Home HEALTH DOCTOR PROFILES Jennifer L. Lapeyrolerie, MD

Jennifer L. Lapeyrolerie, MD

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Dr. Jennifer Lapeyrolerie went to medical school in Los Angeles and did her residency in Houston, but returned to her native New Orleans to set up practice.JenniferLapeyrolerieMD “I wanted to travel the world,” she said, “and I knew if I lived outside of New Orleans, I would spend all of my vacation time coming home!” New Orleans is where she has remained since, and she has logged a remarkable 17 years with Touro.

ABOUT MY PRACTICE

What sort of patients do you see?
All ages. I see girls as young as 11 if they are having menstruation issues, such as prolonged or painful cycles. At the other end of the spectrum, I have patients who are in their 80s who still come in for pelvic or breast exams.

What is the most difficult part of your job?
Not being able to provide services that are beyond my scope of practice. Sometimes an OB/GYN physician is the only doctor patients have a relationship with, so they come into the office with problems that aren’t OB related, such as a problematic family situation. When it’s a medical problem, I can refer them to the right physician, but resources are more limited for psycho-social issues.

What do you like most about your job?
Deliveries! I love getting to be present at the start of a family.

What technological advance has most impacted your practice?
Widespread internet access, and it’s been both a blessing and a curse. I like being able to direct my patients to acog.org (American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology), as that is the gold standard and the only website I trust 100%. On the other hand, there is a lot of false or unsubstantiated information on the web that can frighten or mislead patients.

What do you like about working for Crescent City Physicians?
We’re a group of doctors who listen to our patients and work hard to communicate with them; we’re not just a machine grinding patients through. We know our patients, and that makes a huge difference.

ABOUT ME

How did you choose your specialty?
While I was in medical school, I had no idea what I wanted to specialize in. My first rotation was general surgery, and then internal medicine, which I enjoyed, but I didn’t want to work with critically ill patients. I found OB/GYN to be a dynamic field, but one with a great deal of continuity. It felt right for me, but just to be sure, after rotating through pediatrics—I then knew for sure that OB/GYN was for me.

Did you always want to be a physician?
Not at all. After high school I had no earthly idea what I wanted to do. My brother, who was studying at Xavier University at the time, recommended I go to pharmacy school because I had always been good at math and science. I went through the five-year pharmacy program at Xavier, but in my last year, I realized it wouldn’t be enough of a challenge. A counselor at Xavier encouraged me to apply for medical school, so I went to UCLA and worked as a pharmacist to support myself.

What do you do in your free time?
I have three kids—all born at Touro—and we study Tae Kwon Do together. All four of us are black belts, and my son and I also act as teaching assistants for some of the classes. I am also taking piano lessons along with my daughter. I thought it would motivate her to practice if she saw me practice, and so far, it’s worked.

ADDRESS:
3525 Prytania St., Suite 224
New Orleans, LA70115

PHONE:
(504) 897-7880

RESIDENCY:
University of Texas Health Science Center
Houston, TX

BOARD CERTIFICATIONS:
Obstetrics and Gynecology

PHILOSOPHY:
I treat each patient as if she were a family member. If a patient is my mother’s age, I treat her thoroughly and thoughtfully—the way I would want my mother to be treated.”