Kaye to be presented the Racz Excellence Award

Alan Kaye, MD, Ph.D., DABA, DABPM, DABIPP, professor of anesthesiology, pharmacology, toxicology and neurosciences at LSU Health Shreveport, has been chosen as the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Racz Excellence Award by the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP). The award is given to one physician annually and presented at the 24th annual meeting in the spring.

Dr. Kaye is board certified as a consultant in anesthesiology, holds a special certificate in pain management from the American Board of Anesthesiology and is a diplomate of the American Board of Pain Medicine and the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians.

He is editor-in-chief of the journals "Pain Physician" and “Current Pain and Headache Reports," and is on the FDA advisory board on anesthetics and analgesics. Dr. Kaye currently serves as the provost and chief academic officer at LSU Health Shreveport.

Louisiana Cancer and Lung Trust Fund Board

Sarah Thayer, MD, Ph.D., was recently appointed to the Louisiana Cancer and Lung Trust Fund Board by Governor John Bel Edwards. The Louisiana Cancer and Lung Trust Fund Board serves to determine the Louisiana Tumor Registry policy and distribute state funds for cancer research. Dr. Thayer is the director of Feist-Weiller Cancer Center and will serve as the representative for LSU Health Shreveport on the board.

Sherif Michael, MD, Joins Pinnacle Gastroenterology

Sherif Michael, MD, has joined T. Ryan Palmer, MD, at Pinnacle Gastroenterology in Shreveport, part of the Willis-Knighton Physician Network.

Dr. Michael earned a bachelor's degree in neuroscience at the University of California – Riverside and completed master's degree coursework in neuroscience at California State Polytechnic University – Pomona with a 4.0 GPA. He completed a postbaccalaureate program at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. This was followed by two years of medical school at the University of Queensland in Australia and clinical training in New Orleans, finishing at the top of his class and being awarded the American College of Physicians Award of Excellence. Dr. Michael completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport, during which time he was elected Chief GI Fellow.

Since finishing medical school, Dr. Michael has practiced gastroenterology in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Pinnacle Gastroenterology accepts new patients and most insurance plans and is located at 2551 Greenwood Road in Shreveport.

Hudnall Joins Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport

Primary care physician Dr. Elizabeth "Ellie" Hudnall has joined the Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Spring Lake primary care location at 8445 Line Ave., Suite 100.

Hudnall, a Shreveport native, received a BS in health-care management from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and participated in many extracurricular activities, including dance, theater, Chi-Omega sorority and BAMA Belle (football recruiting team). Upon graduation, Hudnall returned home, achieved her medical doctorate from LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport and became the first recipient of the Ike Muslow Award in Primary Care.

Hudnall completed internship with internal medicine at Ochsner Clinic (main campus, New Orleans), followed by a residency in family medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center-Shreveport. Hudnall served on faculty at LSU Health for one year following her graduation as an assistant professor and clinical instructor in the Department of Family Medicine and was honored with the Resident Teaching Award in 2011.

Dr. Hudnall accepts new patients at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Spring Lake, located at 8445 Line Ave., Suite 100. To schedule an appointment, call 318-626-4242.

Drs. Sogmonian and Master First in State

Robert Sogomonian, MD, and Ryan G. Master, MD, have performed the first intravascular lithotripsy procedure in Louisiana using the Shockwave M5+ catheter. The interventional cardiologists are partners at Pierremont Cardiology, part of the Willis-Knighton Physician Network.

The M5+ catheter is used with the Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy system to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD). This common vascular condition affects the lower extremities such as the legs, ankles or feet. PAD is a narrowing or blockage of vessels carrying blood from the heart to the legs and is primarily caused by a buildup of plaque in the arteries. The lithotripsy technology opens clogged arteries that are especially difficult to unblock due to hard calcium deposits.

Willis-Knighton Heart & Vascular Institute has been offering Shockwave Intravascular Lithotripsy since April 2021 and was the first in Northwest Louisiana to provide the technology. The Shockwave IVL System is based on the same technology used to destroy kidney stones to more easily pass through the urinary tract.

Shockwave works by threading a catheter through the femoral or radial artery to the location of the blockage and inflating a special balloon. An electrical discharge from emitters on the catheter vaporizes the fluid within the balloon, creating a rapidly expanding and collapsing bubble that generates sonic pressure waves. The waves pass through soft tissue and create microfractures in the calcium inside the vessel and embedded within its walls. After the calcium is cracked, a balloon fully expands the vessel, and a drug-eluting stent is safely implanted to improve blood flow.

The doctors said the new technology allows treatment and fracture of calcium build up in larger arteries in the body and a broader array of patients safely and effectively.

Kim to Lead Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Dr. David Kim, professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) at LSU Health Shreveport (LSUHS), has been selected through a national search to serve as the department chair. David Kim, DMD, MD, FACS, has served as the interim chair since April of 2021.

Dr. Kim brings 25 years of rigorous clinical and academic experience to the position, having served as an OMS instructor while at the University of Baltimore, as the LSUHS OMS residency program director from 2005 to 2014, and as the LSUHS director of the Head and Neck Surgery and Microvascular Reconstruction Fellowship for the past 15 years. Dr. Kim will continue serving as chief of the Division of Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery, which he established in 2014. He will also maintain the distinction as the Edward and Freeda Green Endowed Professorship holder in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Dr. Kim earned his dental degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, followed by a medical degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center in Brooklyn.

Dr. Kim is active in numerous state and national professional societies. He was selected as a Diplomate of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Kim is currently serving as the vice-president of the American Academy of Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons.

Browne Joins John C. McDonald Regional Transplant Center

Veron D. Browne, MD, MBA, has joined John C. McDonald Regional Transplant Center at Willis-Knighton, part of the Willis- Knighton Physician Network. She is board-certified in internal medicine, transplant hepatology and gastroenterology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She specializes in treating liver diseases, including alcohol-related liver disease and cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis C.

Dr. Browne earned her medical degree at the University of West Indies in Jamaica. She came to the United States, completing her medical residency in internal medicine at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn, N. Y. She followed that with a fellowship at New York Methodist Hospital and a fellowship in transplant hepatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In addition to medicine, Browne has a master’s degree in business administration.

Dr. Browne creates long-term bonds with patients as she closely works with them before and after liver transplantation. She prides herself as a compassionate listener as she collaborates with patients to create a comprehensive care plan that works for their unique needs and contributes to their long-term success.

The John C. McDonald Regional Transplant Center is located at 2751 Albert Bicknell Drive, Suite 4A, on the campus of Willis- Knighton Medical Center in Shreveport. The practice includes Gazi Zibari, MD; Neeraj Singh, MD; Hosein Shokouh-Amiri, MD; David Dies, MD; Robert McMillan, MD; Donnie Aultman, MD; and Srijan Tandukar, MD.

Dr. Browne and her partners accept new patients and most insurance plans.