bernard
THEE Realist
The dark history of Black medical education in America makes the new medical school even more important, said C. Reynold Verret, president of Xavier University of Louisiana.
For decades, Xavier University of Louisiana has served as a key pipeline for Black students who want to study medicine. But as good as Xavier is at that—regularly sending more Black students to medical school than most colleges—their students couldn’t stay at the New Orleans campus to become doctors because the university didn’t have its own medical school.
Now, after nearly a decade of work, the HBCU has been approved to open the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine in 2027. With the green light from the medical school accreditor, Xavier is now recruiting aspiring doctors from its own campus and from across the country to fill 50 spots in its inaugural class.
Medical educators across the country are trying to compensate for a looming shortage of doctors. In the last 25 years, 60 new medical schools opened, and many more have announced plans to do so. Often, leaders say they are hoping to serve an underserved region or population. In that regard, Xavier won’t be much different.
When it opens, Xavier Ochsner will be one of five HBCU medical schools in the United States. It will join Howard University College of Medicine (1868), Meharry Medical College (1876), Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (1966), and Morehouse School of Medicine (1975). Morgan State University, a public HBCU in Baltimore, also plans to open a medical school in the coming years.
www.insidehighered.com
For decades, Xavier University of Louisiana has served as a key pipeline for Black students who want to study medicine. But as good as Xavier is at that—regularly sending more Black students to medical school than most colleges—their students couldn’t stay at the New Orleans campus to become doctors because the university didn’t have its own medical school.
Now, after nearly a decade of work, the HBCU has been approved to open the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine in 2027. With the green light from the medical school accreditor, Xavier is now recruiting aspiring doctors from its own campus and from across the country to fill 50 spots in its inaugural class.
Medical educators across the country are trying to compensate for a looming shortage of doctors. In the last 25 years, 60 new medical schools opened, and many more have announced plans to do so. Often, leaders say they are hoping to serve an underserved region or population. In that regard, Xavier won’t be much different.
When it opens, Xavier Ochsner will be one of five HBCU medical schools in the United States. It will join Howard University College of Medicine (1868), Meharry Medical College (1876), Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (1966), and Morehouse School of Medicine (1975). Morgan State University, a public HBCU in Baltimore, also plans to open a medical school in the coming years.
Xavier to Open Nation’s 5th HBCU Medical School
The dark history of Black medical education in America makes the new medical school even more important, said C. Reynold Verret, president of Xavier University of Louisiana.
