Jeanette H. Magnus, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor in Public Health and Medicine
Director
Tulane Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health
Phone: (504) 988-5100
Fax: (504) 988-4657
E-mail: jmagnus@tulane.edu

Clinical Services Contact: 1-877-588-5100

Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Tulane Xavier National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health (TUXCOE) encounters gender inequities of particular concern to health care. In 2000, Gulf South states Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi were nationally ranked as 49^th, 50^th, and 51^st in women's health status and policy. Furthermore, African-Americans comprise 76% of New Orleans' population, resulting in the majority of the population having minority health status. TUXCOE's motto, "It's about women; it's about time," reflects the center's fundamental recognition that women's health must be addressed by today's health care system. Inequities towards women, especially minority and low-income women, are noted not only in access to and in the provision of clinical services to women, but also in the areas of research, public education, professional education and female leadership within the medical establishment. TUXCOE seeks to create a model in women's health that addresses these disparities, particularly taking into account the unique needs and circumstances of women's health in the Gulf South.

TUXCOE is a collaborative effort of Tulane University Health Sciences Center (TUHSC), Tulane University Hospital and Clinic (TUHC), HCA-The Health Care Company, Xavier University of Louisiana (Xavier), Medical Center of Louisiana in New Orleans (Charity Hospital System), Loyola University, Dillard University and numerous local community agencies. The clinical, academic and educational missions of these collaborating institutions are incorporated into a community network and partnership. TUXCOE is the only nationally designated center to be: a) located in the Deep South; b) founded on a partnership; and c) actively affiliated with an historically African-American and Catholic university.

In order to improve the health status of all women across the life span, TUXCOE has established a vision to provide information, resources and services for preventing the onset of adverse health outcomes in women by accomplishing the following:

• Increasing the awareness of women's health issues in the community and within academic medicine and the allied health professions;

• Developing models to integrate clinical care, research and professional and public education in women's health;

• Fostering and promoting expertise and excellence in the delivery of clinical care, research and education in women's health throughout the Gulf South;

• Sustaining, nurturing and leading the agenda on women's health issues in the South; and

• Playing an advocacy role in women's health through local, regional and national partnerships.

To accomplish these objectives, the TUXCOE model employs five core program components, outlined in the following paragraphs.

Clinical Services Core

TUXCOE has a comprehensive women's health care model that strives to facilitate the integration and enhancement of multi-disciplinary and culturally sensitive clinical services that address a woman's needs across her life span. The following are examples of programs within the clinical core.

• Total Woman Health Care Center offers primary and preventative health care services for women throughout each phase of her life, as well as an extensive network of secondary and tertiary specialty services.

• Xavier Clinical Trials Unit is actively promoting women's research studies and studying barriers to participation.

Multidisciplinary Research Core

The Research Core fosters an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborative structure to develop and facilitate women's health research, enhance the participation of women in clinical trials, encourage women to perform research, and create an environment that exposes young women to research careers. Current projects include:

• REACH 2010 Phase II, a community-based intervention for CVD in African-American women;

• Research Compendium of ongoing projects about women or led by women;

• Collaboration with the Tulane University International Center on Health and Social Systems Management of Elderly (ICHSSE);

• Hispanic Organization of Health Professions to Improve Health Outcomes (HOHPITO), a joint program between TUXCOE and the Tulane Center of Clinical Effectiveness and Prevention, which fosters research as it pertains to the Latino Community.

Health Professional Education Core

This core successfully integrates women's health issues into the educational components of TUHSC including the medical school curriculum, school of public health curriculum, post-graduate medical education and continuing medical education. Xavier University has also incorporated women's health issues into their curriculum and other educational activities, including their PharmD program.

Community Outreach Core

TUXCOE Outreach facilitates and provides health information through a collaborative network of community partners. The center provides the community with numerous effective and informative programs, such as:

• Healthy Tales, narrative based health education targeting children and illiterate adults;

• Mobile Van Project, providing clinical services as part of Latina health initiative;

• Mayor's Conference on Women and Women's Mental Health Conference; and

• Women's Wellness Wednesdays, health education series for Tulane staff

Leadership Core

To foster leadership roles for women in medicine and science, the Leadership core activities include:

• Networking sessions, mentoring programs and women faculty development programs creating a woman-friendly professional environment;

• Research seminar series to showcase research activities of faculty women, and to increase visibility of women in the organization;

• Salary equity survey; and

• Development of mechanisms to increase the number of nominations of women for Chair and Dean positions, committee representation and awards.