HJNO Mar/Apr 2020

62 MAR / APR 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Hospital Rounds health of our communities. Graduates will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to advocate for patients, reduce disparities in access to health- care, recognize and treat disorders, and advance prevention of chronic disease.” STHS First with NewTechnology in Fight Against Prostate Cancer St. Tammany Health System added to its diag- nostic arsenal as the first Northshore health sys- tem to offer a powerful new MRI solution for tar- geted biopsy of the prostate. Through purchase of the UroNav fusion biopsy system, STHS offers more accurate biopsy for patients with elevated and/or rising PSA levels. Targeted MR/ultrasound biopsy is poised to become the new standard in prostate care. Uro- Nav fuses pre-biopsy MR images of the prostate with ultrasound images in real time, providing exceptional delineation of the prostate and sus- picious lesions. After a patient has undergone a prostate MRI, STHS radiologists utilize DynaCAD for Prostate to quickly visualize and evaluate suspicious lesions.  “This is a significant advancement compared to the conventional approach, which may have been less precise,” Jack Khashou, vice president of St. Tammany Cancer Center said. “The UroNav fusion biopsy system uses this critical diagnostic infor- mation to provide highly skilled local urologists with a targeted approach to prostate biopsy. The fusion of MR and ultrasound images through Uro- Nav gives our urologists the ability to offer their patients an alternative to remaining in an uncer- tain state of diagnosis after a prostate exam or prior negative ultrasound biopsy.” Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer has become the most common form of cancer in American men and the second-leading cause of cancer death in this population, according to American Cancer Society, which finds one in every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Healing Arts Initiative Hosts First Solo Exhibition St. Tammany Hospital Foundation’s Healing Arts Initiative hosting the first solo exhibition of its rotating gallery series until March 20, featuring works by local artist Bernard Mattox. groundbreaking new prostate MRI technology as a guidance tool to pinpoint the cancer. Once the cancer has been localized, physicians use special- ized equipment to destroy it by either burning it using focused ultrasound (HIFU) or freezing the cancer (cryotherapy.) By focusing specifically on the cancer and not the rest of the prostate, physicians are able to pre- serve the structures next to the prostate that are important for urinary and sexual function. The goal of focal therapy is to destroy small tumors within the prostate while leaving the remainder of the gland intact. Xavier University, Ochsner Health SystemLaunch New Physician Assistant Program Xavier University of Louisiana has partnered with Ochsner Health System to establish a new physician assistant program. This program makes Xavier one of four colleges in Louisiana, one of two in New Orleans, and one of only three HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Univer- sities) in the nation to offer a physician assistant program. Xavier now offers students more than a dozen master’s degree options. The Xavier-Ochsner program received provi- sional national accreditation from the Accredita- tion Review Commission on Education. ARC-PA is the accrediting agency that protects the inter- ests of the public and PA profession by defin- ing the standards for PA education and evaluat- ing PA educational programs within the territorial United States to ensure their compliance with those standards. Commonly known as a PA, a physician assis- tant is a licensed and trained healthcare profes- sional trained in general medicine who works under the supervision of a physician. The Amer- ican Academy of PAs estimates there are more than 131,000 PAs in the United States today, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for physician assistants is projected to grow 37 percent from 2016 to 2026. Currently, Ochsner has more than 190 PAs working across its health system. “Our goal at Xavier is to continue expand- ing our programs and create more opportuni- ties for our students. The new physician assistant program builds strong primary care and public health foundations for students enrolled in the program,” said Dr. Anne McCall, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Xavier University of Louisiana. “This 28-month program will allow students to receive a master’s degree in the health sciences, and students will have the opportunity to participate in over a full year of clin- ical training within the Ochsner Health System. By creating this partnership our students will get the chance to gain hands-on experience and receive an education that will prepare them to compete on an international level.” Following three semesters of classroom instruc- tion, the PA students will complete approximately 2,000 hours of hands-on clinical experience through 11 rotations at various Ochsner facilities. Students will work and study with healthcare pro- fessionals across a variety of specialties.  “People are at the core of everything we do at Ochsner and we are committed to training the next generation of healthcare providers. By col- laborating and partnering with Xavier on this new PA program, we can train more healthcare profes- sionals here at home in Louisiana. It is our hope that this new pipeline of physician assistants will practice locally and make a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of our communities throughout the state,” said Leonardo Seoane, MD, FACP, senior vice president and chief aca- demic officer, Ochsner Health System. Varsha Castro Gusman has been appointed as director of the program and as a clinical assistant professor of professional programs in the Physi- cian Assistant Department. As the founding direc- tor, she oversees the degree approval process, plans and develops an accredited curriculum, and serves as a classroom instructor, mentor, and advisor to students. A Xavier University alumna, Gusman earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology at Xavier and a Master’s Degree in the Physician Assistant Program at Our Lady of the Lake Col- lege. Prior to her new role, Gusman served as the lead physician assistant for Ochsner Medical Cen- ter’s Neuro Critical Care Unit for five years. “The future of the healthcare system is pro- jected to be collaborative and diverse, with many different professions working at their highest lev- els to care for patient needs,” said Gusman. “The physician assistant program at Xavier University has the potential to have a great impact on the