Xavier University establishes a medical school to diversify medical fields

Xavier University, New Orleans Catholic HBCU and Ochsner Health signed a formal agreement on April 29 transfer medical school to university. Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine will join Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science because the nation’s only historically black medical schools.

As reported by the Associated Press, these medical schools will soon be joined by Morgan State University, which is currently trying to establish its own medical school. There is not any opening date for Xavier’s medical school; it might take up to three years to obtain accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. From this point, the school can begin recruiting students for an initial class of up to 50 students.

Medical school suits in The City of New Orleans’ larger plan to create a New Orleans BioDistrict, which it establishes to support economic development and create jobs within the life sciences. The recent medical school also suits Xavier’s academic pedigree; has long been a university preparing students to attend medical schools across the country.

President Xavier Reynold Verrett issued a statement indicating that the brand new university will help address health disparities in medicine. “With the establishment of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine, Ochsner and Xavier aim to address long-standing health disparities and foster stronger, healthier communities, fulfilling the mission of promoting a more just and humane society given to Xavier nearly 100 years ago by our foundress, Saint. Catherine Drexel and her Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.”

Dr. Leonardo Seoane, executive vp and chief academic officer of Ochsner Health, and chief medical officer first appointed dean of the brand new medical school, said: “This building will be a beacon of hope for young Black and brown children across the region, where they can be treated by doctors who look like them,” Dr. Seoane said, before describing the school’s intended impact on students. “If they’ll do it, I can do it too. This might be me.

Verrett reflected on the harm the medical community has done to Black people through lack of trust, saying, “If you want to consider the idea that trust and the lack of trust are a fundamental factor in health inequality and disparities, COVID was an unplanned experiment in which trust in the medical system it has become a barrier to quality care.” Verrett continued: “It took a lot of work to overcome (that mistrust) and get people to overcome those barriers, but we saw an excess number of deaths because of that lack of trust. So the (COVID) experiment has taught us something: When we talk about medical school, it has become a trust factor.”

Dr. Derek Robinson, a Xavier alumnus, founding member of Xavier’s medical school board and senior vp of the division and medical director at Chicago’s Health Care Service Center, told the outlet that he believes the medical school is an important a part of the hassle to increase inclusivity within the medical field. “I feel it’s really exciting.

“Xavier has been pursuing its mission for almost a century; its people, from all walks of life, help make the world more just and humane,” Robinson said. “This work will inspire bold efforts to advance inclusiveness in access to careers and health care in the US. It is not a duty that Xavier performs alone; it is a collaborative effort between universities and local health partners across the country to make a difference.”