Opening Doors to Education

The LSU Board of Supervisors called the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport to admit its first class in the fall of 1969. There were over 500 applications submitted for the first school year, although only 32 students would be admitted to the inaugural class.

On September 12, 1969, the thirty-two men and women who would represent the first class of the School of Medicine arrived for registration and orientation and began their first day of class on the fifteenth of September at the Veterans Administration Hospital, the first and temporary home of the medical school while construction was ongoing. The class was made up of 31 men and 1 woman who represented 17 different communities in Louisiana.

The first School of Medicine graduation day, May 26, 1973, was a long-earned day for many to see their efforts come to fruition- not only for the students who had worked throughout the past four years to become physicians, but also for the community who had rallied behind the idea of a medical school in North Louisiana. There’s no doubt that this was a proud day for both the Shreveport-Bossier community and the state.

The first class of the LSU School of Medicine went on to have very successful and fulfilling careers. Over half of the class remained in Louisiana to practice medicine, while others served in Washington, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and other locations across the US. The Class of 1973 featured numerous primary care physicians practicing in family medicine, OB/GYN and internal medicine with a significant portion of the class specializing in areas such as ophthalmology, orthopaedics, pathology, dermatology, psychiatry, pulmonary and critical care, otolaryngology, allergy and immunology, nephrology, surgery and hematology/oncology. Several members of this distinguished class are still providing care today.

“I will forever be thankful for the opportunity to be in the first class of the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport,” stated Dr. Billy Washburne as he reflected on his experiences as a medical student. Dr. Ken Harrison shared his thoughts on the current state and future of the School of Medicine, “It was a great place to get that education, and it still is. I’m proud of the fact that there are new research projects going on. I’m proud of the role that the medical school played in the COVID-19 pandemic. And in the future, I think there’s so much that can be done here to reach the school’s full potential.”

In 1966, the Linwood Apartments were purchased for the housing of students, teaching and technical staff and residents. The Class of 1973 have fond memories of their housing and credit the near proximity to one another for their closeness that remains for many of them today. Before its closing in 1983, the Linwood Apartments served as a home for many students as well as their spouses and children.

From 1876 to 2013, the state of Louisiana maintained safety-net hospitals in multiple locations, serving as the primary training and teaching hospital for medical students and residents. In 2013, then Governor Bobby Jindal moved to privatize all public hospitals in Louisiana. In Shreveport & Monroe, the Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF) became the manager of former state hospitals and clinics under the name University Health. In 2018, Governor John Bel Edwards brokered a new agreement allowing LSU Health Shreveport to become a 50/50 partner with Ochsner Health resulting in the Ochsner LSU Health System of North Louisiana (OLHS). In its short history, the OLHS partnership has been transformational with the number of distinct patients growing from 30,000 to 160,000, recruitment of 127 faculty physicians and dramatic improvement in quality metrics for patient care, hospitality and service.

Today & the Future of the School of Medicine

Thanks to the support of the community and the institution’s capacity for growth, the School of Medicine opened the doors for LSU Health Shreveport to gain full autonomy for the Schools of Allied Health Professions and Graduate Studies in 2004.

Today, LSU Health Shreveport has 1,621 students between its three schools. The Schools of Allied Health Professions and Graduate Studies includes 342 and 81 students respectively. The School of Medicine currently enrolls 593 School of Medicine students and trains 605 residents and fellows as a part of the school’s GME program. The School of Medicine has a five-year Match Rate of 99% with the National Resident Matching Program of the Association of American Medical Colleges annual Match, with students most recently matching in prestigious programs such as Weill Cornell, University of Alabama at Birmingham, George Washington University, Baylor University and more. Twenty-nine percent of the students in the Class of 2023 matched with residency programs at LSU Health Shreveport, and forty-five percent matched with programs in Louisiana. Seventy percent of the practicing physicians in North Louisiana were educated or trained at LSU Health Shreveport.

In the fall of 2023, the institution’s new Center for Medical Education and Emerging Viral Threats will open its doors, providing a central space on campus for students in all three schools and a venue for community events. The $84 million, 155,000 square foot building is architecturally bold, sending a message to the community and region that this is an education center that will shape the future. The space will house a modern curriculum for students, emphasizing small-group and peer-to-peer learning. In addition to core instruction in scientific knowledge and clinical skills, the curriculum — and the space that houses it — will emphasize other important competencies of health care professionals, including communication skills, interprofessional teamwork, evidence-based practice, the role of family, community and culture in health outcomes, and professional ethics. In addition, the Center will include facilities to promote wellness among students, faculty and staff, including a fitness center, areas to promote mindfulness and culinary offerings that promote good nutrition.

An important value of the new space is that it will allow LSU Health Shreveport and the School of Medicine to help improve Louisiana’s overall health by addressing the healthcare shortage the state is facing. The Center will permit the School of Medicine to increase its class size in years to come, which is critical to increasing the number of quality healthcare professionals in our state.

The future of the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine is bright. With support from the community and state, students graduate wellequipped and ready to emerge as the next generation of healthcare leaders.

Reunions Through the Years

The Class of 1973, shown at their 40th year reunion, has remained close throughout the years. According to some members of the class, this is due to having to band together as the first and “oldest” on campus in addition to having a unique housing environment throughout their years of medical school. No matter the cause, the group has an unbreakable bond and has enjoyed staying in touch and getting together over the last fifty years at their reunions.