The ongoing physician shortage heavily impacting the United States is being felt throughout the Gulf South region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida—and is only expected to worsen.
In fact, the country is predicted to have a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. And Mississippi is expected to be the state with the greatest shortage, while Louisiana will be third, according to Tamika Webb-Detiege, MD, a rheumatologist with Ochsner Health.
To help address the physician shortage, Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health are collaborating to address the region's current and future needs.
In 2023, the two organizations announced their plan to partner together and create a new medical institution, and in 2024 named the founding board of directors and founding dean of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine (XOCOM). The college of medicine is in the process of becoming preliminarily accredited. When it does open, it will be the only historically Black college and university (HBCU) medical school in the Gulf South, and a select few nationwide.
“Xavier is one of the premier HBCUs in the U.S., and they are known for their STEM excellence and for putting a large number of African American students into medical school," said Dr. Webb-Detiege, who was recently named associate dean for student affairs at XOCOM.
“By building this medical school, we'll be able to harness what Xavier brings—excellence in education,” she said, “and what Ochsner brings—excellence in medical training and health care delivery—together and serve the community as a whole."
Ochsner Health is part of the AMA Health System Member Program, which provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
Building on legacy
This is not the first time the two organizations have collaborated. The partnership between Ochsner and Xavier dates back to the 1980s with the creation of the school's College of Pharmacy. The two also partnered to create a physician assistant program, a graduate program in health sciences and Ochsner Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research.
The school aims to transform medical education and train compassionate physician scientists who will champion inclusivity and excellence in medicine.
"We believe that the mission of XOCOM is making sure we train our students in a way that fulfills that vision," Dr. Webb-Detiege said. "We want to create a more just and humane society, focusing on the needs of the community, making sure that our students are innovative, making sure that they're leaders in health care, and that they advocate for patients. That will be our legacy."
Dr. Webb-Detiege will play a large role in shaping that legacy. Her responsibilities for the school include leading student development and support services and helping future students form their professional identity.
Key to her work will be the school's Student Success Center, a one-stop shop where nearly all student needs can be addressed, from financial aid to mental health to navigating team dynamics.
"We were intentional in the name. We believe all of our students will be successful," Dr. Webb-Detiege said. "When you come to the Student Success Center, our job is to connect you with the right resources and guide you through the process. We don’t just hand you a list of names or offices. We work with you directly to make sure you get the help you need and that your needs are truly met.”
Students will take an assessment upon arrival at the college of medicine to help identify any potential social or academic needs. The Student Success Center will then collaborate with the students to identify what opportunities there are to either avoid or address any challenges as they emerge.
Also, students will find support through XOCOM's four societies, each named for key figures connected to the school:
- Saint Katharine Drexel, founder of Xavier University.
- Norman Francis, Xavier president for 47 years, responsible for building STEM success.
- J.W. Carmichael, professor emeritus of chemistry and founder of Xavier's pre-college programs.
- Regina Benjamin, MD, a graduate of Xavier and the 18th United States Surgeon General.
Students will be placed in one of the four societies, each of which will have a physician society head and an adviser from the Student Success Center. Students will remain in their society throughout their time at XOCOM, providing a family structure where they can get to know and learn from students at different points in their medical school journey.
"You get peer mentorship, you get mentorship from faculty," Dr. Webb-Detiege said. "It helps us wrap our arms around students in a way that most places don't."
Shaping the future
Dr. Webb-Detiege is excited about the opportunity to help shape future physicians' experiences at XOCOM. She's trained medical students at Ochsner since 2011 and continues to practice as a rheumatologist at Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans.
She believes the fact that she still practices medicine will help bring a different type of education to students.
"It's a whole different world between the books and the tests and when there's a person sitting in front of you," she said. "I get to take my clinical skills directly to them and show them how to apply that knowledge so that it is patient friendly, so that it respects patients' needs, and that it is human. It's not just academic and big words, but it reaches the person the way they need it."
Dr. Webb-Detiege also recognizes what many potential XOCOM students need, and that is financial support.
"Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine understands that there is a burden financially for students, and it's big," she said. "We want to make sure that we help to relieve that burden."
To do that, Dr. Webb-Detiege said XOCOM has been intentional in trying to secure philanthropic support that will create scholarship opportunities for students. In 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced $5 million in seed funding for XOCOM, and in January, Humana—which is also part of the AMA Health System Member Program—established a $3 million scholarship fund for the school. In February, the school received a $1.75 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to strengthen medical education and health care in the Gulf South region.
XOCOM will also offer merit-based scholarship opportunities.
Additionally, the health system has its Ochsner Scholars program that supports medical school costs for students who will go on to work as primary care physicians at any of the organization's facilities.
"We know that financial need is a part of a shortage of physicians," Dr. Webb-Detiege said. "Ochsner has been committed to make medical education accessible and affordable."
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