Baton Rouge, Leprosy, and Cancer

We know south Louisiana is famous for its good food and
festivals, a vibrant petrochemical sector, and a thriving
hospitality sector. Many of us may not realize that Louisiana
leads the way in certain healthcare specialties - not just the
diabetes and obesity research that goes on at the Pennington
Biomedical Research Center, but some really innovative care for
very rare diseases.


Kevin Tracy is Director of the National Hansen’s Disease Program,
which is based right here in Baton Rouge and is the epicenter of
Hansen’s Disease research and information in the United States.


Hansen’s Disease is better known as Leprosy. Although it’s not
the biblical plague it once was, it still exists around the world
today. Fortunately, a lot more is known about it today than back
in biblical times or even in the late 1800s, when south Louisiana
was home to one of the country’s foremost leprosy hospitals, or
leprosaria, in Carville. Today, that center remains open only as
a museum, but the Hansen’s Disease center is alive and well here
in Baton Rouge.


Kevin Tracy has been CEO of the center since September of 2019.
Prior to that, he worked for the federal government’s Center for
Medicare and Medicaid Services for nearly a decade. Kevin has a
degree in nursing and a graduate degree in accounting with a
focus on healthcare administration. 


Dr. Jonas Fontenot is Chief Operating Officer of the Mary Bird
Perkins Cancer Center, a comprehensive cancer center in Baton
Rouge that celebrated its 50th anniversary in late 2021 and
recently announced some new partnerships that are reshaping the
local cancer care market.


Mary Bird Perkins started out as a radiation treatment center –
the first in Baton Rouge – and has since expanded to provide a
range of service to thousands of patients across the region.


Jonas Fontenot is not only a medical doctor, as well as an MD
he's also an expert in medical physics, with a Ph.D in medical
science.  In addition to helping lead Mary Bird Perkins, he
continues to teach and do research and has been the recipient of
more than $4M in research grants to support his work around
cutting-edge radiation treatments. 


As impressive as Jonas's resume is, probably his greatest claim
to fame in Baton Rouge is that he helped care for Mike the Tiger
No. 6, when the big cat mascot was diagnosed with a rare cancer
several years ago. 


Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the
Boulevard. You can see photos from this show by Erik
Otts at our website. And there's more lunch-table
conversation about Baton Rouge healthcare at our website
itsbatonrouge.la.


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.