NEW YEAR LETTER
| from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Happy New Year!
As we welcome 2025, I would like to express appreciation for the contributions that so many of you have made to our Department and reflect on our many accomplishments during the past year. You are part of a legacy that dates to the first psychiatry residents trained at LSUHS in 1977. Each successive generation of residents has made us better, giving us much to celebrate. The past year has included accomplishments which are too numerous to list, but highlights include:
- In May 2024, our Residency and Fellowship programs received continued accreditation from ACGME.
- In September, we celebrated Dr. James Patterson’s many contributions to LSU Health Shreveport and psychiatry in our region and beyond as he departed for Arkansas.
- A dedicated Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Track has revitalized our CAP fellowship with fellows participating in AACAP’s Psychodynamic Faculty Initiative Program (a program funded by our own Dr. Ed Leatherman) to learn Regulation Focused Psychotherapy for Children. This experience was presented at the AACAP annual meeting in Seattle last fall. Natalie Wu, MD, Child Fellow, was selected as AACAP Resident Advocacy Scholar for 2024.
- The Institute for Childhood Resilience (ICR) is growing! In 2024, our Faculty, Residents and Medical Students were integral in the signing of an MOU with the City of Shreveport aimed at reforming Behavioral Health Crisis Response services. ICR provided trainings on the Science of Resilience at local schools through our ICR program and presented at the Governor’s Annual Juvenile Justice Conference.
- Interest in our profession among our medical students is booming with 20 of the 2025 LSU Health Shreveport graduates pursuing a residency in psychiatry.
- Louisiana Behavioral Health Hospital has expanded to include 7 inpatient units, a Partial Hospitalization Program, and Intensive Outpatient Programs for Adults and Adolescents with Dr. McNeil now serving as Chief Medical Officer.
- Faculty and residents presented at national and international conferences with residents earning recognition at the LPMA and LSU Health Shreveport’s 9th Regional Resident and Fellow Poster Conference.
Your time in our residency program demonstrated your dedication, resilience, and a deep commitment to the field of psychiatry. The skills you developed and relationships you built while here at LSU Health Shreveport remain a cornerstone of your journey. Watching you grow as a clinician and leader has been one of the greatest joys for our faculty. We love to hear of your experiences and achievements. Whether you’re advancing in private practice, pursuing further specialization, leading mental health initiatives, or teaching the next generation of psychiatrists, your role in shaping our future is invaluable! I invite your continued support of our Department’s mission:
Teach, heal and discover in order to advance the mental well-being of our community, Louisiana and beyond.
There are many opportunities for you to stay involved and help us grow. It is an exciting time of research and clinical growth at LSU Health Shreveport. Please contact me if you are interested in returning to academia as faculty, to give lectures, or serve as a supervisor.
- Watch for your invitation to join us on Tuesday, February 18th as we welcome Dr. Marketta Mills, CEO and Director of the APA, to the LSU Health Shreveport campus.
- Join us for our weekly Grand Rounds on Fridays at noon, either in person or virtually via Zoom.
- Consider donating to our future growth at: https://www.lsuhsfoundation.org/psychiatry/.
- Follow us on Instagram to celebrate our many successes and see all the latest news: https://www.instagram.com/lsuhs_psychiatry/.
Please know that you are forever a cherished member of our LSU Health Shreveport family! We look forward to hearing from you and learning about your milestones! Please send any news that you would like to share to: pam.mcpherson@lsuhs.edu.
I wish you and your loved ones a new year filled with good health, abundant joy, personal fulfillment, and professional success.
With warm regards,
Pamela
Pamela McPherson, MD, FAPA
She/Her/Hers
Interim Chair Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine
Program Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Asst. Program Director, Forensic Psychiatry
LSU Health Shreveport, 1801 Fairfield, Suite 210, Shreveport, LA 71101
pam.mcpherson@lsuhs.edu
