Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health will celebrate their inaugural Physician Assistant (PA) Program Class of 2022 with a closing ceremony at Xavier’s University Center on May 5 at 5:30 p.m. and a commencement at Xavier’s Convocation Center on May 7 at 10 a.m. The 28-month, full-time graduate program, which leads to a master’s degree in health sciences, began in 2020 and is comprised of three semesters of classroom instruction followed by 16 months of clinical training within Ochsner Health.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, will serve as the commencement speaker. Cassidy, a gastroenterologist, is the senior U.S. senator from Louisiana and serves on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee, among others. Prior to serving in Congress, Cassidy worked in Louisiana’s charity hospital system for more than 25 years and co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, providing free healthcare to uninsured and underinsured patients.
“At Xavier University of Louisiana, we educate the next generation of changemakers and industry leaders who are instilled with our mission to promote a more just and humane society through their service,” said Reynold Verret, PhD, president of Xavier University of Louisiana. “As a top producer of black and brown talent in the health sciences, we are honored to gift these fine graduates, our inaugural class of the Physician Assistant Program at Xavier, and their talents to the world.”
In this inaugural Xavier and Ochsner PA Program class, 37 physician assistants are expected to graduate. Xavier is one of four universities in Louisiana and just one of four HBCUs in the nation to offer a PA program.