Susan LaJoie has been named Migrant Health Professional of the Year by the Florida Department of Education's Bureau of Federal Educational Programs.

LaJoie, assistant professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, is a nurse practitioner at the Gadsden County school-based clinics.

"Thanks to her efforts and passion to serve, migrant students have a community advocate that is changing the lives of students and families as she encourages young men and women alike to become the nurses, doctors, engineers, biologists and more they dream of becoming," the awards program stated.

The College of Medicine partners with the Gadsden Health Department to provide services to students in need. LaJoie has worked in Gadsden since 2007 providing primary-care services to students at George Munroe Elementary School and Shanks Middle School as well as in other schools by request. The school-based clinic program is funded by Dance Marathon at FSU.