VCOM 2022 Annual Report

Preparing Globally and Community Focused Physicians

Mark Sanders, DO, JD, MPH, LLM, MS, FACOFP Louisiana Campus Dean

O ur inaugural class of students, now in their third year, began clinical rotations this fall. Their rotations include time spent with hospitals in rural areas. Our students have the opportunity to work in hospitals in the Louisiana Rural Health Coalition. This important organization has development funding for loan repayment for physicians who commit to working in rural Louisiana providing medical care to this underserved population, while allowing

Mayor Ellis converted an event room in the Civic Center to a teaching room, where we held some small group learning activities on-site, taught by Dr. Langley and me. We collaborated with the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) pharmacy and nursing schools to provide intakes, assess medical needs, write prescriptions and facilitate medical visits for the people displaced from some of the hardest hit areas in Southeast Louisiana. VCOM worked with CVS Pharmacy, the Federal Emergency

physicians to successfully manage their student loans.

Within 30 minutes of receiving a request for assistance at the Civic Center, we had student volunteer time slots full.

St. Francis Medical Center, located in Monroe, Louisiana, received approval for their

internal medicine residency program, where Dr. Andy Langley, associate dean for clinical affairs and discipline chair for internal medicine at VCOM-Louisiana, serves as program director and trains future IM residency leadership. This is one of many future residency programs within Monroe and Louisiana. Hurricane Ida impacted southern Louisiana on August 29, 2021. While Monroe was not directly hit, we did have several thousand evacuees transported into our area. Faculty, staff and students quickly responded to help at the shelters. Within 30 minutes of receiving a request for assistance at the Civic Center, we had student volunteer time slots full.

Management Agency (FEMA) pharmacy contractor, to develop a same-day medication delivery system, which prevented sending many people to the hospital. Our relief efforts could not have succeeded if not for the support of the VCOM provost and board of directors. We are hopeful that the remainder of this year will provide fewer disasters. Still, VCOM Louisiana stands ready to continue to meet our mission to prepare globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations and promote research to improve human health.

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