Lindsay Ford, M.D.
Front Line Care
Primary care physicians are often patients’ first line of defense for a variety of ailments. Lindsay Ford, M.D., an internal medicine and pediatric primary care physician at East Jefferson General Hospital’s Lakeview facility, enjoys being that initial trusted guide on her patients’ journey back to health.
After being raised in a family of healthcare professionals, Dr. Ford decided she was not going to be a physician and studied engineering for her undergraduate degree at Mississippi State University. During that time, she worked at the school’s pharmacy, and she then realized that medicine was in fact the career path that she ultimately wanted to take.
“I reverted back to what I said as a five-year-old I would do and then in high school said I wouldn’t do,” Dr. Ford says. “My dad’s a doctor, my mom’s a nurse, so I have a huge medical background, and so it’s always kind of been on the back burner. And then I just truly enjoyed patient care and helping patients, and that’s what pushed me to become a physician.”
After completing her doctorate at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, she went on to complete her internship and residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Tulane University School of Medicine. In deciding what to specialize in, she realized that she most enjoyed examining the full picture of patient health.
“When I was in med school, I would do the different rotations, and, innately, what I always came back to was wanting to take care of the whole patient and not just focus on one particular area,” Dr. Ford says. “And that’s kind of what pushed me into the primary care/internal medicine perspective.”
After completing her residency, Dr. Ford began working as a primary care physician at EJGH Lakeview where she practices mainly internal medicine but also sees some pediatric patients. She performs many wellness exams to ensure her patients have their preventive work done to help ward off serious complications in the future. She helps patients manage high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes in addition to anxiety and depression.
Dr. Ford also handles many ailments that may eventually require a specialist’s attention, but she is the first stop for many of her patients on their path to healing.
“I’m kind of their first line of someone to see and figure out where they need to go from there,” Dr. Ford says.
Always keeping her patients’ concerns in mind, Dr. Ford helps patients find a treatment plan that works for them, whether that involves medication or otherwise. Finding a treatment plan that is sustainable for the patient is key to better compliance and better outcomes, and Dr. Ford distinguishes herself as a doctor that listens first.
Dr. Ford also feels she has a different outlook on healthcare being a female practitioner. Many of her female patients come to see her specifically because she is a woman. They generally feel more comfortable with her perspective and life experiences when it comes to advice for their healthcare and developing patient-physician rapport.
Dr. Ford plans on pursuing primary care and pediatrics and remaining affiliated with the hospital as she continues her career as a physician. She’s found the discipline and career track she deems most rewarding, and she says she plans to stick with it.
“It’s rewarding because when you truly are helping patients on a daily basis, they come in that first time, they have complaints, and then you get them on the correct route — whether that be medication, going to see physical therapy, whatever it might be — and they come back the next time and say, ‘I feel so much better,’” Dr. Ford says. “That’s what I’m here for. That’s why I do my job every day.”
Lindsay Ford, M.D.
East Jefferson General Hospital – Lakeview
7030 Canal Blvd., Floor 2
New Orleans, LA 70124
(504) 503-6760
Medical School: University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, MS
Internship: Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Residency: Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Board Certification: Internal Medicine