SLS 20RS-76 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 4
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences upon the death of Dr. Isaac "Ike" Muslow of
Shreveport.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of an
3 exceptional physician, Isaac "Ike" Muslow, MD, and to commend his lifetime of
4 dedication to the advancement of healthcare and internal medicine instruction.
5 WHEREAS, it is with great sadness that the Legislature of Louisiana has learned of
6 the passing of a distinguished gentleman, educator, and renowned internist, Dr. Isaac "Ike"
7 Muslow, on January 18, 2020, at the age of ninety-three; and
8 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow was greatly admired for the breadth of his diagnostic skill
9 and his wealth of clinical expertise in the practice of internal medicine; he was much
10 admired by his students, patients, and colleagues who marveled at his bedside manner; and
11 WHEREAS, born in Oil City, Louisiana, on April 4, 1926, to parents Sylvia and
12 Harry Muslow, Ike was educated at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Centenary
13 College of Louisiana, and LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans; he continued his
14 medical training with an internship at Charity Hospital of New Orleans; and
15 WHEREAS, in the 1950s, Dr. Muslow served his country as a medical officer in the
16 United States Air Force; he then attended medical residency at Georgetown University
17 Hospital and concluded it with a return to Charity Hospital; and
18 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow became fully immersed in all facets of medical care; he
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1 became an instructor at the LSU School of Medicine, director of the kidney station at Charity
2 Hospital, and an attending physician at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in
3 Gulfport, Mississippi; and he was instrumental in the development of the first fellowship
4 dialysis program in the state of Louisiana; and
5 WHEREAS, in 1958, he returned to Shreveport to establish a private practice and to
6 act as an attending physician and consultant at the VA Hospital; and
7 WHEREAS, in 1964, he was appointed as Administrative Director of the Department
8 of Internal Medicine at Confederate Memorial Medical Center; and
9 WHEREAS, he established the kidney dialysis unit at Willis-Knighton Medical
10 Center in 1970, the first of its kind in the region, and directed the continuing education
11 program for medical personnel; and
12 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow began a lengthy career at the LSU School of Medicine by
13 accepting the position as head of the Department of Family Medicine and Comprehensive
14 Care where he successfully won approval for the establishment of a medical residency
15 program that encompassed all of the Shreveport area hospitals; and
16 WHEREAS, in 1973, he began his tenure as dean and vice chancellor of the medical
17 school; during this time, Confederate Memorial successfully merged with LSU Medical
18 School to become LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport, LSUHSC-S; and
19 WHEREAS, under his leadership, there was a refinement in the methodology of
20 medical specialties, such as burn treatment, organ transplant, neurosurgery, and trauma; and
21 WHEREAS, at LSUHSC-S, centers of excellence were established in the advanced
22 studies of cancer research, rheumatology, and toxicology; there was continued expansion in
23 other specialties which led to new construction for the Ambulatory Care Clinic, the
24 Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, the Women and Children's Outpatient Clinic, the Radiation
25 Therapy Center which housed the first Gamma Knife Radiosurgery technology in the state,
26 the School of Allied Health Professions, and the Children's Hospital; and
27 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow envisioned a bright future for LSUHSC-S; these lofty goals
28 included the offering of extraordinary educational options for healthcare professionals and
29 extensive life-saving medical research that would enhance public health outcomes; and
30 WHEREAS, he was elemental in the establishment of the LSU Health Sciences
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1 Foundation, a nonprofit funding resource, in perpetuity, for the sole benefit of LSU Health
2 Sciences Center-Shreveport; and
3 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow considered medical academia to be his true calling and for
4 more than fifty years he taught a plethora of eager medical residents and mentored countless
5 others; he reviewed cases and offered sage advice that had been gleaned from years of
6 clinical pathology, treatment protocol, and institutional knowledge; and
7 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow had been an active member of many distinguished medical
8 organizations, such as the Federation of State Board of Nursing Examiners, the Louisiana
9 State Board of Medical Examiners and had served as its chairman, the American Board of
10 Medical Specialties, the American Board in Internal Medicine, and the Public Solicitation
11 Review Council and had served as its president; and
12 WHEREAS, Dr. Isaac Muslow received many well-deserved accolades that included
13 receipt of the 2017 Community Hero award from LSUHSC-S, the Distinguished Service
14 award from the Shreveport Medical Society and the Louisiana State Medical Society, an
15 endowed chair that bears his name at LSUHSC-S, and recognition from the American Heart
16 Association and Junior Achievement; and
17 WHEREAS, at the conclusion of his career as dean of LSUHSC-S, his "first"
18 retirement occurred in June 2000, then on July 1 of the same year, he began instructing
19 physicians in residence and treating patients at the VA Hospital until his "second" retirement
20 in 2015; and
21 WHEREAS, when Ike indulged in leisure time, he would play tennis or pursue his
22 love of gardening; and
23 WHEREAS, in addition to his commitment to his profession, he was a lifelong
24 member of Augudath Achim, a member of B'nai Zion Congregation, and chairman of the
25 Jewish Federation Fundraising Drive; and
26 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow is survived by his wife of sixty-three years, Berte; their
27 children, Katherine M. Koeppel (Peter), Harry A. Muslow (Susan), and Jonathan H. Muslow
28 (Elena); eleven grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a host of friends, colleagues,
29 former patients, and medical professionals; and
30 WHEREAS, his pursuit of excellence, strength of character, critical thinking, and
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1 love of learning made him one of the greatest diagnostic physicians of all time; and
2 WHEREAS, Dr. Muslow was revered as a man of impeccable character and critical
3 thinking, and as an exceptional educator who seized every opportunity for its application as
4 a "teachable" moment; and
5 WHEREAS, Dr. Isaac Muslow was a remarkable human being, a consummate
6 physician, diagnostician, and educator in the complex realm of the healing arts; he was an
7 icon, a legend, a mentor, and a friend.
8 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
9 express sincere condolences upon the passing of Isaac "Ike" Muslow, MD, and does hereby
10 commend his legacy of hard work, high ethics, and compassion that he leaves to LSUHSC-S
11 and the medical community.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to his
13 wife, Mrs. Berte A. Muslow.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Susan P. Montague.
DIGEST
SCR 4 Original 2020 Regular Session Peacock
Expresses condolences upon the death of Dr. Isaac "Ike" Muslow of Shreveport.
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