Shreveport, La. – Dr. Cherie-Ann Nathan, Chair and Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at LSU Health Shreveport, was named a recipient of the LSU Presidential Laurel, one of the highest academic honors within the LSU System. She is the first faculty member from LSU Health Shreveport to receive this distinction.
The award recognizes exceptional academic, creative and research accomplishments by faculty across LSU’s eight institutions. Honorees are selected by the body of LSU Boyd Professors, the university system’s most distinguished academic rank, based on the merit and exclusivity of their achievements. Dr. Nathan is one of three professors across the LSU System selected for the honor this year.
“Dr. Nathan is recognized internationally for her commitment and contribution to patient care, humanitarianism and mentorship,” said Dr. Lester Johnson, Interim Chancellor of LSU Health Shreveport. “She has positively impacted LSU Health Shreveport and all of LSU for the better.”
Dr. Nathan is a surgeon-scientist who balances a full clinical practice treating patients with oral, head and neck cancer, thyroid, parathyroid, salivary gland tumors and skin cancer at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport’s Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, while leading an active, federally funded research team.
Earlier this year, Dr. Nathan was inducted into the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s Hall of Distinction as a “Living Legend.” She has published more than 280 peer-reviewed articles, delivered more than 255 invited national and international lectures and serves in numerous leadership roles that include Past President of the American Head and Neck Society and President of the Association of Academic Departments of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to receive this award,” said Dr. Nathan. “I am incredibly grateful to all my collaborators in the basic science departments at LSU Health Shreveport and my colleagues in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery who have made this possible.”
Born in Mumbai, India, Dr. Nathan decided in third grade to pursue a career in cancer medicine. She earned her medical degree in India before completing a post-doctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, where she began her research career. She completed her residency and fellowship at the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Nathan joined LSU Health Shreveport in 1995. In her 30 years with the institution, she has received numerous honors, including the Athena Award, Leonard Tow Humanism Award, AAO-HNS Distinguished Service Award, and the Margaret Butler Outstanding Mentor of Women in Head & Neck Surgery Award.