The 2024 Tulane Black Medical Alumni Reunion took place Jan. 26-27, celebrating more than 50 years of Black medical alumni achievements and legacy.
The weekend featured remarks by Tulane School of Medicine Dean Lee Hamm and Bennetta Horne, assistant dean for equity, diversity and inclusion and director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the School of Medicine, along with presentations by Dr. Adrian Baudy, associate professor and nephrology specialist at the School of Medicine, and alumna and Board of Tulane member Trivia Frazier, PhD, co-founder, president and CEO of Obatala Sciences, Inc.
Alumni had the opportunity to reconnect and network throughout the two-day reunion.
The highlight of the reunion was an awards ceremony where several distinguished alumni and two Tulane Trailblazers were honored for their impact within the medical field. Tulane Trailblazers is an ongoing initiative established by Tulane President Michael A. Fitts that celebrates the contributions of people from diverse backgrounds who paved the way to the university becoming a more inclusive and diverse community.
See below for photos of honorees from the ceremony.
(Photos by Sabree Hill).
Dr. Edgar Dapremont (left) and Dr. Henrynne A. Louden (right) were honored as Tulane Trailblazers. Dapremont, who graduated from the School of Medicine in 1973, and Louden, who graduated in 1974, are the first Black man and woman to have earned degrees from the Tulane School of Medicine.
Trivia Frazier, PhD, who earned a biomedical engineering degree, an MBA and a PhD in biomedical sciences from Tulane and is a Board of Tulane member, received the Research Alumni Award. Frazier is co-founder, president and CEO of Obatala Sciences, Inc., which works with tissue models to accelerate research in the fields of obesity, diabetes, cancer and related metabolic disorders.
(From left to right) Dr. Edgar Dapremont, Dr. Henrynne A. Louden and Dr. Ryan Jupiter share a cheerful moment at the reunion. Jupiter, who is the recipient of the Young Alumni Award, helped to develop the nonprofit Don't Weight to Lose. Jupiter, who took on several leadership roles while attending the School of Medicine, is an emergency physician at two local hospitals and a local ambulance service.
(From left to right) Kyle Golden, Michael Madueke, Alexys Wright, Cary Robinson, Solomon Baah and Brian Washington Jr. are members of the Class of 2027 at the School of Medicine. Golden, Madueke, Wright and Robinson are also members of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) at Tulane. Wright currently serves as SNMA president.
Left to right: Trivia Frazier, PhD, Dr. Edgar Dapremont, Dr. Henrynne Louden, Dr. Ryan Jupiter, Dr. Alexis Thompson, Dr. Rodney Davis and Dr. Gary Wiltz. Thompson, chief of the Division of Hematology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, pediatrics professor and holder of the Elias Schwartz MD Endowed Chair in Hematology at the University of
Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, received the Clinical Alumni Award. Davis, internationally recognized expert in minimally invasive techniques to treat urologic malignancies, received the Alumni Award. Wiltz, chief executive officer of Teche Action Clinics, a network of 16 Federally Qualified Community Health Centers located in parishes throughout southwest Louisiana, received the Community Service Alumni Award.
