Partnership focuses on healthcare innovation

Tulane University and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana are working together to address healthcare quality, costs and access in an effort to solve the state’s public health concerns.

The partnership was announced Wednesday (Oct. 19) at the A. B. Freeman School of Business where Robin Forman, senior vice president for academic affairs, offered remarks.  

“Tulane University began by connecting medicine and public health (experts) in response to the yellow fever epidemic almost 200 years ago,” said Forman. “Tulane was founded to solve problems and has always done so by crossing boundaries.”

“Our corporate mission is to improve the lives of Louisianians and there’s no better way to do that than by partnering with Tulane, one of the country’s premier academic institutions.”

— John Maginnis, VP of corporate communications, Blue Cross

The initiative will fund research, education and community outreach efforts while providing Tulane researchers access to invaluable health-related data for studies and the opportunity to participate in several grant programs, community events and volunteer opportunities.  

“Our corporate mission is to improve the lives of Louisianians and there’s no better way to do that than by partnering with Tulane, one of the country’s premier academic institutions,” said John Maginnis, vice president of corporate communications at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, the state's oldest and largest health insurer.

In addition to faculty, Tulane students will also benefit from the partnership.

Student experiences could include a practicum for the MD/MPH combined degree program or a classroom project for undergraduates to evaluate how consumers are shopping for health insurance in today's marketplace, said Melissa Erekson, executive director of corporate, foundation and research relations at Tulane.

Small-group breakout sessions offered an opportunity for Tulane faculty and members of the Blue Cross leadership team to engage in dialogue about the possibilities of this collaboration.