Clerkship Directors
Venkat Banda, MD, FACP
Chief Academic Officer & Designated Institutional Official
Dr. Venkat Banda completed his Internal Medicine residency at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois. Dr. Banda is board certified in internal medicine and hospital medicine. He holds the appointments of Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine for Tulane University School of Medicine and serves as Designated Institutional Official and Chief Academic Officer for Baton Rouge General.
Chad Kaplan, MD
Internal Medicine Clerkship Director
Dr. Chad Kaplan, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, and his Medical degree from St. George’s University in True Blue, Grenada. Dr. Kaplan completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Baton Rouge General Medical Center in 2022, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Kaplan is licensed to practice medicine in the state of Louisiana and the state of Florida, and joined The Baton Rouge Clinic’s Hospital Medicine Group in August of 2022.
Dhaval Adhvaryu, MD, FACS
General Surgery Clerkship Director
Dhaval Adhvaryu, MD, FACS, is Board Certified in General Surgery with a specialty in burn care. Dr. Adhvaryu received his medical degree from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. and Finch University and Health Sciences in Chicago, IL. Dr. Adhvaryu is one of our Baton Rouge General Surgical Associates, and also currently serves as a member of the American College of Surgeons and the American Medical Association.
Lauren Luce, MD
Psychiatry Clerkship Director
Dr. Lauren Luce, a native of St. Amant, Louisiana, received her Bachelor’s Degree from Louisiana State University in 2012 and her Medical Degree from the LSU Health and Sciences Center in New Orleans in 2016. She completed her residency in Psychiatry at the LSU-Our Lady of the Lake Psychiatry program in Baton Rouge in 2020. Dr. Luce is licensed to practice in Louisiana and joined the Baton Rouge Clinic in August of 2019. She is a member of the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association. Dr. Luce was awarded the Academic Excellence Award in 2017, 2019, and 2020, for making the top score on the annual Psychiatry resident “in-service” exam. In 2020, she received the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association Excellence in Psychiatry Award. Dr. Luce’s professional areas of interest include psychotic disorders, treatment-resistant mood disorders, reducing mental health stigma, and the relationship between psychiatric illness and physical health.
Ubaid Abbasi, MD
Family Medicine Clerkship Director
Dr. Ubaid Abbasi migrated from Pakistan at the age of seven. He grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana where he graduated from McNeese State University obtaining his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences. He furthered his education and earned his doctorate degree from Saba University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in family medicine from Baton Rouge General Family Medicine Residency Program during which he served as a Chief Resident and was awarded the Gerald R. Gehringer Award for his outstanding leadership and scholarly accomplishments.