JTS Honors Dr. Thomas Oelsner at Mardi Gras World

By NICHOLAS HAMBURGER, Special to the CCJN

Touro Infirmary Foundation held its annual gala at Mardi Gras World this past Saturday night, November 4, honoring Dr. Thomas Oelsner, a retired nephrologist who served as Touro Infirmary’s first Chief of Nephrology. Oelsner, who worked at the hospital from 1967 to 2006, received the 2017 Judah Touro Society (JTS) Award, which is considered to be the hospital’s highest honor.

Dr. Thomas Oelsner accepts the Judah Touro Society Award (photo by Nicholas Hamburger)

Moments before presenting the award to Oelsner in front of a crowd of roughly 300 guests, Dr. Jay M. Shanes, the 2015 JTS Award recipient, explained that the award “is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the welfare of Touro Infirmary.” Oelsner, who was the first nephrology fellow at Tulane University, served as Chief of Nephrology at Touro Infirmary for the duration of his forty-year career, helping to pioneer a field of medicine that, at the time, was new. Nephrology is the study and practice of medicine focused on the kidney.

In a speech during the gala’s main event, Rabbi David Goldstein, the rabbi emeritus at Touro Synagogue, emphasized Oelsner’s unique ability to connect with patients on a personal level. Drawing a connection between Dr. Oelsner’s medical practice and the Oath of Maimonides, a 12th-century doctrine for physicians composed by the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, Goldstein said, “[This] credo for physicians in many ways personifies Tom Oelsner, and the way in which he has always viewed the art of healing.” Rabbi Goldstein proceeded to read an abbreviated version of the oath, which is centered around the following concept: “may I never see in the patient anything but a fellow creature in pain.”

Rabbi emeritus David Goldstein (photo by Nicholas Hamburger)

In this sense, Dr. Oelsner seemed to embody a fundamental tenet of Touro Infirmary – the institution’s intimate medical care. “Touro is an exceptional hospital. It’s not like going to a big community or county hospital. It’s much more personal, it’s warm. It’s a feeling that somebody cares about you. And it’s home. It was home for forty years,” Oelsner offered in an interview with the CCJN before the main event.

Later, when she addressed the guests in attendance, Touro Infirmary President and CEO Susan E. Andrews stressed that “quality of care will always be our highest priority.”

Accordingly, the benefits from this year’s gala will fund the development of the Touro Wellness Center, a rehab facility designed to assist individuals with spinal-cord injuries. Jonathan Brouk, a health care lawyer who serves on the board of the Touro Infirmary Foundation, commented on the significance of upgrading the facility: “Current patients can come in if they need treatment but also people who, if their insurance will no longer pay for them to receive treatment, they’re opening up this Wellness Center so that people will be able to come in and still use the same machines they need without having the burden come out of pocket.”

The Touro Infirmary Foundation, which organized the gala, is an auxiliary body of Touro Infirmary created in 1989 to raise money for the non-profit hospital. It is separate from the Judah Touro Society, which is comprised of prominent benefactors. Brouk spoke candidly about the foundation’s emphasis on the future. Several years ago, “the foundation identified there was a gap in its donor and supporter base,” Brouk said, adding, “it was like a bunch of 80-year-old white guys who were the ones who were on the foundation board.”

According to Brouk, that discrepancy led to various initiatives intended to connect with a younger and more diverse base of supporters, such as Touro Tomorrow, which sponsored the gala’s after-party, and the Paul S. Rosenblum Healthcare Institute.

Nancy B. Timm, who serves as chairwoman of the foundation, echoed Brouk on the importance of the future. In her remarks during the main event, Timm laid out the ambitions of the foundation: “To rebuild and to build new relationships, to listen to your thoughts and feedback and put them into action where and when we can. We’re thrilled and we’re excited about the future.”

The event began at 5:00 p.m. on a balmy Saturday evening with a patron party hosted on the second-floor of Mardi Gras World, overlooking the Mississippi River and the Crescent City Connection. More guests began to arrive around an hour later, and the official cocktail reception began at 6:00 p.m. Drinks were served, a live jazz band played, and attendees had the opportunity to place silent bids for various paintings and photographs.

Around 7:00 p.m., the guests moved downstairs to the capacious River City Ballroom, where a dinner of braised beef short ribs, potato dauphinoise, and glazed vegetables was served. Numerous speakers addressed the crowd, culminating in the presentation of the 2017 JTS Award to Oelsner.

In his speech upon receiving the award, Oelsner used an extended metaphor of a Mahler symphony to evoke the importance of compassionate physicians, before saying, “Touro is like the symphony hall where all this comes together. Touro provides the feeling of a concert hall, where all your care is provided in a harmonious manner.”