HJNO Jul/Aug 2024

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JUL / AUG 2024 51 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com development and exposure to water. Ensure they learn essential water survival skills. • Install proper barriers: Erect 4-foot-tall fences with self-closing and self-latching gates around home pools to prevent unsu- pervised access. • Use life jackets: When boating or participat- ing in open-water activities, ensure children wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jack- ets appropriate for their weight and activity. • Educate about open water: Teach children the unique challenges of swimming in open water, including limited visibility in murky water, changes in depth, uneven surfaces, and hazards. • Learn CPR and water rescue: Caregivers should learn CPR and basic water rescue skills to respond effectively in emergencies without endangering themselves. LSUHealth NO Educator Announces Retirement LSU Health New Orleans announced that Juzar Ali, MD, an award-winning clinical professor of medicine, is retiring after 33 years of service to medical education in Louisiana. In addition to his role as a pulmonary and crit- ical care professor, Ali has received numerous teaching awards and has been consistently recog- nized as one of the Best Doctors in America. He was awarded the Spirit of Charity award in 2022 for his academic, patient care, research, teaching, and administration services to the Charity Hos- pital System. “Our educators are an integral part of the fab- ric of medical education across the state,” said LSU Health New Orleans Chancellor Steve Nel- son, MD. “With 70% of the doctors practicing in Louisiana having trained at LSU Health, Dr. Ali’s immeasurable impact on physicians over the last 33 years will be felt for generations to come.” LSUHealth NewOrleans’ Demetrius Porche, DNS, PhD, Selected for FNINR Cohort Demetrius James Porche, DNS, PhD, dean of LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing, has been appointed as a member of the seventh cohort of Ambassadors by the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR). This prestigious selection recognizes his excep- tional contributions to nursing research and advocacy. The FNINR Ambassador program, initiated in 2014, comprises highly qualified individuals committed to advancing public, health profes- sional, and policymaker awareness of the sig- nificant research agenda of the National Insti- tute for Nursing Research (NINR). The program’s goal is to increase research funding for scientific breakthroughs and the training of future nurse scientists. Porche holds appointments in the School of Public Health and the School of Graduate Studies at LSU Health New Orleans. He has an extensive background in healthcare leadership and gov- ernance, having served on the Louisiana State Board of Nursing and as chair of the Louisiana Health Works Commission. Porche is also a fel- low of the American Academy of Nursing, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. Tulane University Part of $82M Initiative to Improve Health Poor health outcomes and health disparities are major issues in our society, especially in the Deep South, which faces a disproportionate bur- den of chronic diseases compared to the rest of the nation. Tulane University is now part of a new $82 million National Institutes of Health effort that will harness the research expertise of academic medical centers to address disparities in the prev- alence and treatment of chronic diseases for resi- dents in this part of the country. The initiative, led by the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) based at the Univer- sity of Alabama at Birmingham, brings together 11 academic health centers, research institutes, and universities across Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The partnership is funded through a seven- year NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award UM1 grant (UM1TR004771) and others awarded to UAB’s CCTS. The new funding will also expand efforts to develop a diverse workforce in trans- lational research, provide research infrastruc- ture, support innovative research methods and strengthen partnerships with local communities. Other partners include LSU Health Sciences Center, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the University of South Alabama, Hud- sonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Tuskegee University, the University of Alabama, Auburn Uni- versity, Southern Research and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. DCHC’s Krystal Howard, DNP, Receives NODNA Nursing Excellence Award DePaul Community Health Centers (DCHC) announced that its lead nurse practitioner, Krys- tal Howard, DNP, received the Academic School of Nursing Educator Award from the New Orleans District Nurses Association (NODNA) on May 11. The NODNA award was presented to Howard at the Beyond the Bedside Nursing Awards Cer- emony at the Audubon Tea Room, where she was recognized for her significant contributions to the nursing profession and her demonstrated excel- lence in clinical practice, leadership, education, or research. n Krystal Howard, DNP, received the Academic School of Nursing Educator Award from the New Orleans District Nurses Association.