For Dr. Leonardo Seoane, medicine has always been about service. As a physician, educator and leader, he has dedicated his career to improving health outcomes in Louisiana while preparing the next generation of doctors. Today, as founding dean of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine (XOCOM), he is leading one of the most transformational health care initiatives in the Gulf South.
The partnership between Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health will establish the nation’s fifth allopathic historically Black medical school—and the only HBCU medical school in the Gulf South. For Dr. Seoane, the work represents the culmination of decades spent teaching, mentoring and caring for patients.
“This is the culmination of my career,” he says. “To develop a college of medicine dedicated to training is an incredible privilege.”
The impact of XOCOM extends far beyond higher education. The medical school is expected to generate an estimated $150 million economic impact for Louisiana while helping revitalize downtown New Orleans’ growing BioDistrict. Located in Benson Tower near the Caesars Superdome, the school is poised to become both an educational and economic engine for the state.
Yet for Dr. Seoane, the true mission is addressing Louisiana’s critical physician shortage.
“Sixty of Louisiana’s 64 parishes are designated as underserved,” he explains. “We don’t talk about it much—until you need to see a pulmonologist and it’s a six-month wait.”
National projections estimate a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, with Louisiana expected to rank among the states hardest hit. XOCOM was created with those realities in mind.
“At the core of health care access, you have to have physicians,” Dr. Seoane says. “We need to train physicians who want to practice in the Gulf South and care for our communities.”
Research consistently shows that physicians who train and complete residency in the same region are far more likely to remain there. Through Ochsner’s extensive residency programs, XOCOM students will have pathways to continue their training locally—an important factor in retaining talent in Louisiana.
The school is already well positioned for success. Xavier has institutional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and XOCOM recently completed its survey visit with the Liaison Committee on Medical Education as it seeks final programmatic accreditation.
“We are ready,” Dr. Seoane says. “We have a building downtown. We have 18 basic science faculty and 251 clinical faculty.”
The journey to this moment has been years in the making.
“This has taken eight years of planning, meetings, applications, hiring leadership and building programs,” he says. “It’s humbling and an incredible privilege.”
That sense of humility is rooted in his own story.
A proud first-generation Cuban American, Dr. Seoane immigrated from Cuba as a child. His mother stayed home to raise six boys, while his father worked as both a janitor and garbage collector. Their sacrifices shaped his values and fueled his commitment to education and service.
“I always loved teaching,” says Dr. Seoane, a pulmonary and critical care physician who has practiced at Ochsner since 2002.
His passion for mentorship extends especially to Hispanic students pursuing careers in medicine. Despite Hispanics representing nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population, only about 7 percent of physicians nationwide identify as Hispanic.
“There is a significant lack of diverse physicians,” he says. “Minority physicians are much more likely to practice in underserved communities.”
For Dr. Seoane, increasing diversity in medicine is not simply about representation—it is essential to improving health outcomes, strengthening patient trust and expanding access to care.
“We hope to train physicians who have cultural awareness and want to stay in the Gulf South and care for our community,” he says.
His commitment to the Hispanic community extends well beyond the classroom. Dr. Seoane founded the Gulf Coast chapter of the National Hispanic Medical Association and serves on the organization’s national board. The organization creates mentorship opportunities and professional networks for Hispanic physicians and students.
“Many Hispanics who came from where I came from are trying to navigate how to become a doctor and choose a specialty,” he says. “It starts early—in elementary school—with excelling in STEM. But these gifted students need mentorship and sponsorship.”
That belief in mentorship has inspired innovative pipeline programs designed to support aspiring physicians long before medical school. Through the PALIG Scholars Pathway Program, funded by a $1 million endowment from Pan-American Life Insurance Group, undergraduate pre-med students spend summers at Xavier and Ochsner shadowing health care professionals, meeting faculty and learning how to navigate the medical school application process.
Financial support is equally important. Programs such as the Ochsner Scholars initiative provide full tuition for students pursuing certain health care pathways in exchange for practicing within the Ochsner system for five years after graduation.
“Financial barriers are real,” Dr. Seoane says. “We need scholarships and sponsorships to support our communities.”
His advice to young Hispanic students considering medicine is simple but powerful: “Medicine is an incredible career. It is a true blessing to be in service to others. Every day you work in your practice will have a meaningful and positive impact. We need you.”
As XOCOM moves closer to welcoming its first class, Dr. Seoane remains focused on the future, one in which more physicians reflect the communities they serve, health care access improves across Louisiana and new generations of diverse leaders emerge.
For New Orleans and the Gulf South, the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine represents more than a new institution. It represents hope, opportunity and a healthier future. And for Dr. Leonardo Seoane, it represents a lifelong commitment fulfilled: preparing physicians not only to heal patients, but also to transform communities.
