Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Release Date: 10/17/2022
On Saturday, September 24, 2022, Ochsner’s Program to Introduce Medicine To Underrepresented Students (OPTIMUS) hosted a Pre-Med Career Conference for underrepresented college students. The day-long event was held in the Center for Academic Excellence and the Clinical Simulation and Patient Safety Center.
Twenty-two students attended the event. They represented five different colleges: Louisiana State University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Loyola University New Orleans, Tulane University and Prairie View A&M University.
Ochsner internal medicine and surgery residents met with students and provided mentorship. Programming included interview tips, advice on applying to medical school as well as hands-on simulation activities in suturing, laparoscopic motor skills, and tracheotomy incision techniques.
Tamika Webb-Detiege, MD, Deputy Head of Admissions and Enrollment at The University of Queensland Ochsner Clinical School and George Fuhrman, MD, Interim Chair of the Ochsner Department of Surgery, and the Ochsner Clinical School Enrollment Management team collaborated to plan for and run the event.
OPTIMUS is a pipeline program which provides education about career options in medicine, hands-on simulations, experiments, and tips on preparing for a medical career to students from elementary school to undergraduate level.
Dr. Webb-Detiege is the founding leader of the OPTIMUS program whose mission is to help eliminate healthcare disparities by increasing diversity in medicine. It began in 2019 and is an important part of Ochsner’s commitment to improving diversity in the fields of medicine and surgery.