According to the Louisiana Department of Health, Joe Kanter, MD, Louisiana public health officer, is resigning from the post.
Kanter has served in the position since January 2021, having replaced Jimmy Guidry, MD. Guidry served the in office for 24 years. Pete Croughan, MD, deputy LDH secretary, has been named interim state health officer.
A highlights of Kanter’s leadership was his push toward vaccine drives among nursing home residents and staff, who were among the hardest hit with COVID fatalities and serious illnesses early in the pandemic.
Terrebonne General Health System has named Sonya Jeblonski the new director of Laboratory and Pathology Services. Jablonski has served as the lab and pathology manager at Terrebonne General for the past 18 years.
The second annual conference of the Louisiana Epilepsy Care and Research Consortium was held on January 20 at the Higgins Hotel in New Orleans. The program, in collaboration with the Epilepsy Foundation of Louisiana, was structured to engage professionals about public health challenges related to epilepsy care, innovations and developments in the field, and promote research collaborations.