HJNO Jan/Feb 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JAN / FEB 2022 39 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Metairie. TMS therapy provides people struggling with severe depression an innovative option for man- aging their mental health. The NeuroJust clinic opens at a time when New Orleanians are experi- encing an increased level of depression as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our goal was to make mental healthcare avail- able and affordable to all, especially considering the worsening mental health crisis,” said Jour- dan Generes, CEO. “We have seen the success of TMS therapy around the country, and we wanted to bring that home to people suffering in New Orleans.” Approved by the FDA in 2008, TMS uses a mag- netic field to stimulate the prefrontal cortex of the brain, where the core symptoms of depression can be relieved. Unlike antidepressants or Elec- troconvulsive therapy (ECT), TMS patients expe- rience minimal side effects. “TMS is very well-tol- erated and highly effective” said Generes. “More than 60% of TMS patients achieve remission from their depression in as little as four to six weeks. At NeuroJust, we change our patients’ minds, so they can change their lives.” Chance McInnis, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist with extensive experience, will administer TMS to patients. Safe and covered by most insurances, the treatment offers a medication-free solution with patients returning to normal activities immediately fol- lowing the 20-minute session. Tulane University Study Uses Artificial Intelligence to Detect Colorectal Cancer A Tulane University researcher found that artifi- cial intelligence can accurately detect and diag- nose colorectal cancer from tissue scans as well or better than pathologists, according to a new study in the journal Nature Communications. The study, which was conducted by researchers from Tulane, Central South University in China, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Cen- ter, Temple University and Florida State Univer- sity, was designed to test whether AI could be a tool to help pathologists keep pace with the ris- ing demand for their services. Pathologists evaluate and label thousands of histopathology images on a regular basis to tell whether someone has cancer. But their average workload has increased significantly and can sometimes cause unintended misdiagnoses due to fatigue. “Even though a lot of their work is repetitive, most pathologists are extremely busy because there’s a huge demand for what they do but there’s a global shortage of qualified patholo- gists, especially in many developing countries,” said Hong-Wen Deng, MD, professor and direc- tor of the Tulane Center of Biomedical Informat- ics and Genomics at Tulane University School of Medicine. “This study is revolutionary because we successfully leveraged artificial intelligence to identify and diagnose colorectal cancer in a cost- effective way, which could ultimately reduce the workload of pathologists.” To conduct the study, Deng and his team col- lected more than 13,000 images of colorectal can- cer from 8,803 subjects and 13 independent can- cer centers in China, Germany and the United States. Using the images, which were randomly selected by technicians, they built a machine- assisted pathological recognition program that allows a computer to recognize images that show colorectal cancer, one of the most com- mon causes of cancer-related deaths in Europe and America. Louisiana Awarded BOLD Grant to Support and Improve Alzheimer’s Care Well-Ahead Louisiana, the chronic disease pre- vention and healthcare access arm of the Loui- siana Department of Health, has been awarded $345,000 in federal funding through the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act. Provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the funding will be used to implement effective Alzheimer’s interventions, including boosting early detection and diag- nosis, reducing risk and preventing avoidable hospitalizations. “This grant provides an opportunity take the foundation Well-Ahead has established in chronic disease prevention and management, as well as outreach to healthcare providers, and expand upon it to improve outcomes for Louisiana’s res- idents living with Alzheimer’s and other demen- tia diseases, as well as those who serve as their caregivers,” said Melissa R. Martin, director of Well-Ahead Louisiana. Well-Ahead Louisiana will work with the Alzheimer’s Association and other partners as they focus on policy, system and environmen- tal changes to promote risk reduction, early diagnosis, the prevention and management of comorbidities, and avoidable hospitalizations for residents with Alzheimer’s or other demen- tia diseases. Data will be used to set priorities, develop public health action plans, address social determinants of health and provide support for those who serve as caregivers to persons with dementia. University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School Honors Graduatess The University of Queensland Ochsner Clini- cal School honored its 2021 graduating class at its annual Culmination Ceremony held Nov. 20. Students completed two years of medical school curriculum in Brisbane, Australia at UQ. The final two years of clinical study were com- pleted at the UQ Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans at Ochsner Medical Center. The 2021 Teacher of the Year award was bestowed upon Lauren Bergeron, MD. Recipients of Post Graduate Research Fellow- ship Awards included Sarah Chisholm, Dustin Chalmers, Arielle Kasindi, Nadia Hussein and Jay Shah. The following students were recognized with individual awards: • Jaye Espinas — Internal Medicine-Ameri- can College of Physicians Excellence Award. • Stanimira Kartolova — Dr. E. Edward Mar- tin, Jr. Family Medicine Award • Nadia Hussein — John Lockwood Ochsner Sr. Surgical Award • Angela Conway — Student Excellence Award for OB/GYN • Morgan Viviano — Student Excellence Award for Pediatrics • Brett Pearce — Student Excellence Award for Psychiatry At the Culmination Ceremony, the UQ Ochsner Clinical School also recognized Guy Helman, who completed two degrees — an MD and a PhD — in six years. n