VCOM 2025 Annual Report

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OUTREACH

experiencing homelessness in Northeast Louisiana. The chapter collected enough donations help more over 50 veterans. Northeast Louisiana 2025 Dragon Boat Festival VCOM-Louisiana students, faculty, and staff came together in April to take part in this annual event on the Bayou DeSiard right behind campus. The VCOM-Louisiana team rowed and students volunteered at the high-energy, community-driven event that supports the work of the Children’s Coalition. All proceeds go directly toward the programs and resources they provide for families across Northeast Louisiana. Baby Formula Drive In response to learning that some Central Louisiana mothers were stretching baby formula with cow or goat milk due to food insecurity, Ashley Smith ’26 and Regan Massey ’26 worked with the VCOM-Louisiana chapter of the American College of Osteopathic Pediatricians (ACOP) to collect formula and donations to help ensure every infant receives essential nutrition Toy Drive at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital Now in its third year, this toy drive has become a cherished part of VCOM-Louisiana’s presence at the site.

Public Health and Advocacy CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Training An annual two-day training event that equips VCOM-Louisiana students with vital disaster response skills, including triage, search and rescue, and shelter operations. Through hands-on simulations and collaboration with local agencies and Kitty DeGree School of Nursing students, this annual event prepares future physicians to step up in real-world emergencies and support their communities when disaster strikes. Campus tours with Ochsner LSU Health STEM Pathfinders program Student Ambassador Michaela Austin ’28 hosted VCOM-Louisiana campus tours, assisted by Savannah Newell, PhD, discipline chair and assistant professor of anatomical sciences, the team in the VCOM-Louisiana Simulation Lab and Dean Morrison, to encourage the high school students to pursue careers in medicine. Education and Youth Engagement

Fundraisers and Awareness SAMOPS Veterans Day Donation Drive

The VCOM-Louisiana chapter of the Student Association of Military Osteopathic Physicians (SAMOPS) collected items for veterans