Stranded in Georgia, two hurricane evacuees found one thing worth salvaging: their education.
Irfan Ali and Jason Lucas, physiology students at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, recouped their fall semester by studying at MCG.
“MCG came through for me by letting me fall into class with other students,” Mr. Lucas said. “Everyone went above and beyond to get us into class and get us started.”
He and Mr. Ali are among at least four students displaced from their home institutions, LSU HSC and Tulane University, who spent their fall semester in the MCG School of Graduate Studies. Dean Gretchen Caughman said the school did everything possible to prevent significant breaks in their education.
For Mr. Lucas, an alumnus of MCG’s respiratory therapy and physician assistant programs, the evacuation was a homecoming. He had just moved to New Orleans from Augusta, where he worked as a physician assistant in cardiothoracic surgery. He left MCG to pursue his doctorate in physiology at LSU HSC, but planned to visit Augusta frequently to see his wife, Julie Lucas, who is completing her MCG degree in nursing anesthesia. Unfortunately for Jason, the hurricane made his first trek home a significant challenge.
“We didn’t know where the storm was going to hit. By the time we realized it was coming so close, the interstate was gridlocked,” he said.
With his options dwindling, Mr. Lucas chose to ride out the storm at his in-laws’ house, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. He watched helplessly as the houses on either side were demolished by wind and debris.
“When the storm came through, the trees and rain were parallel to the river,” he said. “The devastation that we witnessed was absolutely heartbreaking.”
After three days with minimal supplies, he realized he would have to cut his way out of the tree-strewn streets to reach his wife in Augusta.
“Until I left that Wednesday, I had no way to let her know I was alive,” he said.
Safely in Georgia, Mr. Lucas moved into the apartment his wife shared with a classmate. After covering the basics, such as obtaining a new wardrobe, he set his sights on recovering the semester he had just begun. He contacted Dr. Kathleen McDonough, assistant dean of graduate studies at LSU HSC, and learned the physiology program was conducting classes at LSU’s main campus in Baton Rouge.
“With the influx of people, students were having a lot of trouble finding housing there. In the meantime, I had housing here,” he said.
Mr.
Lucas sought the advice of a former supervisor, Dr. James St. Louis, an MCG
pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, who referred him to Dr. John Catravas,
director of the MCG Vascular Biology Center. Dr. Catravas contacted Dr. Caughman,
who made arrangements to accommodate him.
“With all my experience and interactions at MCG, this is my first experience with the graduate school,” Mr. Lucas said. “I have nothing but good things to say about the treatment I’ve received.”
The journey to MCG was less predictable for Mr. Ali, a native of St. Louis. He regularly visits his girlfriend in Tifton, Ga., and happened to be there when Hurricane Katrina struck. With limited options, Mr. Ali, who is pursuing a dual degree in physiology and medicine, opted to volunteer health services at a hospital in Baton Rouge. The day before his departure, he got a call from Dr. Cuihua Xiang, assistant professor of anesthesiology, physiology and surgery at LSU HSC, and Dr. William Chilian, head of the LSU HSC Department of Physiology.
“I told them I was planning to head back and they told me no,” Mr. Ali said. “They suggested I come to MCG.”
He
learned that Dr. Chilian also found refuge in Georgia. Dr. Chilian was staying
with MCG researcher David Stepp, with whom he worked at the Medical College of
Wisconsin. With much of his research destroyed by the flood, Dr. Catravas
offered Dr. Chilian lab space and equipment. Dr. Chilian moved some of his
research to MCG, and encouraged Mr. Ali to conduct his dissertation research
there.
Just a year and a half from obtaining his doctorate, Mr. Ali says he feels fortunate his transition was so convenient. “Only a handful of schools do the research I do, and MCG happens to be one of them,” he said.
Both men are conducting research using Dr. Chilian’s lab. Mr. Lucas says he is grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Chilian, an acclaimed coronary researcher.
The students plan to return to LSU HSC as soon as they can. They both hypothesize about the future of the city, and are eager to share their views.
“I’ll go back to New Orleans just on principle. But it’s disheartening… and it’s sad,” Mr. Ali said. “I’m afraid it will be really different, not as demographically diverse. I really enjoyed the town as it was.”
Mr. Lucas agrees, but is more hopeful. “A handful of people won’t be able to move back, which is unfortunate, but that isn’t all of New Orleans,” he said. “The city has this Mardi Gras spirit that will persevere.”
-- Kim Miller