Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Recent Xavier University of Louisiana graduate Rachel Coleman was awarded the 2020 Ochsner Health Medical School Scholarship for LSU Health Shreveport – School of Medicine. The scholarship award will cover cost of tuition and fees for Coleman to attend LSU School of Medicine at LSU Health Shreveport.
Coleman graduated with a pre-med major in biology and a double minor in chemistry and Spanish, as well as a certificate in Medical Spanish. Born and raised in New Orleans, Coleman is an active volunteer with community organizations. Most recently, she volunteered at a local women’s health facility, engaging young women about health topics while shadowing a nurse practitioner. This also gave her the opportunity to gain hands-on experience while still attending classes. While at Xavier, she was selected as a member of several honor societies, including The National Society of Leadership and Success and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Health Preprofessional Honor Society.
“The current pandemic has elucidated the professionalism, altruism, courage, and caring of our physicians. Ochsner is proud to partner with Xavier and LSU Health Shreveport to help train more physicians for Louisiana that are representative of the communities we serve. We stand together in making an investment to improve the health of our state,” said Leonardo Seoane, MD, Chief Academic Officer, Ochsner Health.
To qualify for consideration for this scholarship, students are required to be a Louisiana resident, Xavier student, and have already been accepted into the LSU Health Shreveport – School of Medicine. To apply for the scholarship, Xavier students submitted an application detailing academic accomplishments, recommendations and an essay reflecting on how they have overcome adversity. A joint Xavier and Ochsner committee reviewed the applications and selected the final scholarship recipient. One scholarship recipient is selected annually for this scholarship program. The inaugural 2019 honoree was Sarah Bertrand of Marrero, Louisiana.
“When I told Quo Vadis Webster, my advisor in the Pre-Med Office, that I had been accepted into LSU Health’s Shreveport School of Medicine, she told me that every Xavier student has the opportunity to apply for a scholarship through Ochsner. I’m so happy I applied,” said Rachel Coleman.
The scholarship program marks the next evolution in a long-standing relationship between Ochsner and Xavier, which dates to the early 1980s when Ochsner and Xavier’s College of Pharmacy established an affiliation agreement partnership to provide educational experiences to pharmacy students. Through this partnership, Ochsner has provided clinical training for an average of 80 Xavier pharmacy students each year. Last year, Ochsner and Xavier announced the launch of a new Physician Assistant program, with the first class beginning in January 2020.
“We are grateful to Ochsner Health System for funding a full tuition and fee scholarship at the LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine benefitting a deserving Xavier University student. We are excited to have Rachel Coleman joining our freshmen class and commend her outstanding undergraduate accomplishments,” shared Dr. Debbie Chandler, Associate Dean of Diversity and Student Affairs.
For more information about Ochsner Academics, visit www.ochsner.org/locations/center-for-academic-excellence. For more information about Xavier, visit www.xula.edu. For more information about LSU Health Shreveport – School of Medicine visit www.lsuhscshreveport.edu/our-schools/school-of-medicine.
Photo Caption: Recent Xavier University of Louisiana graduate Rachel Coleman was awarded the 2020 Ochsner Health Medical School Scholarship for LSU Health Shreveport – School of Medicine. Click here for high-res version of photo: https://ochsner.imagerelay.com/share/Rachel-Coleman
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About Ochsner Health
Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Ochsner Health is a not-for-profit committed to giving back to the communities it serves through preventative screenings, health and wellness resources and partnerships with innovative organizations that share our vision. Ochsner Health healed more than 876,000 people from across the globe in 2019, providing the latest medical breakthroughs and therapies, including digital medicine for chronic conditions and telehealth specialty services. Ochsner Health is a national leader, named the top hospital in Louisiana and a top children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. As Louisiana’s leading healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. Ochsner Health is innovating healthcare by investing in new technologies and research to make world-class care more accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner's team of more than 26,000 employees and 4,500 providers are working to reinvent the future of health and wellness in the region. To learn more about Ochsner Health, please visit www.ochsner.org. To transform your health, please visit www.ochsner.org/healthyyou.
About LSU Health Shreveport
LSU Health Shreveport (LSUHS) is one of only 154 Health Sciences Centers in the nation. LSUHS is home to the School of Medicine, School of Graduate Studies and School of Allied Health Professions, and a robust research enterprise. Over 900 students are enrolled in the degree programs at any one time. Additionally, over 550 residents and fellows are trained each year. The primary mission of the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport is to teach, heal, and discover, in order to advance the well-being of the region and beyond. At the heart of the LSU Health Shreveport is a strong faculty that includes a number of nationally and internationally acclaimed physicians and scientists. For more information, visit www.lsuhs.edu.
About Xavier University of Louisiana
Being America’s only historically Black and Catholic University is just the first of the distinctions that have set Xavier University of Louisiana apart for more than eight decades. Despite its relatively small size (3,300 students), Xavier is a nationally recognized leader in the STEM and the health sciences, producing more African American students who graduate from medical schools each year than any other university in the United States. Its College of Pharmacy is among the top producers of African American pharmacists.
Its liberal arts-based programs in such areas as art, business, education, psychology, and political science – as well as such recent additions as bioinformatics, data science, neuroscience, crime and social justice, and jazz studies – offer students an unbeatable combination of traditional classroom study, hands-on research, service-learning opportunities, and life experiences. The winning Xavier formula? Provide students with a well-balanced curriculum and an environment that nurtures their intellect and feeds their souls.
For more information about Xavier University of Louisiana visit us online at www.xula.edu or follow us on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter @XULA1925. To book interviews and/or to speak with our experts in the field of pharmacy, education, premed, public health, science, technology, math, business, English, communications, and the arts, contact Lance Sumler at (504) 520-5240 or lsumler@xula.edu.