HERALD HEALTH CORNER: Ochsner partnership continues to address health inequities in the state
November 6, 2024
(Photo courtesy of OXIHER)
The Ochsner-Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research (OXIHER), established in 2021, is working to uplift underserved communities through partnership with healthcare providers. The Institute combines the resources of Ochsner Health and Xavier – and their network of partners – to conduct research, eliminate health disparities, offer education on health equity and public health, and to increase the number of healthcare workers who will lead and innovate in health equity.
“[OXIHER] was really brought on by the health disparities revealed during COVID,” said Dr. Christopher Williams, an associate professor in pharmacology and the chair of the Division of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences in Xavier’s College of Pharmacy, who was an integral part of OXIHER’s development. “We saw that there was a huge disparity on how many people were afflicted by COVID but even more so how many people actually died as a result of COVID. So, from there we instituted the structure of OXIHER,” Williams said.
As one of OXIHER’s two directors, he is very familiar with what jumpstarted the collaboration.
“Identifying the need was easier than determining how to meet it. One of the major hurdles to overcome was securing funding,” he said.
The Kellogg Foundation provided a generous grant to the Ochsner Clinic Foundation for $2.4 million to launch the OXIHER. One of the first initiatives that OXIHER implemented was to provide free vaccinations at events across the city of New Orleans and on Xavier’s campus. Xavier’s pharmacy students were active participants in giving the vaccinations and ensuring the events were successful. The grant also gave many public health students in the university’s master’s program the opportunity to secure internships and participate in summer research programs.
“A major goal for OXIHER is to create internship opportunities that expose students to diverse career options (clinical, research, administrative) in the healthcare field,” said Dr. Eboni Price-Haywood, OXIHER’s medical director, about the summer Master’s in Public Health internship program. “For example, our MPH internship connects students with system administrators leading population health management initiatives.”
OXIHER’s work also led to the development in Xavier’s Master of Science in Health Informatics program. This program will increase the number of health professionals with an understanding of how to analyze health data to improve patient care and health outcomes. The program was excited to announce the addition of two new faculty hires that will join the Xavier community in fall 2025.
“My expectation is that this all grows, especially with the [Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine] coming on board,” Williams said, noting that OXIHER has made much progress in the last three years and indicated there is much more to come. “This historic school will be the only HBCU medical school in the Gulf South when it opens.”
The continued partnership between Xavier and Ochsner, representatives said, will continue to foster positive change in the state of Louisiana.
“At the end of the day, [OHIHER is] working for the community,” said Ariyon C. Bryant, OXIHER’s strategic program manager. We’re working to see health improved throughout the state. We’re working toward measurable changes, and working to be the change,” Bryant said.
