Raghunath Prasad Misra

Raghunath P. Misra

Shreveport, LA - Dr. Raghunath Prasad Misra died peacefully of natural causes at WK Pierremont Health Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, on June 20, 2013. Dr. Misra was a devoted father and husband, a brilliant physician and academic, and a tireless advocate of rational discourse and social progress. He will be missed by the family he loved so much, as well as by the community.

Dr. Misra was born in 1928 in Calcutta, India, the eldest son of Sri Guru Prasad Misra and Shreemati Anandi Devi. He developed an interest in medicine as a young boy and graduated with a medical degree from the University of Calcutta in 1953 and completed his surgical residency in 1956.

Dr. Misra practiced medicine for over 50 years and became fascinated by medical research early in his career, researching childhood malnutrition in India. As a Research Fellow in 1960, he pioneered discoveries on the nature of the glomerular basement membrane in kidney disease at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. There he met his wife and lifelong partner, Therese Rettenmund Misra of Hasle bei Burgdorf, Switzerland. Dr. Misra received a Ph.D. in Investigative Medicine from McGill in 1965 and completed a fellowship in nephrology in the same year. He then went on to become a medical researcher at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and Case Western Reserve University Medical School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he completed an additional residency in pathology.

In 1976, he joined the faculty of the Pathology Department at the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport, where he enjoyed a distinguished career as a researcher, teacher and physician. Dr. Misra's honors and awards are numerous, and he authored two books, over 50 scholarly articles, and numerous teaching aids and book chapters. He worked tirelessly to enhance the LSU Medical School curriculum, while also taking every opportunity to expand his own expertise. Until his death, he was active as a Clinical Professor and Head of Ophthalmic Pathology and Professor Emeritus of Pathology at LSU Medical School.

Dr. Misra was also active in his community, helping establish a chapter of the Sigma Xi in Shreveport and serving as President of the University of Calcutta Medical School Alumni Association. One of the founders of the India Association of Shreveport in 1978, he was also a long-standing member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Shreveport. Dr. Misra was a practicing Hindu and his religion and culture were very important to him. He was devoted to his family, his profession, and his community, and he leaves the world a better place for his inspiring example of thoughtful, humanistic, and engaged citizenship.

In addition to his wife, Therese Rettenmund Misra, he leaves four daughters, Sima Misra of Berkeley, CA, Joya Misra of Amherst, MA, Maya Misra of Decatur, GA, and Tara Misra of Shreveport, as well as his sons-in-law, Christian Siebel, David Mednicoff, Christopher Muhlstein and Ned-Patrick Leffingwell. He also leaves behind seven beloved grandchildren, Kiran and Aden Misra Siebel, Amina and Rabi Mednicoff-Misra, Théa and Clio Misra Muhlstein, and Arwyn Misra Leffingwell.

A memorial service in honor of Dr. Misra's life will take place on Saturday, June 29, 2013 at 10:30AM at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church at 9449 Ellerbe Rd. in Shreveport. In lieu of flowers, contributions in honor of Dr. Misra can be made towards the LSU Health Sciences Foundation in Shreveport, Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana, or the donor's choice. Your memories may be shared with the family by visiting www.auldsfuneral.com.