Program Overview

All LSU Health Shreveport medical students are members of one of Six Academic Societies. At freshman orientation, medical students are randomly assigned to one of the Six Academic Societies. Medical students remain a member of their society throughout their medical education. Each Society is composed of up to 100 students, 25 students from each class.

Each Society will have a Student Officer – These officers will be elected by the students within the society from the M3 members. The officers will be supported by an M4 student member who will act as an advisor who previously served as an Officer and a Program Coordinator who will oversee the Academic Societies.

The Societies will organize academic, enrichment, and social events for students in order to support their growth from medical students to medical professionals. 

A mandatory quarterly meeting with Academic Society Chair and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to go over students’ academic progression.

Each Society may provide the following services:

Career Planning

• Workshops and panel discussions in preparation for residency application
• Early career counseling for first year and second year students
• One-on-one meetings to help students find mentors for their career of choice
• Assist with CV, personal statement

Personal Advising

• Management of life events while pursuing educational endeavors
• Referrals to individual support programs such as Learning Specialist or Student Counseling Services, Student Health Services

Research Support

• Research
• Letters of recommendation for research grants, fellowships, and year-long programs
• Coordination with the Office of Academic Affairs for publications

Edgar L. Hull, Jr., MD

A native of Pascagoula, Mississippi born in 1904, Dr. Hull graduated from high school at the early age of 15.  He attended undergraduate studies at Louisiana State University before attending Tulane Medical School graduating in 1927.  He was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha as a student.  Further, postgraduate training was completed at the Highland Clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana.  In 1929, he became a private practice rural physician in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana.  In 1931, Dr. Hull became a founding faculty member of the newly established LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana.  He attained the rank of Professor of Medicine in 1939 and subsequently became a diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine.  His long leadership service in academic medicine began as the Acting Head of Medicine, Department Chair, and Department head in Internal Medicine at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans.  He served for 15 years as the Associate Dean of Medicine.  In 1966, Dr. Hull became the founding Dean of the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport.  In 1973, Dr. Hull retired from academic medicine at age 69 retiring to Pascagoula, Mississippi.  House calls were still made in retirement for this physician’s physician.  Dr. Hull passed away in 1984 at the age of 80.  Dr. Hull published multiple papers and published a textbook on EKGs.  He was a member of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Gastroenterology.  His legacy is recorded by the numerous physicians he trained in his 46-year career in medicine in a compendium of remembrances.  In 1972, Pope Paul VI honored him with the highest recognition awarded by the papacy to a layman who is not a head of state as a Knight of St. Gregory the Great for work in medical and religious fields.  A professorship was established in his name at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. The Internal Medicine Interest Group at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans was named for him in his honor in 1999.  A graduating medical student award provided by Lewis Gottlieb was created at the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport for excellent patient-physician interactions. 

Isaac "Ike" Muslow, MD

Dr. Isaac "Ike" Muslow was born on April 4, 1926 in Oil City, LA. He attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Centenary College of Louisiana, and Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, where he did an internship at Charity Hospital. In 1950, he served as Medical Officer in the United States Air Force, and in 1952, he did a medical residency at Georgetown University Hospital, and then at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, LA. From 1954 - 1958, he was Instructor in Medicine at LSU School of Medicine and Director of the Kidney Station at New Orleans Charity Hospital, which was only one of two dialysis units in the South. He developed the first fellowship dialysis program in the state and was attending physician at the VA Hospital in Gulfport, MS.

From 1958-1964, he was in private practice in Shreveport, LA and also attending physician at the VA Hospital. From 1964-1970, he was the Administrative Director in the Department of Internal Medicine at Confederate Memorial Medical Center, where he achieved a full complement of residents in internal medicine for the first time. He also was a consultant at the VA Hospital in Shreveport.

In 1970, he established and directed the first Dialysis Unit in the area at Willis-Knighton Hospital. Always interested in teaching and learning, he directed the continuing medical education program there.

In 1970, he began his long career at the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport, LA accepting the position as acting head of the Department of Family Medicine and Comprehensive Care, where he successfully won approval for a residency program in all the area hospitals. Three years later, he began the first of three terms as Dean of the Medical School and as Vice Chancellor. During his three tenures as Dean, Confederate Memorial merged so successfully with LSU Medical School Hospital that in 1991 it was named the nation's most profitable public hospital. Under his leadership, the Burn Center and the organ transplant program were developed, the Emergency Unit became a level one trauma center, three Centers of Excellence were created in Arthritis and Rheumatology, Cancer Research, and Clinical and Forensic Toxicology. He continued to lead the institution with his great vision and not only helped to create the Ambulatory Care Center but also built the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, the Women's and Children's Center, the Radiation Therapy Center and the Children's Hospital within the hospital. Later he played an instrumental role in establishing the LSU Medical School Foundation, and an affiliation agreement with Conway Hospital, in Monroe, to assume a medical education program.

He was a member of the Federation of State Board of Nursing Examiners, State Board of Medical Examiners and its chairman; and its representative to the American Board of Medical Specialties, and the American Board in Internal Medicine. He received the Shreveport Medical Society's Distinguished Service award, the LA State Medical Society award, and was a member and President of the Public Solicitation Review Council. He was honored by the American Heart Association and Junior Achievement. An endowed chair bearing his name in Internal Medicine was established at LSUHSC-S. In June of 2000, he retired from the Dean's office and on July 1, he continued teaching residents while treating patients at the VA until his retirement in 2015. In 2017, he was recognized by LSU Health Shreveport as a Community Hero. He passed away on January 18, 2020.

Dr. Muslow truly saw every moment in life as an opportunity to teach and learn. He instilled the love of learning and critical thinking in hundreds of his trainees. His legacy also includes being one of the greatest diagnostic physicians of all time. Without the benefit of a sophisticated test or imaging, he was widely known for accurately diagnosing even the most complex diseases simply by thoroughly listening to his patients. Dr. Muslow was a remarkable man, an amazing mentor, and a teacher of numerous physicians. He was described as a “Renaissance Man.” The vision of Dr. Muslow resulted in our ability to continue quality education and life-saving research for the community of North Louisiana.

Dr. Muslow will eternally be revered by his colleagues, students, and patients. He was a true Louisiana Icon and will forever hold a special place in the hearts of his trainees. Muslow Society will strive to keep his legacy alive in the years and decades to come. 

John C. McDonald, MD

John Clifton McDonald was born in Baldwyn, Mississippi, on July 25, 1930.  He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Mississippi College in 1951 and his Medical Degree from Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1955. After earning his medical degree, he interned at Confederate Memorial Medical Center, now LSU Hospital in Shreveport. Before starting his general surgery residency at State University of New York at Buffalo, Dr. McDonald served two years as Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Air Force at McGuire Air Force Base in Trenton, NJ.

In 1968, he came back to Louisiana for a faculty appointment at Tulane University School of Medicine, where he remained until 1977, when he moved to Shreveport to become Professor and Chairman of the Department of Surgery at LSU School of Medicine. As head of surgery at the academic health center, Dr. McDonald expanded the educational, research and patient care dimensions of the institution. Not only did Dr. McDonald bring organ transplantation to northwest Louisiana, he also established the Regional Burn Center and Level One Trauma Center while serving as head of the Department of Surgery. He integrated Overton Brooks Veterans Administration Medical Center and E.A. Conway Hospital into the surgical residency program at LSU in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1989, Willis-Knighton Medical Center became an affiliated institution and the primary hospital for the transplantation program. 

Dr. McDonald considered teaching to be his true calling. For more than fifty years, he taught more than 100 medical residents in general surgery and mentored hundreds of medical students. Even after he became Chancellor, he continued to meet with the surgery residents to review cases on a weekly basis. In 2004, his accomplishments were recognized with the establishment of the John C. McDonald, M.D., Endowed Chair in Surgery. 

Appointed in November 2000 as the first Chancellor of LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, Dr. McDonald not only was chief executive officer of the campus but also simultaneously served as the Dean of the School of Medicine in Shreveport. Under his leadership, LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport embarked upon an unprecedented decade of growth across north and central Louisiana. During his tenure, state leaders coined the term "the Shreveport model" in praise of the excellence of LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport.

It was under Dr. McDonald's leadership as Chancellor that LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport expanded to include three professional schools and LSU Hospital on the Shreveport campus as well as E.A. Conway Medical Center in Monroe and Huey P. Long Medical Center in Pineville.

Dr. McDonald's accomplishments include serving as President of the following organizations; United Network for Organ Sharing, South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation, American Society of Transplant Surgeons, Southern Surgical Association, Surgical Association of Louisiana, Halsted Society, and the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency.

His honors included the Roswell Park Medal presented in recognition of his achievements in the art and science of surgery; recognition as one of the Top 10 Leaders of the Century by The Shreveport Times; and the Shreveport Medical Society Distinguished Service Award. The South-Eastern Organ Procurement Foundation bestowed its lifetime achievement award upon Dr. McDonald in recognition of his major contributions to the field of organ transplantation. The Southern Surgical Association awarded him its highest honor, Honorary Fellow at one of its annual meetings. He was a member of numerous medical organizations. He authored more than 200 contributions to the scientific literature during his career.

He died on December 31, 2011, at his home with his wife, Martha, by his side.

Darryl Williams, MD

Dr. Darryl Williams was the Dean of the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport from 1986-1990. He completed medical school and an Internal Medicine Residency at Baylor College of Medicine. He received a Masters of Public Health from the University of Texas Health Sciences at Houston School of Public Health. Dr. Williams’ practice specialties include Internal Medicine and Hematology. Following his time in Shreveport, he served as the Dean of the Texas Tech School of Medicine and Dean of the Texas Tech Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. 

Perry Rigby, MD

Dr. Perry Rigby was a previous Dean of the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine from 1978-1985. In addition to this, he served as the Chancellor for the LSU Medical Center from 1985-1994 at which time the Chancellor was over both the Shreveport and New Orleans Medical Centers. He was a Professor of Medicine in Hematology/Oncology. He received his undergraduate degree in 1953 at Mount Union then his MD at Case Western Reserve University in 1957. He completed residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia, then a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at Boston University. Prior to moving to Louisiana, he was a Professor at the University of Nebraska where he also served as Dean of the medical school. He also was the former Director of Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at LSUHSC- New Orleans. He received many awards throughout his career including being chosen as diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He was a member of the American Federation of Clinical Research, Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, the American Medical Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Southern Society of Clinical Investigation. He finished his career as Director of Health Care System for LSUHSC – New Orleans. He passed away at the age of 85 on May 10, 2018.

Andrew Chesson, MD

Dr. Chesson was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and received a bachelor’s degree in Science from University of Texas at Austin. He then attended University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas where he received a Doctor of Medicine degree and completed his Residency in Neurology. He then joined the Department of Neurology at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport where he became full Professor of Neurology.

Dr. Chesson was a pioneer in the field of Sleep Medicine, serving on numerous national and state committees and publishing widely. He developed the Sleep Disorder Center at LSUHS, which was the first sleep disorder center in Louisiana. He served as its Director and was also the director of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship. He was a founding member of the Louisiana Sleep Society and a prominent member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. He was instrumental in developing evidence base guidelines and national standards of practice for the practice of Sleep Medicine and for fellowship training in Sleep Medicine. He served as President of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and received their distinguished service award in 2007.

Dr. Chesson served on many institutional committees throughout his 35 years of service. He was Associate Dean for Academic Affairs for 15 years and Acting Chancellor and Dean for one year. He then served as Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health Shreveport until his retirement. Under Dr. Chesson’s leadership, the School of Medicine restructured its medical curriculum and established a nationally credentialed simulation center. He received the AAMC and Pfizer Humanities Initiative: Humanism in Medicine Award in 2001.