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