Joseph M. Moerschbaecher, III, PhD, recently retired as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies after almost four decades of leadership and academic excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans.

He joined our faculty in 1983 as an assistant professor of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics. He rose through the ranks to lead the department, and in 1991, he was also appointed Co-Director of our Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence. 

In 1998, Chancellor Merv Trail, MD, appointed Dr. Moerschbaecher as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at LSU Health Sciences Center. He led Academic Affairs and the Graduate School on both the New Orleans and Shreveport campuses. Shreveport was still under our administration at that time.  

Dr. Moerschbaecher’s publications were extensive. The NIH awarded him multiple grants. He was an award-winning teacher, continuous NIH study section participant, and a member of almost 40 different LSU Health New Orleans committees. He has served on the boards of the NOBIC and LCRC, as well as the Chair of the Board of Regents Support Fund Planning Committee.  He has served in multiple capacities for NIDA, ASPET, and from 2010-2012, was the President of the Behavioral Pharmacology Society. 

Dr. Moerschbaecher was instrumental in our response to and recovery from the devastating flooding after Hurricane Katrina, relocating our campus to Baton Rouge and successfully returning to New Orleans to rebuild both the academic and research enterprises.

In all of his roles, Dr. Moerschbaecher was fully engaged in support of students; the expansion of the research enterprise, including multiple centers of excellence; the support of innovation; and the nurturing of relationships with governing bodies and other institutions in the LSU System, as well as across the state, nation, and globe. 

We owe Dr. Joseph Moerschbaecher a tremendous debt of gratitude. He left an indelible mark on our university, and his contributions to science and health were enormous. His legacy will live on through the thousands of graduates whose careers he helped shape. The goal for most of us is to make a difference. Joe Moerschbaecher more than achieved that goal. Integrity, commitment, excellence, and service defined his life.

Donations in memory of Dean Moerschbaecher may be made online below or checks may be mailed to the following address:

LSU Health Foundation New Orleans
2000 Tulane Ave 4th Fl
New Orleans, LA 70112
Check Reference: Dr. Joseph Moerschbaecher

If you would like to make a gift of stock, please contact a development officer at 504-568-3712. 


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