Vitals Spotlight - We Give the Doctor an Exam

Dr. Ralph Edward Newsome Jr.,  45, was a prominent plastic and reconstructive surgeon and known for healing the disfigured limbs and facial features of trauma victims and skin cancer patients with his scalpel. He was an instructor, at Tulane University’s School of Medicine and he moved to New Orleans more than a decade ago and treated patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. His home and garden occasionally opened to the public, as part of a French Quarter garden tour. In the pond outside his home,  speckled orange and white Koi swim alongside larger black fish that eat algae. His pets — two Leopard tortoises — walk atop the brick pavement.

Dr. Ralph Newsome

His life was cut shorth as he was stabbed to death inside of his French Quarter home early Saturday.  An arsonist then lit his home on fire in an apparent attempt to destroy any clues leading to his killer, according to authorities.

Dr. Ralph Newsome  had earned certifications from the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery before joining Tulane’s medical school faculty in 1998.  He worked his way to assistant dean of medical education at Tulane and served as the chief of plastic surgery.  At Tulane, he nursed a passion for healing the limbs of patients wounded in car accidents and physical assaults. His skills especially suited him to care for people stricken with skin cancer — he could not only surgically remove their tumors, he could also repair the disfigurements the procedures left behind.   Raised beds ran along the outside. Water rushed down a pond and wall fountain. A climbing fig tree rests in the middle.

Dr. Ralph Newsome Pets his Tortoise in his Garden (Ted Jackson / The Times-Picayune)

Doctor Douglas Slakey, the chairman of surgery at Tulane Hospital says “I’ve never seen a more committed physician he dealt with patients with cancer for reconstruction with birth defects he was so devoted to his patients and improving their quality. he was one of the truly committed he was back in his home in french quarter immediately after the flood. And he worked tirelessly to bring healthcare to new orleans i’ve never seen a more committed person who really embodied what we all love about new orleans. The enthusiasm the love, the commitment.”