In Fall 2025, the UAB Heersink School of Medicine announced the creation of a twelfth Learning Community (LC). This is the first time an LC has been added since the founding of the program in 2015, and it has been named after Latesha Elopre, M.D., MSPH, a beloved member of the Heersink School of Medicine family who tragically passed away earlier this year.
The mission of LCs is to cultivate a supportive and welcoming community and foster professional identity formation through developing longitudinal relationships that include faculty and peer mentorship, coaching, classroom sessions, and social events. Students are assigned to a community when they begin their first year of school and remain in that specific community until they graduate. By fostering close-knit communities of students undergoing the challenges and achievements of the medical school journey together, students are able to learn and develop into healthy and effective physician leaders. The Learning Communities program is currently directed by Shaundra Blakemore, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics.
In 2017, Heersink School of Medicine announced the renaming of six LCs so that all community names honored a prominent leader from the school’s past and present, pioneers in the medical field and iconic figures for the school. In that tradition, the newest community chose to honor Elopre for the indelible impact she left on Heersink School of Medicine.
In 10 years of service at UAB, Elopre held numerous titles and affected thousands of patients, students, and colleagues through her research, clinical, and education work. She became the inaugural director of Diversity and Inclusion for the UAB Tinsley Harrison Internal Medicine Residency Program and subsequently served as the inaugural Graduate Medical Education (GME) director for Diversity and Inclusion. At the time of her passing in July 2025, she served as assistant professor for the Division of Infectious Diseases and assistant dean for Access and Engagement – Resident and Fellow Experience. In addition to being a respected professor and mentor, Elopre was also a devoted researcher in the area of infectious diseases.
“We are thankful that the school would name a Learning Community in her honor,” said Christopher Elopre, husband of Dr. Elopre. “I know that her loss extends beyond our family simply because of the wonderful person that she was and the impact that she had in so many areas of her life.”
Heersink students, inspired by Elopre’s work and mission, suggested naming the new LC after her. “It was an easy choice, and it was actually driven by the students,” said Austin Oslock, M.D. MPH, lead faculty mentor for the Elopre Community. “They came forward with the idea that after she passed, one thing that we could do to honor her legacy and all the work that she did was to name this LC in her honor.”
Since its inception, the Learning Communities program has provided the type of transformative student support and development that Elopre advocated for throughout her career and life. Craig Hoesley, M.D., senior associate dean for Medical Education, was instrumental in the launching of the program and worked closely with Dr. Elopre throughout her career. “In addition to being an outstanding clinician and researcher, Latesha Elopre was a highly regarded educator who had a passion for engaging and mentoring students,” Hoesley said. “She possessed every quality we look for in our Learning Community mentors, and I am very pleased our students recommended to name our newest Learning Community after her.”
Click here to learn more about the other 11 Learning Communities within Heersink School of Medicine.