KEY TAKEAWAYS: Dr. David Guzick appointed chancellor of LSU Health New Orleans. Move follows firing of former chancellor Dr. Steve Nelson. Guzick previously led LSU Health Shreveport before stepping down. LSU restructuring aims to strengthen research standing and rankings.   Forced to r esign last year as chancellor of LSU’s medical school in Shreveport, Dr. David Guzick will take the same job at its New Orleans campus, replacing Dr. Steve Nelson who was fired Thursday. Nelson led the medical school since 2021, first on an interim basis after Dr. Larry Hollier resigned as chancellor amid questions about financial practices at the institution. Nelson was made permanent chancellor in 2024. “Dr. Guzick led LSU Health Shreveport for several years and was integral in leading the reaccreditation effort and creating a robust research enterprise,” LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton wrote in an email to faculty and staff Friday. “His experience and record of excellence are in keeping with our stated goals of becoming one of the Top 50 research universities in America.” Guzick resigned as Shreveport chancellor last year after a months-long pressure campaign from LSU Board of Supervisors member Esperanza Moran. He was later made the LSU System’s chief research officer. Moran has not spoken publicly about why she supported ousting Guzick. Guzick was selected chancellor for the New Orleans medical school without a formal search, which is typically conducted for a senior leadership hire at a university. In December, the LSU Board of Supervisors voted to group both of its medical schools with its main campus, AgCenter and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center with the goal of upping the university’s rankings. The maneuver led to the demotion of both medical school chancellors to senior vice chancellors who have to report to Dalton. Guzick was replaced in Shreveport on an interim basis by Dr. Lester Johnson. There has been no word yet on a search for a permanent replacement. Dalton and Guzick will meet with the New Orleans medical school leadership Monday to discuss the change, according to an email sent to school employees. ...read more read less