Louisiana Association of Health Plans Awards 2018 Scholarships

The Louisiana Association of Health Plans (LAHP) awarded its annual Gil Dupré Graduate Student Scholarship to two students at its annual meeting in New Orleans last week.

Both winners, Chelsea Ardoin and Jasmine Perkins Pate, are students at the University of New Orleans.

“It’s an honor for our organization to help students on their path to a higher education each year,” said LAHP CEO Jeff Drozda. “Both Chelsea and Jasmine have demonstrated a strong interest in the healthcare field. We’re excited to see what they do once they graduate.”

Ardoin, who is pursuing an Executive MBE, works for Healthy Blue, one of Louisiana’s five Healthy Louisiana Medicaid managed care plans. She has also previously worked as Special Assistant to the Secretary at the Louisiana Department of Health. Chelsea plans to continue working at the Medicaid health plan level following graduation.

Perkins Pate is pursuing an MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Management. She is an accountant for the City of New Orleans as well as the founder and director of DO It FOR ME, a Christian organization that works to create awareness of HIV/AIDS in New Orleans. Perkins Pate says her goal is to continue being an educator on HIV/AIDS through her organization after graduation.

The Gil Dupré scholarship was established by LAHP as a community service to promote careers in the health insurance and health benefits industry. The award is named for LAHP's founder and long-time chief executive officer who retired in 2012 after a 41-year career in the health benefits industry.

12/28/2017