Med Center Department Head Resigns Under Fire

              SHREVEPORT-BOSSIER CITY, LA., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1978 3A
Med Center Department Head Resigns Under Fire
By EVANGELINE TOLLESON
Journal Medical Writer
Staff members and doctors in the residency
program at LSU Medical Center's department
of radiology who threatened to quit unless their
chairman was replaced have apparently got-ten
what they asked for.
Dr. Justin Wolfson, head of radiology, has
submitted a letter of resignation effective Dec.
11.
"He cited personal reasons for his decision,"
said Mac Griffith, public information officer
for the center. "He will remain here as a
professor." Wolfson was out of town and
unavailable for comment.
The resignation follows months of turmoil in
the department because of a series of what
staff members and residence called "extreme-ly
poor judgments" by Wolfson. All six staff
members and four of five residents had said
they would leave within six months unless
Wolfson resigned or was replaced. They dis-cussed
problems within the department after
Wolfson had consented to an interview. The
department head said two weeks ago that he
was not planning to resign.
Several radiologists said Wolfson resigned
because of "public pressure" and because he
had "finally realized he had lost the backing of
his staff and residents."
"We're really optimistic," said one staff
member after notification of the resignation.
"I think the morale of the department has gone
up 1,000 percent. He's been a hard man to work
with and we felt he was non-productive."
Staff members said they now plan to stay at
the center unless all of the residents leave.
Two residents have already accepted other
positions and two others will complete their
residency this year.
"It (Wolfson's resignation) has solved an
acute problem," said one resident who will
leave in January to take another position.
"The thing that really bothered us was it took
six to eight months of turmoil. Everybody is
really burned out."
"It's long overdue," said another resident
who said he is still undecided about leaving.
"We all realize the program is not in good
shape and we will have trouble passing our
boards if we stay." He said poor studying
conditions were due to "animosity between
departments and administration toward radio-logy"
and the department i lacking in equip-ment,
staff and conferences.
"The administration has a lot of hostility
toward us, although they're not showing it at
the moment because they want us to stay," the
resident said.
"They're not going to be able to recruit very
many people," he said. "They'll have to have
foreign graduates come in as a stop-gap meas-ure."
Despite the pnoblems, Wolfson's resignation
"can't do anything but help," the doctor
added. "With him the program was completely
doomed. If they really pour money into it and
get more staff, in four to five years they may
have a good program."
Dr. A.J. Nicholas, chief of radiology at
Physicians and Surgeons Hospital, said he has
been asked to serve as acting head by Dr. Ike
Muslow, dean of the medical center.
"We're in the talking stage," Nicholas said,
adding that they were trying to work out some
details. An alumnus of the center, the doctor
said he has "a warm place" for the school and
was interested in the position. Nicholas said he
would continue serving as radiology chief at
P&S, but would extend his working hours if he
is selected as the acting department head.
"I'm interested in maintaining the training
and progress and seeing things go smoothly
over there," he stated. "I would assist them in
the transition stage and try to satisfy require-ments
in equipment and personnel."
One radiology staff member said he and the
others hope Nicholas will be appointed acting
chairman. "We're 100 percent behind him," he
said.