Benson Tower on Poydras Street next to the Caesars Superdome will be the site of the first medical school in the Gulf South to be operated by a historically Black university, Xavier University and Ochsner Health officials announced Monday.
Once renovations, hiring and an accreditation process is complete — which could take at least three years — the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine will join only four other historically Black institutions across the country that educate the next generation of physicians as the nation grapples with a critical shortage of doctors.
The nation is expected to have 86,000 fewer doctors than needed by 2036, said Dr. Leonardo Seoane, who was named the founding dean of the college at a press conference inside the new building Monday afternoon.
The shortage is even more acute among minorities. Though Black people make up 14% of the U.S. population, they make up only 6% of doctors. Latinos make up around 19% of the nation, but account for less than 7% of doctors.
Seoane, a first generation Cuban immigrant, shared Monday how his parents came to America with few resources and stressed the importance of education to him and his siblings. His father worked two jobs as a janitor and a garbage collector, he said, as his mother stayed at home and raised him and his five brothers. He became the first in his family to graduate college and later, the first to earn a medical degree.
"I am that immigrant boy, the living embodiment of the transformational power of a medical education," said Seoane, who also serves as executive vice president and chief academic officer for Ochsner Health. "I'm incredibly grateful that we're going to be providing the same opportunities afforded to me, so that we can continue our progress of making lives better for all Americans. The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine will transform generations of young Black and Brown lives."
Xavier University already graduates more Black scholars who go on to medical school than any other university in the nation, according to University President C. Reynold Verret. Now it seeks to increase that number by opening a medical school of its own.
"It is not our goal to just have education at HBCUs and to have the number of Black physicians remain the same," Verret said. "Our goal at Xavier is to do what we do at the undergraduate space, so we at least double the number of students we graduate who are ready for medical school."
The medical school, which will be operated by a nonprofit formed by Ochsner and Xavier, is the continuation of a years long relationship between the two institutions that has already resulted in a successful pharmacy school, a physician's assistant program, and a health equity institute, said Pete November, Ochsner Health CEO. Ochsner, the largest employer in the state, has hired 40% of Xavier's physician assistant graduates.
It will still be several years before students can enroll at the new college of medicine. As the building undergoes renovations, Seoane will begin the process of building a curriculum, hiring future faculty and preparing for a rigorous accreditation process, which could last until at least 2027. Once that is complete, recruitment can begin.
The first class is expected to be 50 students and will grow from there with the goal of preparing a racially-diverse group of future physicians, Seoane said.
Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, an Xavier alumna and longtime gynecologist with Ochsner, was named as a board member for the new medical school on Monday. She said she is proud to be part of a mission to see more Black scholars on the path to become doctors.
"Ochsner is investing and dedicating so much effort to diversity, equity and inclusion at a time when those words have been politicized and are not very popular," she said, adding that countless studies have already proven that minority patients have better health outcomes with doctors from similar backgrounds.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Xavier alumna, was among the lawmakers, judges, doctors and students who packed a room on the third floor of Benson Tower.
"As Mayor of this great city and proud alumna of Xavier University, I couldn't be more thrilled the soon-to-be Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine here in the heart of the BioDistrict," Cantrell said. "It not only represents a significant advancement in healthcare education, but also reinforces our city's position as a leader in medical innovation and excellence. I am confident that this institution will continue to address our region's healthcare needs while also attracting top talent and investment, further enriching our state."