Curtis Tyrone Society Head

Curtis Tyrone Medical Society Head:

Yvens G. Laborde, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor
Clerkship Director, Medicine in Society
Staff Physician Internal Medicine

Background

“The true measure of a healthcare system is not what it delivers within its walls, but how well it serves the global and local communities beyond them.  Reverence for life is at the core of the practice of the noble profession.”

Dr. Yvens Laborde is a physician–leader and medical educator with a deep commitment to the principle that global health is local health. With more than 30 years of experience as a practicing general internist and extensive expertise in emergency management, he currently serves as Ochsner Health’s Chief Community Medical Officer and Medical Director of Global Health.

Dr. Laborde has been an active advocate for the UQ-Ochsner MD Program, where he is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine. He played a central role in establishing “Global Health is Local Health” as a defining feature of the program. In 2012, he led the first global health rotation for UQ-Ochsner students in Haiti, just two years after the devastating January 12, 2010, earthquake, laying the groundwork for ongoing immersive learning opportunities. He also played a major role in developing the Medicine in Society Clerkship, for which he served as co‑director.

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, Dr. Laborde led Ochsner’s equitable vaccine distribution workforce and served as sub‑PI for the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccine trials. 

A proud native of Port‑au‑Prince, Haiti, Dr. Laborde completed his undergraduate studies at the University of New Orleans before earning his medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport. He completed an internship at Tulane University, then his Internal Medicine residency at Ochsner in 1995. Over the past three decades, he has distinguished himself as a clinical, educational, and executive leader across the Ochsner system. He was instrumental in the growth and development of the West Bank region  where he served as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Regional Medical Director while managing a panel of 5k patients and, in 2006, became the first Black physician elected to the Ochsner Board of Directors, serving two terms and helping guide the institution through its post–Hurricane Katrina recovery.

Dr. Laborde is also actively involved in the development of the Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine, serving on both the Faculty Steering Committee and the Community Empowerment Committee, where he continues to champion equity, community partnership, and innovation in medical education.

“… the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that’s wrong with the world.”

Credentials & Qualifications

• Chief Community Medical Officer Ochsner Health
• Adjunct Associate Professor UQ-Ochsner
• Steering Committee of Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine
• Board Certified Internal Medicine
• President and Co-founder of FONDYLSAHH-International Humanitarian Organization

Research Interests

Dr. Laborde’s work emphasizes the importance of the “Do No Harm Global Health is Local Health” health care matrix, which emphasizes bridging clinical care, research, academics, community systems, and “global health is local health” frameworks to improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable.  Other interests include: 

• Health equity and the social and structural determinants of health
• Global health strategy and humanitarian response
• Community centered models of care
• Medical education innovation, including training future physicians to lead in diverse communities

Best Part of My Job

The most rewarding part of my job is the opportunity to learn and grow every day alongside the many students, residents, and future physicians that I am privileged to learn from, teach and mentor. I am especially inspired by helping them understand their responsibility not only to the individual patients they care for, but also to themselves, their families, and the broader systems and communities in which health and well‑being are created.

Interests Outside Work

I am an avid fan of “the beautiful game”—soccer—after playing extensively while growing up in Haiti, where it is truly a national obsession. I’m especially excited that the Haitian national team has qualified for the World Cup for the second time in our history, and that they did so on November 18^th, a remarkable date in Haitian history. The thing that gives me the most joy is spending time with my family and serving others.