Longtime School of Medicine professor and researcher celebrates milestone

Norman R. Kreisman, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Physiology, celebrated his 50th year at Tulane University School of Medicine in 2021. 

Kreisman joined the Department of Physiology at Tulane as an Instructor in July of 1971. He co-founded the School of Medicine’s Medical Neuroscience Course and served as Director of the course from 1980-1984 – with Medical Neuroscience being recognized by the Owl Club as the ‘Best First-Year Course’ in 1981-1984.  In 1986, he co-founded Tulane’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience and served as the Program’s first Director that year. He continued to climb in rank serving as Interim Physiology Chair from 1987-88 and as Vice Chair from 1988-present. In 1997, he became the Director of the Human Physiology Course, which is taught to first-year medical students.  During his 21-year tenure as course director, the Human Physiology Course was recognized by the medical students 13 times as Best First-Year Course and 6 times as Best Teaching Department in the School of Medicine. 

Dr. Kreisman has received numerous teaching awards including the President’s Medal for Excellence in Teaching in Graduate and Professional Programs.  His research in neurophysiology focused on understanding how the brain is affected by the lack of oxygen (hypoxia) and what strategies the brain has for coping with hypoxia.

In 2017, Dr. Kreisman transitioned to part-time status but remains very active primarily in teaching medical and graduate students.  He holds the longest standing continuous appointment in the history of the Physiology Department, serving over 50 years and still counting.