Centenary announces commencement plans for Class of 2017
SHREVEPORT, LA — Members of the Centenary Class of 2017 will hear from internationally recognized neurosurgeon Dr. Anil Nanda at the College’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, April 29 at the Gold Dome. In his address to students graduating in Centenary’s 192nd year, Nanda plans to emphasize the adaptable value of a liberal arts education as the foundation for many different professional pathways.
“Dr. Nanda is a leader in the Shreveport-Bossier community and we are honored to have him join us to celebrate the Class of 2017,” says Dr. Christopher L. Holoman, who will be presiding over his first commencement as Centenary’s president. “His participation reinforces the valuable connections between Centenary College and the LSU Health Sciences Center, where many of our students conduct research as undergraduates and then go on to medical school.”
Nanda is chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport and director of the Center’s Neurosurgery Residency Training Program. A native of New York, Nanda received his medical training in India and Pennsylvania before joining the neurosurgery faculty at LSU Health in 1990. He also earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2012, and as part of his curriculum was instrumental in passing the Louisiana Youth Concussion Law requiring all schools, clubs, and other organizations that sponsor youth athletics to provide athletes and their parents with information about concussions and the potential long-term effects of playing after a head injury.
A committed educator, Nanda has been invited to lecture and teach at over 400 national and international conferences and institutions and has published over 380 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Society of University Neurosurgeons in 2015 and has also been recognized locally for his leadership in the medical community and his commitment to community organizations and concerns.
Nanda specializes in general and spinal neurosurgery as well as skull base tumors, AVMs, aneurysms, and Gamma Knife radiosurgery. He has performed more than 2,500 surgeries on aneurysms and skull base tumors.
In addition to delivering the commencement address, Nanda will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Centenary during the ceremony. Amy Fultz, co-founder of Chimp Haven, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree, and Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws.
The Gold Dome opens at 9:30 a.m. on April 29th and seating for commencement is first come, first served. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m.