HJBR Nov/Dec 2021

64 NOV / DEC 2021  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Hospital Rounds Kettering Cancer Center in New York, returns home to Louisiana to join the Woman’s team. The Opelousas-area native earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from LSU in Baton Rouge and also received a medical degree from LSU Health- Shreveport. He completed a residency in obstet- rics and gynecology at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans before moving to New York for the residency. Smith is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Society for Gyne- cologic Oncology and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The Spine Hospital of Louisiana Announces Partnership with DPi Anesthesia The Spine Hospital of Louisiana at The Neuro- Medical Center announced a partnership with DPi Anesthesia. DPi was founded in 2003 and has grown to become a multifaceted corporation serv- ing a growing client base in the healthcare field. DPi Anesthesia brings together a team of highly trained and qualified anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists to the service of our The NeuroMedi- cal Center customers. “After extensive research and discussions, we are very excited to begin our new partnership with DPi Anesthesia,” said The Spine Hospital of Loui- siana’s CEO, Robert D. Blair. “As a healthcare facil- ity dedicated to our patient base and our com- munity, we are very pleased to join forces with another Baton Rouge, Louisiana based company. Two very important factors influenced our deci- sion. First, we both put tremendous priority on quality of care and always putting the patient first. Second, we share the same company culture, Ochsner Health Recognized by AMA for Joy inMedicine Program Ochsner Health announced that the American Medical Association (AMA) has recognized the system as one of 44 healthcare organizations in the 2021 Joy in Medicine Health System Recog- nition Program. This distinction is given to health systems that have demonstrated commitment to preserving the well-being of their healthcare team members by engaging in proven efforts to com- bat work-related stress and burnout. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic put a spot- light on the importance of healthcare systems supporting team members. A national study examining the experiences of physicians and other healthcare workers who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic found that 38% of staff self- reported experiencing anxiety or depression, while 43% had burnout. “The past 19 months have been especially chal- lenging for those of us who work in healthcare, and it’s never been clearer just how important it is to take care of our team,” said Nigel Girgrah, MD, chief wellness officer, Ochsner Health. “Having an established Office of Professional Well-Being enabled us to quickly assess evolving needs and respond with expanded offerings in addition to ongoing access to counseling, mindfulness edu- cation, and decompression zones to help com- bat burnout.” “The COVID-19 pandemic has placed extraordinary stress on physicians and other healthcare professionals,” said AMA President Gerald E. Harmon, MD. “While it is always important for health systems to focus on the well-being of care teams, the imperative is greater than ever as acute stress from combatting the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to higher rates of work overload, anxiety and depression. The health systems we recognize are true leaders in promoting an organizational response that makes a difference in the lives of the healthcare workforce.” Woman’s Adds Two Gynecologic Oncologists to Team Woman’s recently welcomed Renee Cowan, MD, MPH, and Evan Smith, MD, to its gyneco- logic oncology team. They join Anthony Evans, MD, PhD, Laurel King, MD, Tammy Dupuy, MD, and Nia’Ja Mack, FNP-C. Woman’s GYN Oncology is located on the Woman’s campus at the Breast & GYN Cancer Pavilion, a partnership with Mary Bird Perkins- Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center. Locations also include satellite clinics in Lafayette and Ham- mond. They treat a variety of cancers in the female reproductive system, including cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal and vulvar, while offering surgical robotics system to perform complex gynecologic cancer surgeries. “Woman’s Hospital has a wealth of experience in treating women’s specific cancers, and add- ing Drs. Cowan and Smith will allow us to provide more women in our region with life-saving care,” said Evans, medical director of gynecologic oncol- ogy at Woman’s. “They both come to us from the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cen- ter, and we’re thrilled with the level of expertise they add to our practice.” Cowan recently completed two fellowships from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York: first, a clinical research fellowship in gynecologic oncology (2015-2017) followed by a gynecologic oncology fellowship (2017-2021). She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and a med- ical degree along with a master’s in public health from Temple University in Philadelphia. She went on to complete a residency at MedStar Washing- ton Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gyne- cologists and the American Medical Association. Smith, who also recently completed a fellowship in gynecologic oncology from Memorial Sloan Renee Cowan, MD, MPH, Evan Smith, MD