LSU College of Science Joins Local Healthcare Institutions to Provide Immersive Educational Experiences

BATON ROUGE—In anticipation of a new era in healthcare, LSU College of Science has partnered with the Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center and the LSU Health New Orleans branch campus in Baton Rouge, the home to residency training programs in emergency medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology.

This unique partnership will harness the healthcare and business expertise at each institution to offer an immersive experience for the pre-medical students at LSU.

"Being able to connect with our local institutions in a collaboration like this will open a number of doors for our current and future students in careers in science, healthcare and research," said Cynthia Peterson, LSU College of Science dean and the Seola Arnaud and Richard V. Edwards, Jr. Professor.

The LSU pre-medical students who participate will share a rare experience because few universities are able to offer access to a teaching hospital, medical school curriculum and a major health care program. These students will be able to learn the realistic demands of medical school from current third- and fourth-year medical students and interns in residencies, while also having the opportunity to shadow practicing physicians at a well-regarded trauma center—all while remaining in Baton Rouge.

"Recognizing that we have the LSU School of Medicine BR Branch campus, Our Lady of the Lake and LSU all together with the same goals to improve the health of our communities—it was a natural fit for us to partner," said Our Lady of the Lake's Vice President for Quality & Academic Affairs Christi Pierce. "With the College of Science, our intent is to bridge the gap between pre-medicine curriculum and health career opportunities."

In the partnership's inaugural two-day event on Oct. 19 and 20, about 30 College of Science students joined Dr. George Karam, assistant dean for Baton Rouge Medical Education and the Paula Garvey Manship Endowed Chair of Medicine, to discuss the "human" side of medicine practice.

"[Dr. Karam's] forum was a chance for our students to better understand the importance of the interpersonal connection, to understand the responsibility that you have as a physician in your interactions with patients," said Robby Bowen, the College of Science's director of the pre-health programs.

While the forum acted as the official kick-off, Spring 2022 will bring the first cohort of students who will have a semester-long experience filled with more discussion forums, research lectures and even real-time patient rounds.

The institutions involved are also currently exploring additional opportunities for participants, including possible scholarships and internships.

"It's very important for an applicant to have clinical experience, but it can be hard for students to find opportunities to do that," Bowen said. "[This partnership] is going to address that issue. It'll be easier for these students to get hands-on, meaningful clinical experiences, which will make them competitive candidates, but it will also make them more prepared in understanding the kind of commitment medical school takes."

Contact Alison Satake

LSU Media Relations
510-816-8161
asatake@lsu.edu

Jessica Manafi

LSU College of Science
jmanaf1@lsu.edu

Provided by Louisiana State University