Dr. Cherie Hager-Many spent most of her life growing up in South Africa. When she arrived at LSU, she was only 16 years old and knew no one. As she sat in the lecture hall for freshman orientation, she was greeted by four women who began to talk to her, and now 37 years later they are still her closest friends.
Hager-Many received her bachelor’s degree in microbiology from LSU in 1991 before graduating with her MD from LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She was exposed to a robust science program with very involved professors, who helped her build a network and make introductions with physicians, who inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. She credits multiple professors for helping her to build her professional career, including Dr. Barbara Shane, Dr. Gary Winston, and Dr. Marion Socolofsky.
“They were amazing mentors, and I loved being a part of their research team.” Dr. Shane was a great example of a strong, smart woman, and mother in a leadership position,” Hager-Many said,
After medical school, Hager-Many spent nine years in the Air Force from 1991-2000, with some of time being spent in Germany. She returned to the U.S., spending 20 years in Las Vegas in private practice, where she and her husband ran an anesthesiology group. During her time in Las Vegas, she served as president of the “Sin City Tigers” LSU Alumni Las Vegas Chapter. She said she has always been proud of her LSU roots and enjoyed helping both to raise money and donate to fund scholarships for local Las Vegas students to attend LSU.
During Covid, she and her husband decided to sell their group in Las Vegas and move back to Lafayette. Three of their five children came along with them. Their daughter, Stella, is currently a junior at LSU majoring in IT, making her the fourth generation of LSU students in their family.
"My daughter has had so many great opportunities for involvement and internships with major corporations at LSU,” Hager-Many said, “I am almost jealous of how much more LSU has to offer in the way of networking, clubs, groups, events (and wow, the Rec Center)! Makes me want to enroll as a student all over again!”
In her current role as chief of cardiovascular anesthesiology at Ochsner Lafayette General Hospital, Hager-Many is responsible for leading the anesthesia services and team for cardiovascular procedures.