NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Health and University of Queensland’s joint Doctor of Medicine program honored its 2023 graduating class at a culmination ceremony on Nov. 18. The 96 graduating students completed the four-year program, which offers training and clinical experience across two continents. Students completed two years of medical school curriculum in Brisbane, Australia, at the University of Queensland. The final two years of clinical study were conducted at the UQ-Ochsner Clinical School at Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans.
Since welcoming the first UQ-Ochsner MD program class in 2009, 953 students have graduated, and the program averages a 95% match rate through the National Residency Match Program.
Leonardo Seoane, Ochsner Health’s executive vice president and chief academic officer and professor at UQ-Ochsner MD Program, congratulated each UQ-Ochsner medical student on their achievement at the culmination ceremony.
“Ochsner is proud to invest in the next generation of physicians, as we work collectively to make healthcare more accessible, compassionate and equitable for all the communities that we serve, here in Louisiana and beyond,” said Seoane. “Together, we will all improve health outcomes and change patients’ lives.”
Professor Mark Smithers, chair and head of the Mayne Academy of Surgery at The University of Queensland, delivered the keynote address. Smithers is a surgical oncologist who specializes in surgery for esophago-gastric diseases, melanoma, advanced skin cancer and soft tissue sarcoma. He is the director of the Upper GI and Soft Tissue Unit at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, in Brisbane, Australia.
The ceremony came just a month after leaders from Ochsner and UQ extended their partnership through 2030.
