Larkin University’s Diverse Faculty Promotes Academic Leadership in Healthcare Industry

In a mere ten years, Larkin University has established itself as a diverse academic institution that promotes leadership in the healthcare industry. This has all been accomplished under the direction of its President & CEO Rudi H. Ettrich whose professional and scientific career includes extensive research in biomedical sciences and who has been cited more than 2300 times by the scientific community.

LU is now a fully accredited university, and its College of Pharmacy offers the only 3-year PharmD program in Florida. Along with its College of Biomedical Sciences, it boasts an exemplary success rate, and is poised to continue leading students on their path to success in their chosen professions.

At Larkin University everything begins and ends with a person in mind – their students, their communities, the patients, and people they will be serving. For LU, a key focus is to provide avenues of opportunity for the underserved and underrepresented communities. President Ettrich’s mission is to ensure the students are aware of the endless possibilities.

“We are driven by our Larkin L.I.O.N. mantra: Leadership. Innovation. Opportunity. Nurturing. We develop leaders in pharmacy education, pharmacy practice, pharmaceutical sciences, and biomedical sciences who make a difference in human health across their communities. We are here to highlight the wide range of job opportunities in the pharmaceutical field, such as becoming part of a clinical setting in a hospital or a pharmaceutical research team in a company, and, in a whole new area, veterinary pharmacy. There is so much more than working at a retail pharmacy, and often students or even our communities are not aware of the broadness of the profession,” said President Ettrich.

Currently, the College of Pharmacy offers a graduate Doctor of Pharmacy degree, and the College of Biomedical Sciences offers a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences degree designed for students committed to enhancing their credentials for admission to graduate programs in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and other health care fields, but President Ettrich envisions more for the University. ”LU is preparing for growth, within the Colleges by exploring the feasibility of additional master programs or combined programs in health professions. Moreover, the Board of Trustees recently approved a proposal for accrediting a new physician assistant program. LU also signed several international and national collaborative agreements regarding medical research. Finally, we would like to cover all aspects and career pathways of health care and offer the full range of opportunities to our communities.”

Equally important to President Ettrich is that faculty, staff, board members and students reflect the diverse community that surrounds the Larkin University campus which is in Miami Gardens.

Board member Dr. Marie Flore Lindor-Latortue, a native of Haiti, is an excellent example of that diversity. She was recommended by fellow board member and founder of LU Dr. Jack J. Michel and joined the board four years ago. With her two decades of experience in the healthcare industry at Jackson Memorial, a strong experience in HIV and case management, a degree in psychology, work in social services, and community, public and mental health, Dr. Latortue was the ideal candidate.

“The Larkin University Board of Trustees remains culturally diversified but also culturally sensitive. My combination of education and healthcare experience help our community see us as an example of what I call health empathy,” said Lindor-Latortue.

The doctor goes on to say, “joining the board at Larkin was how I could give back, approaching my position from both the clinical and community side.”

The term health empathy coined by Latortue, who also hosts a weekly radio show on 1700 AM WJCC Radio Mega on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m., aligns with LU’s mission of serving a diverse student body as well as the surrounding community.

“At Larkin University and our two colleges, we believe that higher education has a clear role of leveling the playing field and providing the necessary pathway for social and economic mobility. Our goal is to encourage students from our community to seek careers in healthcare, showing them the many rewarding areas of the field including clinical work, joining a hospital team and conducting research - changing their lives and the lives of their communities”

Speaking of LU’s students, they now are the beneficiaries of two new breakout rooms on campus, thanks to a generous donation made by Board President Dr. Mark D. Kent.

“I joined the board of Larkin University nearly four years ago. I truly love its mission to educate the young minds within our community. Remodeling the student study rooms just felt like the right way to support their learning efforts,” said Kent.

Kent who is African American, is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Fellow of the Medical Group Management Association. In 2017, Kent launched healthcare startups Care Management Resources, Total Health Medical Centers and Your Partners in Health, all of which began in South Florida and have since been expanded into Central and West Florida. He currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at Cano Health and has also held numerous senior executive roles, including having served as CEO of Women’s Health Care Hospital in Evansville, Indiana and as CEO & Regional President of all Humana-owned Florida-based primary care practices, which today are known as Conviva Care Centers.

With such powerful leadership and a committed Board of Trustees at Larkin University, an institution committed to serving the common good, accessible to all, providing academic excellence and inclusive education to our diverse communities, the future of the healthcare industry is in good hands.

Learn more about Larkin University by visiting their website https://www.larkin.edu/