Message from our Chairman

The Department of Surgery at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport has established itself over decades as a premier university-based training program for general surgeons and those preparing for a future in surgical subspecialties. Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport adjoins our medical school and allows our surgical residents to experience and treat a vast array of surgical pathology. Our Level I Trauma Center and Regional Burn Center have over 2500 patient encounters per year. Surgical oncology, cardiothoracic, and vascular surgery are tertiary referral disciplines and our general surgery residents who rotate on these services are able to gain great experience in open, minimally invasive, and catheter-based technologies. Rotations at the Overton Brooks Veterans Administration Medical Center and Ochsner LSU Health Monroe help further the general surgery exposure. Transplantation, hepatobiliary, and pediatric surgical services are a part of our training program in addition to advanced abdominal and thoracic endoscopic and robotic surgery.

The educational curriculum of the residency program incorporates regular didactic sessions using the American Board of Surgery approved SCORE curriculum as well as regular surgical and technical skills training sessions in our Clinical Skills Center, an accredited American College of Surgeons Comprehensive Education Institute.  Residents are also required to attend and present at weekly departmental education meetings including Morbidity and Mortality conference and Great Cases conference.  Research opportunities are available with many of the surgery faculty members as well as a number of the medical school's basic science faculty.  Research projects culminating in departmental podium presentations are required of residents in the PGY 1 - PGY 4 years.  The Department will fund travel for the resident who has research accepted for presentation at a regional or national meeting.

As resident physicians, attention to wellness and self-care is especially important because of the physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging nature of surgical training.  The Department of Surgery is committed to providing resources to support resident wellness and self-care.  Each resident is paired with a faculty mentor who meets with them at least monthly to discuss concerns and issues related to work, research, or their personal lives.  A clinical psychologist is also available for counseling.  The Department also hosts social gatherings and events outside the facility to promote the development of meaningful relationships among residents, faculty, and staff.

We are approved by the ACGME for five surgical residents per year in our program and actively promote physician well-being and diversity. After graduation from LSUHSC, we have been proud to have a 100% pass rate for the American Board of Surgery Qualifying Examination for the last four years. Our well-trained chief residents have acquired positions, not only in superb general surgical programs, but also in fellowships in a variety of specialties throughout the nation in both the academic and clinical settings. 

The John C. McDonald, MD Endowed Chair of Surgery represents the institution of research, education, and excellence in surgical training. It is truly an honor to be Chairman of the Department of Surgery at LSUHSC in Shreveport and to represent Dr. McDonald’s vision for the future of this program. For qualified applicants who are in the process of investigating residency programs in surgery, we want you to know that the Department of Surgery at LSUHSC-Shreveport is committed to providing superior resident education.  We welcome your interest and encourage you to contact us for more information.

For patients and those who require state of the art surgical intervention and excellent perioperative attention, please allow us to take part in your medical and surgical care. 

Keith White, MD, FACS
Professor and Chairman
John C. McDonald, MD Endowed Chair of Surgery
Department of Surgery