North Oaks Medical Center Appoints Emergency Department Medical Director and Assistant Medical Director

Brandon C. Cambre, MD, has been named medical director of North Oaks Medical Center’s Emergency Department (ED) with John R. Krieg, MD, serving as Assistant Medical Director, effective Nov. 1.

Cambre succeeds Mark Haile, MD, in the position. Haile has been serving as interim medical director since the untimely passing of 22-year medical director Jay Smith, MD, on July 21, 2016.

“In a time of great despair for our organization, Dr. Haile stepped up to lead the ED and maintain the foundation that Dr. Smith built,” notes Michele Sutton, president and chief executive officer of North Oaks Health System. “Our team is forever grateful to Dr. Haile for his contributions in our time of need.” The ED was dedicated in memory of Smith on June 30, 2017.

Sutton continues, “I have every confidence in Drs. Cambre and Krieg’s ability to further our ED’s national reputation for high quality and positive patient experiences when those we care for face the unexpected. We are fortunate to have their leadership.”

Cambre, who is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and joined the ED team in 2005, is no stranger to leadership roles. He has been ED assistant medical director since November 2016. As such, he represented the department on the Physician Informatics and Trauma Committees among his other duties.

Cambre also has held leadership roles within the medical-staff-at-large for North Oaks Medical Center, including: the Emergency Room Steering Committee in 2009; and the Bylaws and Credentials Committee (2014 vice chairman and 2015-2016 member). From January through October 2017, he was ED vice chairman on the North Oaks Medical Center Medical Executive Committee. With his ED medical directorship promotion effective Nov. 1, he also assumed the role of Emergency Services department chairman for the North Oaks Medical Center Medical Executive Committee.

On the state level, Cambre serves on the Regional Commission of the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN) for Region 9 as the representative for hospitals with more than 100 beds.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Cambre obtained his medical degree from LSU in Shreveport. He completed an internship and residency through the LSU emergency medicine program at the former Earl K. Long Memorial Hospital in Baton Rouge.

Krieg joined the North Oaks ED team in 2015 with five years of previous experience working in the emergency medicine field for hospitals and urgent care clinics across Southeast Louisiana.

An undergraduate of Nicholls State University, Krieg earned his medical degree through the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. He completed an internship and residency through LSU’s emergency medicine program at Charity Hospital, also in New Orleans. While interning in 2012, he gave of his time as a recovery volunteer in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac.

Before pursuing his medical degree, Krieg earned a master’s degree in Physical Therapy through the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. Professionally, he belongs to the American Academy of Emergency Medicine and American College of Emergency Physicians.

The North Oaks Medical Center ED is one of the busiest and most experienced in Louisiana with nearly 80,000 patient visits annually. Its median patient wait times are shorter than national and state averages, according to data collected for very high volume hospitals by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare website. The ED operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is a cornerstone of the hospital’s Primary Stroke Center and Level II Trauma Center. With forty-six patient rooms and an expert team of specially trained emergency medicine physicians and nurses, the ED is equipped to handle everything from trauma and chest pain to eye injuries and medical problems that require minimal testing and treatment.