HJNO Mar/Apr 2020

36 MAR / APR 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs Resident teaching awards were awarded to the following physicians: • Craig Naccari, MD – Medicine • Angela Nakahara, MD – Ob/Gyn • Hayden Jahn, MD – Surgery • Varsha Thomas, MD – Pediatrics • Andrew Aubin, MD – Psychiatry The following were recognized with Post Grad- uate Research Fellowship Awards: • Raza Ahmad – Combination therapies for colon cancer targeting tumor initiating cancer cells • Shourjo Chakravorty – Identifying Risk Factors Specific to Left Atrial Thrombus Formation in Patients with Atrial Arrhythmias Found by Trans- esophageal Echocardiogram • Elizabeth Cho – Molecular Analysis of Renal Cell Carcinoma Metastasis • Gregory Desrosiers – The Reluctance to Pre- scribe Newer Drugs to Treat Patients with Car- diovascular Disease • Sajan Gill – The Impact of Patient Education to Define Value in Cardiovascular Imaging • Olivia Manayan – Lift Your Spirit and Reduce Your Weight: A Pilot Study of a Faith-based, Community Weight Loss Program • Evan O’Keefe – Comparative effects of recom- mended doses of EPA (ethyl ester) vs EPA+DHA (triglyceride) on the Omega-3 Index • Vipin Varghese – Urine cast composition and diagnostic utility in acute kidney injury The following students were also recognized with individual awards: • Sajan Gill – Internal Medicine – ACP • James Fabiszak – E. Edward Martin, Jr. Family Medicine Award * Olivia Manayan – Ob/Gyn * Claire Natsios – Pediatrics * Alexander Horwitz – Psychiatry * Raza Ahmad – Surgery Additionally, Sarah Vitug also received a Mas- ter of Philosophy in Experimental Dermatology from The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine. The class of 2019 marks the eighth graduating class from the UQ Ochsner Clinical School and will celebrate Match Day in March 2020. LSUHealth NONursing School Ranked #8 in U.S. Nursing Schools Almanac has just released its 2019 rankings of the best U.S. nursing schools, and LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing jumped two spots up in the top 10 and one spot among public nursing schools. LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing is now ranked the #8 nursing school in the U.S. and #3 among public nursing schools. Nursing Schools Almanac collected data on more than 3,000 nursing schools and campuses nationwide, and only three percent made its list of the 100 best nursing schools in the nation. “Our achievement of these national rank- ings is evidence of our commitment to our core values of stewardship, organizational citizen- ship, nursing innovation, caring, professional- ism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence and nursing school mission,” notes Demetrius Porche, DNS, PhD, FACHE, FAANP, FAAN, LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing dean and professor.  “Our nursing school faculty, staff and students are dedicated to ensuring we meet the workforce and health care needs of our academic-practice partners,” says Porche. American Heart Association Launches HBCU Scholars ProgramFocused on Increasing Diversity in Cardiovascular Research The American Heart Association (AHA) recently launched its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholars program in New Orleans, with a special dinner recognizing the 2019-2020 inaugural class of scholars and mentors.  Designed to support the development of minority scientists and healthcare profession- als, the regional program pairs a student with a local American Heart Association connected researcher to understand the impact of cardio- vascular disease in the community, learn the fac- tors affecting the health of vulnerable popula- tions, and sample areas of scientific inquiry. New Orleans’ inaugural class will include four Dil- lard and Xavier University students. The scholars include Morgan Jackson (Xavier), Delilah Davis (Dillard), Janee Knox (Dillard), and Brianna Allen (Xavier). “We are excited to share what we do every day with scholars that otherwise may never have been exposed to scientific research,” said Dr. Sarah Lindsey, associate professor in pharmacology at Tulane School of Medicine and a HBCU mentor. “We hope that this program inspires them to tell their communities about healthy lifestyles as well as the importance of science.” Historically black colleges and universities graduate the largest numbers of African Amer- ican scholars in the field of medicine. More than 70 percent of African American medical profes- sionals earn degrees from these institutions, but the numbers of students studying biological sci- ences has been declining. In 1978, there were 1,410 black male applicants to medical school, compared with 1,337 in 2014. Currently, only three percent of professionals working in the biologi- cal and medical sciences are African American. “The American Heart Association understands diversity is key in solving the treatment and pre- vention issues that impact cardiovascular health,” said Brittany Gay, executive director, Ameri- can Heart Association of Greater New Orleans. “Ensuring diversity in the pool of students pur- suing science and healthcare is vital. We are proud to have this opportunity to elevate these four amazing students, thankful to their mentors, and look forward to seeing what they do with their future careers as they learn and grow in our community.” Along with contributing diverse perspec- tives to science investigation, minority doctors, nurses, and researchers enhance health treat- ment for individuals of color and help close sig- nificant health disparities. Underserved minori- ties who become medical professionals are also more likely to return to practice in their commu- nities where cultural sensitivity can create trust and improve outcomes. Greater access to care for low-income, multicultural and non-English speak- ing patients is also often associated with physi- cian diversity.  With the Dillard and Xavier students, there are a total of 26 scholars in the program across the region. Other schools include Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Jackson State University, Tougaloo College, Fisk University, Tennessee State, Miles College, Law- son State Community College, Stillman College, and Shelton State Community College.