The Ochsner Legacy

Ochsner founder and namesake, Dr. Alton Ochsner, a world-renowned surgeon and teacher, was one of the first physicians to draw a connection between cigarette smoking and cancer of the lung. When asked about his accomplishments, Dr. Ochsner commented that participation in graduate medical education was his proudest career achievement and that the many young physicians who trained at Ochsner were his most important contributions to medicine. With comprehensive patient care delivery systems, innovative education and research programs, and a devotion to the needs of each individual patient, Ochsner is confident of its ability to continue the tradition and prepare postgraduate medical residents to meet the challenges of medicine's future.

Alton Ochsner's Creed

• Develop to the utmost one’s God-given talents.
• Utilize every waking moment to improve one’s self, spiritually, educationally, or physically.
• Be honest with others and with yourself.
• Be loyal. Loyalty is one of the finest of all attributes and it is found so infrequently.
• Leisure, although beneficial, is too frequently abused because of the inability to use it in a beneficial manner. Such instances cause waste and may result in detrimental excesses, such as alcoholism and boredom. Mental activity delays deterioration of the mind as physical activity prevents muscular atrophy.
• Develop and maintain a positive attitude. Determination and industriousness result in unexpected positive results. Live every moment, minute, hour, and day to the fullest. Strive to make each day better than the previous one. Life is not eternal and every moment is so precious; none should be wasted.