Tiger Pride: LSU Health New Orleans OB/GYN on "Jeopardy!" Winning Streak

Never mind medicine, if there’s anything you need to know about ancient symbols, French cities, or world literature, just ask LaKedra Pam, MD, LSU Health New Orleans Clerkship Director and Clinical Instructor of Obstetrics and Gynecology based in Baton Rouge.

Dr. Pam’s two-day winning streak continues today on the syndicated game show "Jeopardy!," hosted by Alex Trebek.

So far, Pam has answered 46 questions correctly, three incorrectly, and is the returning champion for the second day in a row.

So how did this physician who by day works with LSU Health New Orleans OB/GYN residents at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge wind up on the show that’s been “challenging the biggest brains throughout the country” for more than 30 years?

“I always watched Jeopardy with my father growing up, and when I was about five or six years old, I turned to him and asked, ‘Dad, how can I get to be on 'Jeopardy!' one day?’,” says Pam. “And he told me to just try to learn three new things every day, and that’s what I did.”

Pam registered for the "Jeopardy!" online test and took it in January 2016.

“I didn't hear back for over a year,” Pam recalls. “In March 2017, I got an email letting me know I'd passed the test and made it to the in-person audition. In May 2017, I went to Minneapolis for that audition. It's a written test, followed by an interview and some ‘mini-rounds’ of game play.”

Everyone who completes the live audition is in the contestant pool for the next eighteen months and can get the call to be on the show at any point.

“I only had to wait a couple of months,” says Pam. “I got the call in July for a taping at the end of August and flew out to Los Angeles for that!”

Pam can’t discuss unaired episodes, so you’ll just have to watch the show to find out how far our own “biggest brain” advances. In any event, she’s already done these tigers proud!