Case for Support:
Reimagine the Student Experience
Expand Student Wellness
With the creation of the Center for Medical Education, we will enhance both mental and physical wellness for our students, residents, and fellows. LSU Health Shreveport’s current facilities lack both quality fitness and informal gathering space for students. We have reached a crisis point and must address this issue as soon as possible, as the School of Medicine has been cited numerous times by its accrediting body.
Our students demand and deserve a modernized wellness center. Between long hours and demanding environments, medical school is often a stressful and challenging time for students. A recent Association of American Medical Colleges study shows that 30% of students and residents reported they have suffered from depression, and 10% of 4th-year students and residents reported suicidal thoughts. Sadly, medical students are 3 times more likely to die by suicide than their same-age peers, and it is the second leading cause of death among medical students. Burnout rates are also high among medical students, with 50% of medical students experience symptoms of burnout. LSU Health Shreveport is committed to ending burnout, depression, and suicide among medical students and residents. We simply lack the space to create a wellness center for our students within our current facilities.
Healthy Bodies – Focused Minds
LSU Health Shreveport is committed to creating meaningful wellness with a holistic approach in the lives of our students. The Center for Medical Education will allow us to expand the resources available to students and reimagine the overall student experience at LSU Health Shreveport as a center that connects the mind, body, and nature. The wellness aspect of the center will cover 21,500 square feet of space and will give our students access to:
• individual and group fitness spaces
• meditation rooms
• counseling
• nutrition and cooking-classes
• group assemblies
• multi-activity center
This modern facility will attract even more students and faculty from every corner of the world. Developing meaningful wellness in the lives of our students is crucial to the future of healthcare in Louisiana.
“The Center for Medical Education will allow LSUHS to provide wellness activities and programs to our students and residents to increase their psychological, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. I am excited to have been part of the Center for Medical Education subcommittee to address needs such a having a commercial kitchen for nutrition/cooking classes, rooms for meditation and mindfulness, and a state-of-the-art gym for physical activity and exercise. The Center for Medical Education displays the commitment of LSUHS to its students, residents, faculty, and employees to improve their health and quality of life.” –Dr. Marie Vazquez Morgan, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Institutional Wellness
A Closer Look
This self-guided tour walks you through the innovative Center for Medical Education. Get an up-close look at the 500-seat auditorium, the Clinical Skills Center, the state-of-the-art fitness rooms, the Center of Excellence for Emerging Viral Threats, and everything in between.
