HJBR Mar/Apr 2021

38 MAR / APR 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs patients in the decision-making process,” affirms Raphael. “We work as a team to collaborate on the best course of treatment to fit his or her life- style to achieve the best outcomes.” He earned a medical degree from Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport. He completed his internship and residency as chief resident in family medicine through Univer- sity Medical Center in Lafayette. U.S. News: DASHDiet Ranks Top 5 in Best Overall, Easiest to Follow As millions of Americans strive to make the new year healthier, U.S. News & World Report released its annual assessment of the year’s Best Diets. The DASH Diet, developed in part by Pennington Bio- medical Research Center dietitians, ranked as a top diet in multiple categories, including: • Best Diets for Healthy Eating (No. 1) • Best Heart-Healthy Diets (No. 1) • Best Diets Overall (No. 2) • Best Diets for Diabetes (No. 3) • Easiest Diets to Follow (No. 5) “The threat of COVID-19 made Americans and the entire world more health-conscious and shone a light on one of the best ways to improve your health: the proper diet,” said Catherine Cham- pagne, PhD, professor and director of Penning- ton Biomedical’s Dietary Assessment and Nutri- tion Counseling Laboratory. “U.S. News’ latest rankings demonstrate once again why the DASH Diet is such a good choice. It is the top-ranked diet for healthy eating and heart health. It helps people with diabetes. One of the biggest advan- tages the DASH Diet offers is that it’s easy to fol- low and works for everyone in the family.” Champagne worked as a member of the DASH Diet Collaborative Research Group that included members from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Duke Hypertension Center and the Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center, and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. DASH is short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH Diet encourages eating foods low in sodium, saturated and total fat, and choles- terol, and high in potassium, calcium, fiber, mag- nesium, and protein. CIS Celebrates 10th Anniversary in Baton Rouge Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) is cel- ebrating 10 years of providing cardiovascular care to the Baton Rouge community. The CIS clinic in Baton Rouge first opened on Jan. 10, 2011 at 7941 Picardy Avenue. In Decem- ber of 2013, the clinic moved up the road to 8401 Picardy Avenue, where major renovations were just completed last year. The expansion includes six ultrasound rooms, a cardiac PET scanner, an expanded stress lab, 24 total exam rooms, a 3,000+ square foot lobby, and a covered drive- through entrance. CIS employs about 50 team members in Baton Rouge, as well as physicians Amit Patel, MD, Satish Gadi, MD, Garland Green, MD, Robert Drennan, MD, Charisse Ward, MD, and Niksad Abraham, MD. “Ten years ago, CIS opened in Baton Rouge with the goal of expanding access to world-class cardiovascular care here in the Capital Region,” said Patel, who was the first physician to join CIS Baton Rouge in 2011. “Not only have we accom- plished that, but our team has expanded and our facility is well-equipped to continue that mission. Our patients are like family, and each of us here at CIS is honored to continue to serve this area with leading-edge care.” Baton Rouge General Physicians to Open NewClinic in Central Baton Rouge General Physicians (BRGP) is Providers for the Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Baton Rouge include, left to right, Niksad Abraham, MD, Charisse Ward, MD, Amit Patel, MD, Satish Gadi, MD, Garland Green, MD, and Robert Drennan, MD.