President's Message

Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) is Louisiana State University's pre-professional health honor society dedicated to fostering the success of pre-medical students. AED is an official student organization on campus geared toward providing its members with service opportunities in the greater Baton Rouge area and exposing them to various medical specialties. Our mission is to support our members and help build successful medical school applicants that are ambitious, empathetic, and service-oriented while simultaneously creating a community of like-minded individuals. In addition, AED strives to provide its members with many clinical and leadership opportunities to enhance their resumes and boost their professionalism. Past opportunities our connections have yielded include clinical jobs, CPR certification workshops, suture clinics, AED subcommittee officer positions, and more. 

AED holds meetings every two weeks; we invite guest speakers from across Louisiana to share their experiences, advice, and guidance with our members about the medical field. These speakers include medical students, residents, and physicians of numerous specialties including orthopedics, dermatology, gastroenterology, oncology, and more. In addition, we host our annual Dean's Convocation, where the Deans of Admission from both LSU New Orleans and Shreveport medical schools speak on what they look for in applicants and how to stand out. This event lets our members network and connect with the Deans outside of an academic environment. We also host a Mock Interview with one of the Deans to expose our members to what the medical school interview process looks like. Additionally, LSU’s pre-med review committee joins us in the spring semester to answer questions and provide guidance about the internal review committee and general application process. 

AED believes in the power of community-based service; in fact, service is a core tenet of our organization. As such, we provide our members with numerous opportunities to volunteer across the greater Baton Rouge area and on LSU's campus. Last year, our members completed approximately 6,000 hours of service at LSU and in the greater Baton Rouge community. Some organizations we partner with are Hearts and Hooves, the Knock Knock Museum, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Volunteers in Public Schools, the American Heart Association, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, and much more. We were awarded the 2021 Commitment to Change award by Campus Life for our impact on the Baton Rouge community through these many service outlets. In the past few years, our amazing members have continued to break records for service on campus. For example, we collaborated with numerous other organizations on campus last year for LSU Food Bank’s Battle of the Cans, and we collected nearly 3000 pounds of food. In addition, we host a 5k race each year called "Miles for Medicine" where a majority of the proceeds benefit our philanthropy, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Louisiana. AED members work closely with our philanthropy throughout the year and have the opportunity to become mentors to the elementary school students. We also host a blood drive each semester, saving more than 600 lives per year. Lastly, AED participated in The Gift of Life campaign, a non-profit organization that operates a public blood stem cell and bone marrow registry while facilitating transplants for children and adults battling life-threatening illnesses, including leukemia, lymphoma, other cancers and genetic diseases. Through this organization we swabbed over 500 students along with 13 of those students being successful matches for The Gift of Life. We also took home awards from LSU’s Live Purple Love Gold Awards 2024 such as being recognized as a Gold Organization by Campus Life. 

I am incredibly honored to serve as your AED President. I still remember the feeling of being a new member, and I am deeply grateful for the chance to give back to this organization by leading it. That early experience has shaped my core mission: to ensure AED is a place of guidance and fellowship for every single member. I recognize that the pre-med path can feel competitive and, at times, isolating. My primary goal is to foster a strong sense of community where everyone feels welcomed and supported. This journey is challenging, but you do not have to navigate it alone. My focus is on making AED a resource that reminds you of your passion for medicine. This year, the executive board and I are dedicated to enhancing the member experience. We will be expanding our service initiatives to provide more impactful opportunities, both locally with underserved populations and potentially through medical outreach abroad. We are also committed to creating clearer pathways for you to gain valuable clinical and shadowing experience. A key priority is to build a stronger mentorship culture within our chapter, connecting members so you can learn from one another’s journeys. Above all, we want to strengthen the bonds within our organization through more social and bonding events. AED should be a place where you build lasting friendships. Whether you are a new or returning member, my door is always open. We are here to help you succeed in any way we can, and I am confident that we will provide you with the resources to be a competitive applicant. I am so excited for the year ahead and for the positive impact we will make together.

Mihir Babbar

2025-2026 President

LSU AED Louisiana Beta Chapter