DR. DAVID HIRSCH has joined Dr. John G. Noles at Spine & Pain Specialists with locations at WK Bossier Health Center and WK Pierremont Health Center.

A Louisiana native, Hirsch received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Tulane University and earned his medical degree from LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. He returned to New Orleans for his residency in anesthesiology at Tulane, where he completed both his residency and a Master of Business Administration degree in 2015. He completed a fellowship in pain medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Hirsch provides care for conditions such as low back pain, neck pain, headaches, neuropathies, spinal stenosis, sciatica, chronic regional pain syndrome, and phantom limb pain among many others. Hirsch is accepting new patients by physician referral and also accepts most insurance plans.

THE GLEN RETIREMENT SYSTEM offers a free Caregivers' Memory Loss Support Group the first Thursday of the month. The group is open to the public. Caregivers' Memory Loss Support Group at the Glen Retirement System from 5:30-6:30 p.m. the first Thursday of every month. On Aug. 4, Caressa Deramus, a boardcertified music therapist, will discuss “The Benefits of Music Therapy.”

Access via main entrance on Flournoy Lucas Road. Free and open to public. Refreshments will be served. Call 798-3500 or e-mail info@theglensystem.org.

DR. JESSICA WILDEN has joined the Willis-Knighton Physician Network and established Tri-State Neurosurgery at 2551 Greenwood Road, Ste. 320, in Shreveport.

Wilden specializes in deep brain stimulation, a procedure that treats Parkinson’s disease, tremors and other disabling neurological symptoms. “We are the only private hospital for adults in the U.S. to offer the deep brain stimulation while asleep under general anesthesia using the specialized interventional MRI technique,” she said. Wilden also offers surgery for neck pain, back pain, spinal arthritis, spinal stenosis, herniated disk, brain tumors, epilepsy/seizures and hydrocephalus, among other diseases.

After earning her doctor of medicine from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, N. Y., Wilden completed an internship in the department of general surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. She subsequently completed residency at the Department of Neurosurgery at Indiana University.

UNIVERSITY HEALTH SHREVEPORT is the first hospital in North Louisiana to earn advanced certification for Primary Stroke Centers from The Joint Commission, recognizing centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care.

To be eligible, hospitals must demonstrate compliance with stroke-related standards as a Primary Stroke Center.

University Health underwent a rigorous on-site review from Joint Commission experts who evaluated compliance with strokerelated standards and requirements.

“This certification demonstrates our commitment to quality, safety and patient care and reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff and physicians to transition from a state-run charity hospital to private hospital of choice for every citizen in our community” said Rod Williams, president of UH.

PROFESSOR AND CHAIRMAN DR. ANIL NANDA LSU Health Shreveport Department of Neurosurgery Professor and Chairman Dr. Anil Nanda was recently named the Dr. William Henry Hudson Lecturer, the highest honor presented by the Southern Neurosurgical Society. Named for the South’s first neurosurgeon, the award is given to a nationally recognized neurosurgeon at the society’s annual meeting. Nanda’s lecture was titled: “Skull Base Surgery: Why the Owl of Minerva Flies at Dusk.”

DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSURGERY ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR. HUGO CUELLAR has been granted subspecialty certification in neuroendovascular surgery by the Society of Neurological Surgeons and the Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training.

Neuroendovascular surgery uses minimally invasive catheter-based technology, radiological imaging and clinical expertise to diagnose and treat vascular diseases of the central nervous system, as well as other disorders of the head, neck and spine and their vascular supply.

Cuellar specializes in neuroendovascular procedures, as he has trained in radiology, neuroradiology and interventional radiology.

Earning subspecialty certification means that University Neurosurgery is on track to eventually begin a neuroendovascular surgery fellowship program in addition to a skull base surgery fellowship.

WK BREAST HEALTH CENTER’S recent opening expands options for women. Located at 7845 Youree Drive in the WK Portico Center, it offers among its services Tomosynthesis 3D Mammography, revolutionary technology that allows doctors to examine breast tissue one layer at a time with no additional compression and only a few seconds longer than a traditional mammogram. The Breast Health Center is the only facility in the region that offers core and stereotactic biopsies using this advanced technology. Dedicated breast sonography and ultrasound guided biopsies services are also available.

The center provides an easily accessible out-patient location, and expanded hours of operation – 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays – will allow patients a convenient time before and after work to have their exam performed. The center is in a high-tech, relaxing spa-like environment.