VCOM 2023 Annual Report

Setting the Stage for Major Impacts in Health and Wellness

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

T he founding of VCOM’s fourth location in Monroe, Louisiana, on the campus of University of Louisiana Monroe marked an important progression in the life of VCOM. Not only was the College continuing to grow in the southeastern United States, but the new campus signified the successful expansion from an Appalachian-based

along with faculty and staff, to help residents of Louisiana.

Students led food and supply drives, volunteered when they were able and provided support to those in need whenever possible. Perhaps no single act of volunteerism was more visible in

recruiting area to one that encompassed the Mississippi Delta region of the deep south, as well. This evolution in VCOM’s mission and vision would set the stage for major impacts in the health and wellness of one of the most medically underserved regions of the United States. It’s no secret that the Delta region, and Louisiana in particular, is a unique area of the

the community than the hours put in by students, faculty and staff at the Monroe Civic Center in service to those who were displaced from their homes in southern Louisiana in August 2021 by Hurricane Ida. It was so well received that a partnership was established with Louisiana’s Region 8 Disaster Relief personnel later that year to streamline efforts into a Volunteer Medical

“In just five short years, VCOM Louisiana has gone from breaking ground on a brand-new medical education facility to establishing groundbreaking new advances in availability of healthcare for Louisiana and the Delta region.”

country with a culture and identity all its own. As the first and only osteopathic medical school in the state, VCOM-Louisiana has helped to bring new understanding to the region of both osteopathic medicine and the impact that a few hundred students led by VCOM’s Mission can make on the communities they’ve committed to serve. This commitment is apparent in the perseverance that the students at VCOM-Louisiana have shown during the short life of the campus. In addition to the challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic, students at VCOM-Louisiana were also subjected to harsh weather conditions, including tornadoes, snowstorms and hurricanes. In all of these situations, the students rallied together,

Reserve Corps.

VCOM holds a strong affiliation with the Louisiana Health Alliance in their mutual commitment to bring physicians to rural areas of Louisiana. The alliance has led to a state committeemen for loan repayment for graduates practicing in rural areas. In just five short years, VCOM-Louisiana has gone from breaking ground on a brand-new medical education facility to establishing groundbreaking new advances in availability of healthcare for Louisiana and the Delta region. The future of the newest campus is bright and better days are on the horizon for the communities touched by the medical students trained right here in Monroe, Louisiana.

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