground floor of library opened, offering students more study space. The new space welcomed a fresh batch of students arriving with the start of the academic cycle in August. In addition to the new student commons area, construction on an outdoor space for students was completed. The new space located adjacent to the Administration Building is available to students looking for a quiet outdoor area to study or take lunch breaks. Students can also enjoy a peaceful view of the Chancellor’s Garden that is tucked between the Administration building and Medical School building.

LARC Mental Health Summit — the Largest Virtual Meeting in LSUHS History

On Thursday, April 22, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, in conjunction with the Louisiana Addiction Research Center (LARC), offered the inaugural LARC Mental Health Summit with a Focus on Suicide Prevention. The virtual summit offered up to 7.75 free hours of CME/CEU, along with a variety of panelists that discussed mental health issues relevant to healthcare workers and physicians. Attendees of the virtual meeting received resources and guidance on topics such as stress management, social isolation, substance use, and updates on the new Wellness program available to LSUHS staff, faculty, and students. To date, this virtual CME conference had the largest attendance in the history of LSU Health Shreveport, maxing out all available attendance slots.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

• Doctor of Physical Therapy • Communications Disorders – Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology • PhD Program in Rehabilitation Sciences • Master of Occupational Therapy

CLINICS

• SAHP Faculty Rehabilitation Clinic • Mollie E. Webb Speech and Hearing Center • SAHP Children’s Center

LSU Health Shreveport School of Allied Health Professions approved as a Center of Academic Excellence

The LSU Board of Supervisors designated the LSUHS School of Allied Health Professions as a Center of Academic Excellence in Patient Centered Rehabilitation(CAE-PaCeR). CAE-PaCeR establishes the necessary infrastructure to deliver patientcentered rehabilitation in an academic culture of excellence for clinical learning, innovation, and collaboration. With nearly 50 years of multi-disciplinary service to the communities of Northwest Louisiana, the academic and clinical programs providing a strong foundation for the Center would include four academic programs, three clinics, and three residency programs as listed below: The Louisiana Board of Supervisors supported the requested expansion by LSU Health Shreveport and LSU Health New Orleans to increase dental services throughout Louisiana. The citizens of Louisiana need unrestricted access to oral health services for public health, safety, and wellness. The LSU Health New Orleans School of Dentistry and LSU Health School of Medicine-Shreveport expansion initiative, in partnership with Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport (OLHS), aims to increase general dental services and limited specialty-level dental services to citizens of the various regions of Louisiana by providing safe, affordable and quality OHS.

The proposed expansion report was spurred by Senate Resolution 190 of the 2019 Regular Session and in response to the Board of Regents study related to that resolution. There is a strong documented need for OHS services in central and northern Louisiana. On average, there are 3,397 citizens per general dental practice in Louisiana, which is higher than the current US average of 3,018. The statewide average of 6,936 citizens per specialty practice, is higher than the current US average of 5,783.

Approximately 87.5% of Louisiana is designated as a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (DHPSA). The state suffers from the uneven distribution of oral healthcare workers with the greatest concentrations in larger metropolitan areas. Of the 64 Louisiana parishes, 3 have no dentist and 23 have 1 to 5 dentists with the highest concentrations in parishes of the northern and central portions of the state.

The development of oral health services required an expanded footprint by LSU Heath via dental annexes in partnership with regional hospitals, medical centers, FQHCs and RHCs. The annexes are to be strategically implemented over three phases over the next 5 years, with the goal of allowing all Louisiana citizens access to safe and quality dental care.

PHYSICAL THERAPY RESIDENCIES

• Orthopaedic • Neurologic • Wound Management

Dental Services Expansion Program

the New student commons the New student commons

BITS Technology

Expansion of Nurse Anesthesia Program

Thanks to a second grant from the Noel Foundation, the School of Allied Health Professions at LSU Health Shreveport now offers advanced educational opportunities for entry-level professional and residency education programs. The Bioness BITS Balance System provides students with the opportunity to have simulation and hands on experience with the most advanced technology available in real time. With the versatile balance tracking and the wide variety of balance therapies, BITS Balance can be used to train patients with varying degrees of mobility and improve outcomes.

Suzanne Tinsley, PhD, PT, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement, Parks Professor of Neurological Rehabilitation and Associate Director of the Center for Brain Health – Neuro Rehabilitation stated, “Private grant support, like this grant received from the Noel Foundation, sets us apart when it comes to education, research and service to our community. We were the first facility in the world to receive this advance technology. As a premiere academic health system in the state, we are so thankful to the Noel Foundation for their commitment to supporting educational opportunities across the spectrum of higher education.”

From Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy to Speech Therapy, the BITS Balance combines visual, cognitive, motor and balance training into one session, providing the patient and therapist with the most efficient technology to date. This combination is increasingly important as clinical research shows that dual-task ability holds potential to improve gait, balance, and cognition in individuals with neurologic disorders. Specific aspects of the new technology allow providers to determine patients’ limits of stability, fall risk, range of motion, body sway and more. The standard digitized balance assessments such as the Berg Balance Scale assessment score patients on a scale of zero to four on various activities, assessing static and dynamic balance ability as well as sitting vs. standing balance ability. In addition, with the Functional Reach Test, assess limits of stability while reaching in standing or sitting position. For an objective measure of postural stability, providers can also utilize the Romberg and Sensory Integration Test.

The LSU Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand the Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesia Program (DNP-NA) at LSU Health New Orleans. The class size was increased by ten additional students that will conduct their clinical training at LSU Health Shreveport.

The collaboration seeks to remedy the severe shortage of nurses in Louisiana by expanding the availability of undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in North Louisiana. LSU Health New Orleans and LSU Health Shreveport acknowledge the congruence in their respective missions and welcome the opportunity to leverage established skills and resources to advance a shared mission and goals.

“LSU Health Shreveport looks forward to working with our sister institution in South Louisiana to positively impact statewide nursing shortages. We are confident that working together we can lessen the current challenges on health care systems”, stated former Chancellor Dr. G. E. Ghali

UPD Command Center Updates

University Police were pleased to share the new updates to the Communication Office Command Center with the campus. Due to the department’s growth and an increased focus on safety by LSUHS leadership, offices were relocated to renovated space on the ground floor of A-Building, room G110. The new location boasts ample space, an officer report writing room, technology upgrades, plus an additional 145 viewing cameras. These enhancements and expansion position UPD to significantly increase campus security.

The CrimeStar CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch System) is a powerful real time command and control process that tracks information relating to all calls and field unit activity from LSUHS officers and support teams. CrimeStar CAD also utilizes multiple sizable stats windows, allowing the communication officer to see everything at a glance. In addition to the powerful capabilities of the CAD, the system can extend into field computers as a full mobile digital dispatch solution. Captain Jamie Walker noted, “We take pride in our new location as it provides increased capability to respond to the needs of the institution. We are dedicated to providing all with the service you deserve.” Each UPD officer and support team member is focused on continued improvement of the services and response they provide.

LSU Health Shreveport Selected to Partner with Focus Fund and MD Anderson

The Focus Fund GP, LLC in partnership with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center launched Cancer Focus Fund, LP, an oncology-focused investment fund designed to support compelling investigational cancer therapies to advance them from preclinical stages through Phase I and Phase IB/ II clinical trials.

Small to midsize biopharmaceutical companies often face challenges in launching appropriate clinical studies of their investigational therapies due to a lack of funding or connections to expert oncologists to conduct early clinical trials. Cancer Focus Fund, LP answered this unmet need by providing investments in promising therapeutics that would accelerate them through Investigational New Drug (IND) approval and Phase I and Phase IB/II studies.

“The Cancer Focus Fund is a unique investment fund that aligns the scientific and clinical expertise of MD Anderson with business experts, public financing entities and private venture capital to propel promising cancer therapies toward pivotal trials,” said Ross Barrett, a founder and Managing Partner of Cancer Focus Fund, LP.

Cancer Focus Fund, LP has achieved its initial goal of $50 million in committed capital and may raise up to $75 million. LSU Health Shreveport Foundation stands as a limited partner with Rice University Endowment, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Ochsner Health and other private investors.

LSU Health Shreveport is eager to work with Cancer Focus Fund, LP portfolio companies to provide additional clinical trial sites and patients for clinical studies for therapies that have received IND approval.

Dr. Chris Kevil, Vice-Chancellor for Research at LSU Health Shreveport said, “LSU Health Shreveport is excited to be a part of the Cancer Focus Fund to bring the latest new cancer clinical trials to our community. We are confident our clinical trial facilities, coupled with expanded access to patients across north and central Louisiana in partnership with Ochsner Health, will yield promising results for all citizens of Louisiana.”

Patients are often forced to travel outside of Northwest Louisiana to receive novel therapies only available through clinical trials, which quickly becomes expensive for families short on financial resources. With clinical trials happening locally, patients will save on travel expenses as well as the stress associated with traveling long distances for treatment.

LSU Health Shreveport Receives Funding from the Rockefeller Foundation Alumnus Pioneers Use of Handheld Device to Diagnosis of Hansen’s Disease

LSU Health Shreveport researchers are working to stop the next COVID-19 from becoming a pandemic. LSUHS received $340,000 in funding from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Pandemic Prevention Institute. The partnership followed the announcement of LSU Health Shreveport being awarded $730,000 to further its work in genomic sequencing of COVID-19 through an NIH supplemental grant. LSUHS is one of only four academic institutions selected for partnership to improve pandemic responsiveness joining Harvard and the Broad Institute at MIT among others in the US Regional Accelerators for Genomic Surveillance. Made possible through collaboration with Louisiana Tech University and Grambling University, the receipt of these competitive grants signify that LSU Health Shreveport has earned respect at the highest level for work in genomic sequencing.

“Fast, accurate genomic sequencing information is the key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic and the suffering it has caused. Yet today only 14 countries, all of which have developed economies, are sequencing five percent or more of their cases and sharing them through global databases,” said Rajiv J. Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation. “For that reason, The Rockefeller Foundation is strengthening global sequencing capacity to end this pandemic for all as soon as possible.” An LSUHS alumnus is helping overcome the challenges of diagnosing Hansen’s disease, better known as leprosy.

In 2019, Stephen Wheat, MD, Class of 1991, began using the Butterfly iQ, one of the first handheld, whole body ultrasound devices, in his neuromuscular and skeletal electrodiagnostic specialty. He was pleased with the results and portability of the device, which can be used with a smartphone or tablet. Familiar with the challenges in diagnosing leprosy across the globe, Dr. Wheat began to hypothesize how using a “pocket” ultrasound device might change the efficacy with which the world diagnosed this disease, which affects more than 3 million people with 200,000 new cases recorded each year.

He teamed up with Michael Stephen Cartwright, MD, Professor of Neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, and Barbara M. Stryjewska, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the National Hansen’s Disease Center in Baton Rouge, who were working with the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in conducting reseach on the nine-banded armadillo, the only other natural host for leprosy besides humans.

After months of research and human and armadillo trials, the team proposed that using such a portable handheld device, one-tenth of the cost of larger ultrasound machines, will improve the efficacy in diagnosing leprosy by making diagnostic tools affordable in any location in the world.

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