LSU Health Sciences Center history

The possibility of a medical school in Shreveport was discussed as early as 1950.

On June 3, 1953 a new and improved facility opened at the corner of Kings Highway and Linwood Avenue.

For many years, the lack of adequate research space limited graduate enrollment severely, and it was not until 1954 that expansion permitted a considerable increase in the student body.

Although the Graduate School of LSU, Baton Rouge, granted degrees in the early years of the program, the Graduate School of the LSU System was reorganized in 1965 with separate autonomous units established at Baton Rouge, the University of New Orleans, and the LSU Health Sciences Center.

The first class of graduate students on the Shreveport Campus was accepted in 1974.

Graduate Faculty offices and laboratories were originally established at the VA Medical Center and later moved to the new Medical School (Building B) in 1976.

In 1978, the first PhD degree was awarded from the Shreveport Campus.

The Biomedical Research Institute (BRI) building was dedicated in February 1994 and currently houses many Graduate Faculty offices and laboratories as well as the Research Core Facility.

The School of Public Health was established in 2003.

On March 25, 2004, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved the Administrative Separation of the School of Graduate Studies in Shreveport from the School of Graduate Studies in New Orleans.

The Louisiana Legislature approved the official separation of the Schools in June 2005 and Governor Blanco signed the bill in July 2005.

Beginning on July 1, 2011, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved combining these five degree programs into a single M.S. degree program in Biomedical Sciences.

Prior to October 1, 2013, the university hospital was part of the LSUHSC-S. The hospital is now Ochsner-LSU, a partnership between Ochsner Health System and LSU Health Shreveport.

LSU School of Public Health 2020 Gravier Street, 3rd Floor New Orleans, LA 70112