HJBR Nov/Dec 2019

60 NOV / DEC 2019  I  Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge   Hospital Rounds Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. “The Breast & GYN Pavilion is a special place for women with very specific cancers and I believe there are people out there who would like to reach out and offer them support. Many might have gone through a cancer journey of their own and want patients to know that there is life after cancer. Hope Notes provides the perfect platform for those meaningful connections.” Cardiothoracic Surgeons JoinOur Lady of the Lake Physician Group Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group has expanded its network of providers to include a cardiothoracic clinic with three cardiothoracic sur- geons. The surgeons provide advanced surgical care of diseases of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels.  “As the leading provider of heart care in the Baton Rouge region, we are pleased to expand our physician group to include cardiothoracic sur- gery,” said K. Scott Wester, president and CEO of Our Lady of the Lake. “With more than 70 years of combined medical experience, these well-respected surgeons are a great asset to our regional network.”  William Boedefeld II, MD, Walter Bringaze III, MD, and Swayze Rigby, MD, join the new clinic, which is named Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group Cardiothoracic Surgery. The clinic offers cardiac surgical treatments as well as thoracic treatments, including the removal of tumors, man- agement of disorders, and repairs of chest trauma.  Boedefeld is a native of St. Louis, Mo. and a 1992 graduate of DeSmet Jesuit High School. He completed his undergraduate studies at Wash- ington University in St. Louis and then went on to complete medical school at Creighton University’s School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. He pur- sued his general surgery residency and research training at the University of Alabama at Birming- ham. Boedefeld went on to complete a fellow- ship in cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Virginia. He is board-certified by the Ameri- can Board of General Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Boedefeld is a mem- ber of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, South- ern Thoracic Surgical Association, and an asso- ciate of the American College of Surgeons. He is also a surgeon member of the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Heart & Vascular Institute multidisciplinary valve team and a clini- cal assistant professor of surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. Bringaze received a medical degree from Loui- siana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He went on to complete a residency in general surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and then completed a cardiothoracic fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla. He is board-certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association. Brin- gaze is a Clinical assistant professor of surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.  Rigby completed medical school and a resi- dency at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, Miss. Rigby then completed a fellowship in car- diothoracic surgery at New York Hospital - Cor- nell University Medical Center and Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY. He is board-cer- tified in general surgery and thoracic surgery and is a member of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Society, East Baton Rouge Medical Society and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Rigby is also a surgeon member of the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Heart & Vascular Insti- tute multidisciplinary valve team and a clinical associate professor of surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.  Mary Bird Perkins Partners with LSUHealth NO for $13.6M Cancer Clinical Trials Network Along with LSU Health New Orleans and other partners, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center was awarded a $13.6 million multi-year grant by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to expand its state- wide clinical trials network with a special empha- sis on underserved cancer patients. In the Baton Rouge area, Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center, Woman’s Hospital, and LSU Health Baton Rouge North Clinic will be working together to enroll as many patients in clinical tri- als as possible. Mary Bird Perkins enrolled the largest number of clinical trial participants in two of the five years of the previously funded Gulf South Minority/Under- served NCI Community Oncology Research Pro- gram, which was active from 2014 – 2019. David Hanson, MD, Mary Bird Perkins principal investigator, said that the organization is grateful to NCI for the continued support and enhanced funding to ensure that more patients enroll in clin- ical trials. During the 2014 – 2019 cycle, Mary Bird Perkins enrolled 810 patients in more than 125 studies throughout its network, including Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Cen- ter and the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion on the Woman’s Hospital campus. Mary Bird Perkins will William Boedefeld II, MD Walter Bringaze III, MD Swayze Rigby, MD