We are excited to recognize Dr. AbiSamra as our August Member of the Month. We also welcome Dr. AbiSamra back to her home state.
Dr. AbiSamra received her bachelor’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology as well as Political Sciences from Tulane University in New Orleans. She graduated from LSU Health Sciences Center School of Medicine in 2019. After medical school, she completed her family medicine residency at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Following residency, Dr. AbiSamra decided to pursue a fellowship in advanced obstetrics. We asked her how she chose this, she stated, “I love pregnancy care. It is a magical time in many ways. Family physicians have a unique perspective because we take care of both parents and kids. This lends itself well to supporting families through pregnancy and breastfeeding, which is an area I’m especially passionate about. I currently have privileges for vaginal deliveries at East Jefferson.”
We asked Dr. AbiSamra how she chose to practice Family Medicine. She stated, “My family is extremely supportive, and my dad has been a big influence on me. He recently retired from a long practice as a Cardiac Electrophysiologist. He was a pioneer of the field and helped develop innovative techniques and devices. Despite being super-specialized, he is still very knowledgeable on a broad array of medical topics, much like a Family Medicine physician. Growing up, he was always the person that friends and family would turn to for medical advice. Seeing how helpful it was to have that knowledge did influence my decision to go into medicine. Family Medicine has always appealed to me because of the wide variety of patients and conditions that I can care for.”
Dr. AbiSamra currently practices both inpatient and outpatient medicine as core faculty with residents at East Jefferson General Hospital. She takes care of adults and newborns in the hospital and sees all ages in the clinic. This career choice has been rewarding to work with residents and see their clinical skills and knowledge advance.
We asked Dr. AbiSamra what she enjoys away from the office. She stated, “Outside of medicine, I enjoy spending time with my family. Our preschooler keeps me and my husband pretty busy. We love biking on the lakefront together and spending time outside. Recently we have been watercolor painting, which is very relaxing no matter what the end result is!”
She continued, “My fun fact is that I started a sourdough starter during the COVID pandemic when I lived in Memphis, and it is a sturdy one that's traveled back home with me! Its nickname is Bubbly Boy because it's a nice active little guy that can survive in the fridge for weeks without fresh flour. I'm happy to share starter with any New Orleans/Metairie folks who want to get into sourdough baking!”
Help us congratulate Lamia AbiSamra, MD, as our August Member of the Month!
LAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Louisiana family physicians in the Weekly Family Medicine Update and on the LAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different LAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting Lee Ann Albert at