Department of Medicine

Medicine

Cynthia J. Brown, M.D., MSPH, FACP 
Charles V. Sanders, MD Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine 
Department Chair

Cardiology

Frank Smart, MD

Chief of the Section

The Cardiology Section of the Department of Medicine is composed of 17 faculty with a variety of different Sub-Specialties in Cardiovascular Disease. As the field has developed the American Board of Internal Medicine has recognized certification in many different areas of Cardiac and Vascular diseases. LSU Cardiology is fortunate to have faculty experts in all of these areas. Medical Students, Interns and Residents in Medicine can elect to participate in a general cardiology rotation or in any of the many subspecialties. LSU Cardiology accepts 4 general cardiology fellows each year for a 3 year training program.  These fellows are required to have completed an Internal Medicine Residency in the United States. Additionally, there are 2-3 sub-specialty fellows each year who have completed cardiology training and are training in a particular sub-specialty. Our Cardiologists care for patients at 9 hospitals and 8 clinic sites in Southern Louisiana. The main teaching hospital is University Medical Center in New Orleans, but fellows rotate at a number of other hospitals in the area.

The sub-specialty areas of Adults with Congenital Heart Disease; Heart Failure, Cardiomyopathy, and Mechanical Circulatory Support; Electrophysiology and Advanced Arrhythmia Management; Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging; Interventional Cardiology; and Structural Heart Disease are available to learners in addition to General Cardiology rotations.

LSU Cardiology has multiple clinical research trials ongoing at any time and we work closely with the Cardiovascular Center of Excellence at LSUHSC on translational research projects. Participation in research projects is available to those interested in Cardiology as a sub-specialty, however these projects require a longer term commitment than the duration of an elective rotation.

Weekly conferences in Imaging, cardiac catherization, and didactic board review are open to students and residents, as are cardiology grand rounds and journal club.

Emergency Medicine

Keith W. Van Meter, MD
Chief of the Section

The Emergency Medicine Section sponsors a four-year residency program and is responsible for teaching students and house officers the recognition, evaluation, stabilization, and disposition of patients with emergency medical conditions. Three emergency-medicine, board-certified faculty members are physically present in the Emergency Department 24 hours a day to supervise, teach, and deliver patient care. The Section sponsors emergency medicine interest groups at LSUHSC and Tulane University, as well as a one-month senior elective with clinical and research options. Participation in the organization and management of pre-hospital care, including aeromedical services, is a major activity of the section. Toxicology, disaster planning, administrative responsibilities, and medico legalprinciples are taught in a special one-month rotation. Scheduled educational activities include six hours per week of conferences covering core curriculum topics as well as monthly Journal Club and M & M Conferences. Research in a variety of emergency medicine areas is carried out in the Section. Residents are required to participate in academic pursuits in order to complete the residency program.

The Section also sponsors a fellowship in hyperbaric medicine. This fellowship achieved its accreditation on July 1, 2008. It is a one-year program that focuses on all aspects of hyperbaric medicine, including wound care, diving medicine, administration, and research. Fellowship programs are also anticipated in Toxicology and Emergency Preparedness/ Disaster Management.

Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism

Taniya De Silva, MD
Section Chief and Program Director

The Section of Endocrinology offers a variety of educational training experiences in both graduate and undergraduate medical education. A two-year clinical fellowship program in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism is offered to selected applicants who have previously completed their internal medicine residency training.   A robust didactic and clinical curriculum is provided to all trainees.  Weekly didactic sessions led by section faculty are comprised of a rotating comprehensive two-year core curriculum, case presentations, journal club, and research conference. Additionally, simulation training is provided in thyroid ultrasound and biopsy and diabetes technology including insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring therapy.  

The clinical curriculum is comprised of continuity clinics and supplemental enhancement rotations. The fellows have thrice weekly continuity clinics at the University Medical Center and the LSU multispecialty physician group practice.  Here fellows receive training in the evaluation and management of general endocrine disorders including disorders of the hypothalamus, anterior and posterior pituitary and adrenal gland, functional and structural disorders of the thyroid including autoimmune thyroid disease and thyroid cancer, metabolic bone disorders including osteoporosis, and reproductive disorders including hypogonadism and poly cystic ovarian syndrome.  Fellows also have the opportunity to gain expertise in the evaluation and management of diabetes mellitus and its complications.  Hands on experience with pump therapy and interpretation of continuous glucose monitor data is provided.  Additional rotations in pediatric endocrinology, neuroendocrinology, reproductive endocrinology, transition/ adolescent endocrinology, nuclear medicine, and nutrition provide fellows with a broad exposure to endocrine disorders throughout the lifespan. 

 
The section provides GME training to internal medicine residents electing to take a four week elective in endocrinology as well as to medicine residents on their ambulatory clinic service.  Section faculty contribute lectures to the medicine residency board review program.

 With regard to undergraduate medical education, third-year medicine clerkship students have the opportunity to spend two weeks with clinical staff in clinic and on the endocrine consult service. Section faculty participate in the core clerkship lecture series quarterly to review essential topics in endocrinology. Fourth year medical students can choose to take a four week endocrine elective which provides exposure to both inpatient and outpatient Endocrinology.  All medical students participate in weekly section didactics.  

Fellows, residents and medical students have the opportunity to collaborate on quality improvement initiatives, abstracts, posters and papers.  A writing group organized by the section helps facilitate these academic efforts.

Gastroenterology

Daniel Raines, MD
Chief of the Section

The Gastroenterology Section provides patient care in the field of digestive disease at both public and private institutions in the New Orleans area. This care is provided in several different settings, including outpatient endoscopy, inpatient consultations, and outpatient clinics. The section is active in fellowship training, with a total of seven fellows training at any given time. Training activities are complemented by weekly educational conferences that include LSU faculty and fellows as well as physicians from other academic centers and the community. University Medical Center New Orleans serves as the primary training site for this program. This site is equipped with a state-of-the-art endoscopy unit that includes recently updated endoscopic equipment, esophageal and anorectal manometry, esophageal pH monitoring, capsule endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound capabilities. The Section is active in research, with routine presentation of research findings in peer-reviewed publications and at national conferences.

General Internal Medicine

David Borne, MD
Chief of the Section

The General Internal Medicine Section is dedicated to excellence in the practice and teaching of internal medicine in the outpatient setting. Students learn the principles of preventive medicine and the basic management of common chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease with the residents and faculty in the LSU Medicine Clinic at University Medical Center New Orleans. Students have the opportunity to learn the practical applications of the principles of clinical medicine from an experienced clinician.

Geriatrics

Thomas Reske, MD
Program Director and Section Chief

Today, people over age 60 comprise 25 percent of the U.S. population, and this number is expected to rise dramatically in the next few decades. This elective course addresses skills needed to treat an increasing geriatric population. Students and fellows will develop interviewing skills through direct patient contact and gain an understanding of the patient’s illness across the adult lifespan through medical, sociological, and psychological contexts. The Section is dedicated to excellence in teaching while providing the best quality of care to seniors in the New Orleans Metro area through LSUHSC. The Section faculty includes board-certified, fellowship-trained geriatricians with expertise in nursing-home medicine, adult daycare, home care, geriatric inpatient and outpatient consultation, primary care, and palliative care. LSU geriatricians staff area public and private hospital consultation services, area LSU-affiliated nursing homes, an area hospice, and a primary-care clinic. Teaching of medical students, residents, and fellows occurs at these sites with faculty supervision. The Section also sponsors various clinical research projects, including that related to chronic anemia, osteoporosis/fall-risk health maintenance, and GI-related clinical states. Applicants for a Geriatric fellowship must have completed an accredited Internal Medicine or Family Medicine program. Background and experience in research are encouraged.

Hematology and Oncology

Agustin Garcia, MD
Chief of the Section

The Hematology and Oncology Section, in collaboration with the hematology laboratory and blood bank of the University Medical Center at New Orleans, is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with conditions related to hematology and medical oncology. Patients are seen in consultation on all inpatient clinical services such as internal medicine, surgery, and gynecology. The section participates in the management of a wide variety of hematologic and neoplastic problems.

Three outpatient clinics are held weekly, supervised by Hematology/Oncology faculty. Several teaching conferences are held for students and house officers including the Fellowship Core Curriculum lectures, Tumor Board, bi-monthly Journal Club, Clinical Case Conference and Hematopathology Conference. Formal teaching is given to students in all four years. An elective is offered to seniors throughout the year. Post-graduate training is offered at all levels in both clinical hematology and medical oncology as well as in basic and translational research.

Hospital Medicine

John Amoss, MD
Chief of the Section

The Hospital Medicine Section is dedicated to excellence in the practice and teaching of internal medicine in the inpatient setting. In the hospital, students are assigned to faculty-led teams that care for patients with a variety of illnesses. Students will learn the basic diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to common inpatient diseases such as pneumonia, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and obstructive lung disease.

HIV

Lauren Richey, MD
HIV Division Director

The HIV Division, a part of the Infectious Diseases Section, provides inpatient and outpatient staffing for approximately 1,500 HIV-infected patients seen at University Medical Center. Evaluation and primary and specialty care (including dentistry, ophthalmology, GI, and women’s health) are available during daily clinics at the HIV Outpatient Program.

Faculty members of the HIV Division participate in many teaching activities, including the L1 and L2 Clinical Science Integration courses, Infectious diseases in the systems-based curriculum, and residency and fellow lectures; they also staff the Infectious Diseases Consult Service. Additionally, medical students and house staff rotate through the clinic. HIV Division faculty also lecture and serve as clinical preceptors for the AIDS Education and Training Center.

The HIV Division houses a research section for pharmaceutical studies and contributes expertise and assistance in enrolling patients into clinical trials. Numerous epidemiologic and interventional studies are underway in collaboration with clinical and basic science investigators at LSU on topics such as human papilloma virus, oral and ocular complications of HIV/AIDS, adherence, and metabolic complications of HIV and its treatment.

Infectious Diseases

Julio Figueroa II, MD
Chief of the Section

The Infectious Diseases Section is committed to teaching infectious diseases to students, interns, residents, and fellows at the University Medical Center in New Orleans as well as at private hospitals affiliated with LSUHSC. Those individuals taking this four-week introductory course learn how to evaluate and treat patients exhibiting a variety of infectious diseases as well as how to collect, transport and process specimens collected from patients seen in consultation with the infectious diseases staff. The rotation experience may include several different facilities, including UMCNO, Ochsner Medical Center - Kenner, and Touro Infirmary. All of these provide exposure to infectious-disease problems in diverse patient populations.

A collection of updated articles on common infectious-disease problems is maintained and discussed in order to reinforce important teaching points. Scheduled activities include daily clinical rounds, weekly infectious-disease case conferences and clinical microbiology conferences, and other regular activities in the Department of Medicine, including Grand Rounds and Morbidity and Mortality Conferences. Students are integral members of the team and are expected to see and review infectious-disease consultations with residents and fellows before presenting these patients to the Infectious Diseases faculty. In addition, students can attend the general infectious-diseases and/or HIV clinics. The opportunity to become involved in research during and after this clinical experience is also possible.

Nephrology and Hypertension

Mihran Naljayn, MD
Interim Section Chief

The Nephrology and Hypertension Section provides medical students, residents, and fellows,  the opportunity to learn about all aspects of clinical nephrology, including acute kidney injury, chronic kidney disease, genetic renal diseases, electrolyte and acid-base disorders, resistant hypertension, and renal replacement therapy.

Physicians-in-training assigned to the nephrology section attend daily rounds at the University Medical Center or Ochsner Kenner campus. They also attend weekly renal clinics at UMC on Wednesdays. In addition, the students are encouraged to round with our attendings on outpatient dialysis units and interventional nephrology (Ochsner Baptist). Trainees and students also have the option to attend specialty nephrology clinics (glomerulonephritis, genetic kidney diseases, hypertension). Didactics include case conference, renal grand rounds, core curriculum lectures, biopsy conference, and monthly journal clubs. Nephrology fellows also receive training at the Ochsner campus in transplant nephrology. Research activities of the division include basic sciences (renal hemodynamics, innervation, and vascular biology of kidney disease), clinical trials and epidemiological studies. Applicants for a nephrology fellowship must have completed an accredited Internal Medicine program. Interest in research and scholarly works is encouraged, but not essential.

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Gary Glynn, MD
Chief of the Section

The Section of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of conditions primarily associated with loss of function, including stroke, spinal-cord injury, brain injury, arthritis, degenerative neurological conditions, multiple trauma, amputations, burns, and painful musculoskeletal and other conditions. Emphasis includes physical examination and physical modalities such as therapeutic heat and cold, electrical stimulation, and exercise and special expertise in such electrodiagnostic procedures as EMG and nerve-conduction studies.

The Section’s student education program includes lectures and clinical experiences for students on the Junior Medicine Block and a senior elective offering exposure to a variety of PM&R services. Post-graduate medical education to become board eligible for certification in the specialty of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is available in a four-year residency program that has training affiliations with the UMCNO, Touro Infirmary, the VA Medical Center, Ochsner, East Jefferson, and Children’s Hospital.

Principal facilities are UMCNO, which includes an outpatient neurodiagnostic clinic and a consultation service to the Level 1 Trauma Unit and Burn service, and Touro Infirmary, which includes Touro Rehabilitation Center, which has 63 beds that are CARF-accredited in General Rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury, and Brain Injury. An ACGME-accredited Pain Medicine fellowship is also offered.

Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine & Allergy Immunology

Kyle I. Happel, M.D.
Chief of the Section

The Pulmonary/Critical Care & Allergy / Immunology Section is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with diverse types of pulmonary and allergic/immunologic disease. The Section is also responsible for the management of a large variety of critically ill patients in multiple intensive care units. Patients are cared for at University Medical Center and several Ochsner hospitals in the New Orleans area.  Daily rounds are conducted in the Intensive Care Units as well as on the pulmonary consult service, where interdisciplinary teaching is conducted. Ambulatory outpatient pulmonary care is conducted at University Medical Center, with general pulmonary, interstitial lung disease, non-tuberculosis mycobacterial / bronchiectasis, and pulmonary hypertension clinics meeting weekly. A separate tuberculosis clinic in conjunction with the state office of public health and the Wetmore Foundation occurs on a weekly basis. A dynamic lecture series by faculty and fellows alike, followed by radiology case conference, highlights each Thursday afternoon.

Pulmonary medicine is taught at all levels of training: medical students, interns, residents, and fellows. Students are presented the content of pulmonary medicine in a planned, scheduled, and graded fashion from their first through their fourth years. The planned elective in pulmonary disease can accept two senior students on each block during the academic year. Elective research experiences are available to interested students.  The section currently accepts 3 to 5 fellows per year into the ACGME accredited 3 year pulmonary/critical care fellowship training program.

The Allergy and Clinical Immunology faculty are responsible for a variety of patient care, teaching and research activities. Didactic teaching is provided in lectures to students as part of the Interdisciplinary Programs. Diagnosis and management of allergic and immunological diseases are taught in the Section’s outpatient clinics and on inpatient rounds. In conjunction with the Department of Pediatrics, the Section holds a conference at regular intervals for presentations by its members and by guest lecturers. The Section has an ACGME-approved fellowship training program in Allergy/Clinical Immunology. Residents finishing training in internal medicine or combined medicine/pediatrics are eligible to apply.

Rheumatology

Stephen Lindsey, MD
Interim Section Chief and Fellowship Program Director

The Rheumatology Section is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of all patients with rheumatic and connective tissue diseases and has a broad interest in all diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The Section conducts a clinical rheumatology teaching program for house staff, students, and fellows consisting of (1) rounds three times a week, (2) three weekly conferences, (3) a weekly journal club, and (4) a monthly radiology conference. Two rheumatology clinics and an immunology clinic are held weekly.

Didactic lectures in rheumatology are provided for the sophomores, and two monthly rheumatology subspecialty conferences are held for students on the Medicine block and for the Medicine house staff. An elective for seniors is offered as well as a Rheumatology Fellowship Program. Research is ongoing in the area of immunogenetics in rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s Syndrome and systemic lupus erythematous; rheumatic fever; and reactive arthritis.