The partnership will create a new autonomous medical college at New OrleansTraining the healthcare professionals of tomorrow
NEW ORLEANS, January 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Xavier of the University of Louisiana (Xavier) and Ochsner Health (Ochsner) today announced an agreement to establish a joint College of Medicine. The two institutions will create a robust pipeline of physicians who address long-standing inequalities within the NHS and build the healthcare workforce of the future. By anchoring their partnership with a College of Medicine, Xavier and Ochsner affirm their legacy of promoting healthcare excellence and education for the next generation, providing new opportunities for marginalized populations in Louisiana And the United States.
Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health are collaborating to create an HBCU College of Medicine
To launch the College of Medicine, Ochsner e Xavier will form a non-profit corporation, create a new curriculum and utilize the facilities, staff and administrative processes of both institutions. The new College of Medicine will be governed by a board of trustees appointed by Ochsner and Xavierwith each institution appointing an equal number of directors.
This initiative builds on a long-standing partnership between Ochsner and Xavier which dates back to the early 1980s when Ochsner e by Xavier The College of Pharmacy has come together to offer more clinical education sites for pharmacy students. by Xavier The College of Pharmacy is the oldest of Louisiana and was for years among the first in the nation in producing African-American graduates with Doctor of Pharmacy degrees.
“Our work with Ochsner and other partners who cherish the vision of healing a broken world is a testament to by Xavier mission to promote a more just and humane society”, said the dr. Reynold VerrettPresident of Xavier of the University of Louisiana. “Xavier this mission was bestowed by our founders St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament almost a century ago. Our dedication to preparing more Black health care workers in our fight against health care inequity is our response to our nation’s critical need appeal and makes their legacy proud.”
XULA and Ochsner: A Collaborative Legacy
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world and disproportionately affected people of color, highlighting the health disparities faced by historically marginalized communities. Ochsner Health e Xavier again forged partnerships to improve health equity through new graduate health science programs and the establishment of the Ochsner Health and Xavier University Institute for Health Equity and Research (OXIHER). A few years earlier, Xavier and Ochsner also worked to enhance diversity within the health sciences through a memorandum of understanding to establish a new physician assistant (PA) program. In the May 2022Ochsner e Xavier celebrated the first graduating class of 37 students in the full-time graduate PA program, which leads to a master’s degree in health sciences and trains the next generation of providers to make a meaningful impact on health care.
“Ochsner has a long and rich history of excellence in medical education and we are honored to continue our work with Xavier to improve the health of our state and our region,” he said Peter NovemberCEO of Ochsner Health. “The Xavier medical students will receive outstanding clinical training in our integrated healthcare system and this significant expansion of our partnership with Xavier demonstrates our commitment to training the next generation of healthcare professionals to address the acute physician shortage in the United States and meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.”
In 2022, Xavier became an Integral Advisory Board Partner for Healthy State by 2030, Ambitious Plan to Rescind Louisiana from the bottom of national health rankings. Collectively, partners from multiple sectors and industries across the state are engaged in global public health, education and awareness initiatives.
“Investing in education, training and workforce development is critical to building a healthier state and stronger communities. Our partnership with Xavier advances our Healthy State mission of enhancing diversity among health care professionals, which has been linked to better care for diverse communities in our region and across the nation,” he said Dr. Leonardo SeaneMD, FACP, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for Ochsner Health. “We must work together to solve the challenges faced by our healthcare workforce and ensure that communities across the country have access to the highest quality of care.”
Bridging the national and local labor gap
for decades, Xavier of the University of Louisiana has produced more African-American students and students of color earning medical and doctoral degrees in the health sciences than any other institution of higher learning in the nation. Ochsner, the largest academic healthcare system in Louisiana, has a long history of training medical students, postgraduates, and fellows. Ochsner invests in excellent health care, workforce development and community education throughout the Gulf South. Institutions are uniquely positioned to co-lead efforts to close the health workforce gap.
“With their historic agreement to establish a College of Medicine at one of the top HBCUs in the nation, Xavier and Ochsner have heeded the call to shape the health of the state, country and world for generations to come,” said Dr. Anne McCallSenior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chancellor of Xavier of the University of Louisiana.
Research shows an urgent need for an HBCU College of Medicine now, as demand for doctors is expected to increase. Louisiana is expected to rank third nationally in physician shortages by 2030, according to an analysis by Human Resources for Health. Representation of African Americans within medicine lags behind, as they make up 5% of the nation’s physicians, although Black and African American populations make up 13% of US residents. A new College of Medicine with Xaviera high-ranking HBCU, and Ochsner, a high-performing academic healthcare system with expertise in training medical students, will result in representation among physicians with excellent healthcare education, which is critical to improving healthcare outcomes by increasing quality of care, access and patients’ trust in their health care providers.
To learn more, visit www.xula.edu and www.ochsner.org.
SOURCE Ochsner Healthcare System
