CHRIS KEVIL, PH.D., HAS BEEN NAMED VICE CHANCELLOR FOR RESEARCH AT LSU HEALTH SHREVEPORT Dr. Kevil is responsible for providing leadership in research administration and planning. He will serve as a key member of the chancellor’s leadership team, which is transitioning to a new business model. Kevil will represent the campus in matters related to research, including federal and state agencies, other research institutions and the local community. Significant focus will be placed on facilitating translational research opportunities and in expanding the center’s capacity for innovative and multi-disciplinary research.

Dr. Kevil is professor of pathology, molecular and cellular biology, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease and Sciences, and director of the Division of Research in the Department of Pathology and Translational Biology. He holds the Malcolm Feist Chair in Cardiovascular Research and grants from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Kevil has provided leadership for many grant peer review cycles for the National Institutes of Health, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. Discoveries from his laboratory have led to novel therapeutic approaches and patents, and the foundation of two biotechnology startup companies.

Dr. Kevil is a Shreveport native who received his Ph.D. in molecular and cellular physiology from the School of Graduate Studies at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport followed by a fellowship in genomics and Pathobiology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

JESSICA WILDEN, MD, PERFORMS A UNIQUE LASER ABLATION ON A PATIENT DIAGNOSED WITH A BRAIN TUMOR Jessica Wilden, MD, neurosurgeon with Tri-State Neurosurgery, has performed a unique MRI-guided Visualase® laser ablation on a patient diagnosed with a brain tumor. The patient, a 57-year-old man, had a symptomatic tumor in the temporal lobe of the brain, near the brain stem.

The location of the tumor made it difficult and dangerous to resect during open brain surgery.

With the Visualase technology in the interventional MRI suite at Willis-Knighton Medical Center, Dr. Wilden accessed and destroyed the tumor using a laser fiber inserted through a small 5 mm incision. The patient was discharged the following day and is doing well.

Patients who undergo a Visualase procedure generally recover faster than those who have open brain surgery and show few signs of having gone through a surgical procedure. Using the MRI to guide the laser in real time offers a high degree of accuracy and protects the surrounding normal tissue.

Willis-Knighton Health System recently acquired the Visualase technology as a continuing effort to grow the interventional MRI (iMRI) surgery program. The iMRI surgery program was initiated through a partnership between Willis- Knighton Health System and Dr. Jessica Wilden, a specialist in MRI-based surgery, in January 2014. Willis-Knighton is the only site in Louisiana and in the Ark-La-Tex with a specialized iMRI suite used on a weekly basis to perform highly specialized procedures.

Patients who experience seizures and/or who have brain tumors may wish to be evaluated to determine if this cutting-edge surgery is right for them. More information about this procedure is available on the neurosurgery page at wkhs.com or by calling Dr. Wilden’s office at 212-8176.

6TH ANNUAL CHOCOLATE & CHAMPAGNE AFFAIR BENEFITTING EASTERSEALS Shreveport’s finest will gather in the ballroom at DiamondJack’s Casino & Hotel on Saturday, April 22, for a night of fun while helping those with disabilities. It will be an evening of decadence and indulgence.

The 6th Annual Chocolate & Champagne affair benefitting Easterseals Louisiana will be held Saturday, April 22, in the ballroom at DiamondJack’s Casino & Hotel. This after-dinner event begins at 7 p.m. with music and dancing to the band Ambush, along with a live and silent auction. You can sample tasty chocolate delicacies along with champagne to add for the perfect combination. This year Easterseals Louisiana presents the 2017 Lily Award to Sheriff Steve Prator. The Lily Award recognizes those who have become a cornerstone in the community of helping others.

This event is designed to honor outstanding individuals and highlight the accomplishments of Easterseals Louisiana while raising community awareness for the mission. Proceeds from the event benefit the thousands of families who have a child or adult with disabilities in Louisiana.

Tables are on sale to this fun event at different sponsor levels, and individual tickets are on sale online via PayPal or at the Easterseals office.

Easterseals Louisiana is a non-profit whose mission it is to assist children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities achieve independence. More info at www.laeasterseals. com or call 221-8244.

AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN HELPING TO PREVENT CANCER The Willis-Knighton Cancer Center has received an award for Excellence in Helping to Prevent Cancer given by the Mid-South Division of the American Cancer Society. Nominations were taken from cancer centers throughout the division, which includes those in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Willis-Knighton Cancer Center was recognized for its efforts to address community education about colon cancer. Among the activities involved in this community effort were educational lectures, providing screening kits for colon cancer, and information on prevention of colon cancer.

The Willis-Knighton Cancer Center, located on the campus of Willis-Knighton Medical Center, features a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care, with most services in a single location for the convenience of patients.

GOMES, M.D., HAS JOINED CHRISTUS PHYSICIAN GROUP Dr. Nadia Gomes has joined CHRISTUS Physician Group, as announced by CHRISTUS Shreveport- Bossier Health System. Dr. Gomes is now practicing with Dr. Susan Kemp at CHRISTUS Primary Care Associates, located at 1460 E. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Ste. 700.

Dr. Gomes is board certified in family medicine and specializes in comprehensive care for the entire family. Dr. Gomes is now accepting patients ages 2 and up.

Dr. Gomes was born in Canada, where she completed her undergraduate training at the University of Manitoba. She went on to pursue her medical degree at Medical University of the Americas in St. Kitts and Nevis. She completed her residency in family medicine at LSU Medical Center.

Patients may call 681-5580 to make an appointment or visit www.christushealthsb.org.