The Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians (LAFP) announced the installation of its 2025-2027 President, Dr. Lisa Casey of New Orleans, LA. Sworn in at the annual awards ceremony in New Orleans, LA, on Friday, July 25th, Dr. Casey became the LAFP's 77th President.
Dr. Casey addressed those in attendance and this is what she had to say:
Members,
Upon reflecting on the hats each of us wear, I was impressed by the sheer number I could come up with for myself and the fact that we much switch between these roles seamlessly multiple times on any given day. The hats I wear that rose to the top: I am a daughter, a sister, a mother, an educator, a director, but the one that we share in this organization is that of Family Physician.
To wear this one well requires intention, insight, and reflection. Being a good Family Physician is no easy feat. Something my mother instilled in me and I strive to instill in my own children is that anything worth doing is worth doing well and that it should matter. In short, whatever it is, make it count.
Because it is easy to lose sight of it in the daily chaos of life, I would like to remind everyone what being a Family Physician means. I recently learned that there are published tenets of Family Medicine. While these are things we all know in our core, seeing them written out serves as a powerful reminder of who we are as we toil in a healthcare system that does not always recognize or appreciate it.
- Family Medicine is a specialty that is centered on the patient-physician relationship. The relationship is continuous, personal, and often spans generations.
- Family Medicine is community based. Family Medicine Physicians are a part of the communities they serve and navigate the broader healthcare system with their patients, understanding the social drivers of health.
- Family Medicine is a process of care. It includes first contact, continuity, comprehensiveness and coordination.
- Family Physicians are skilled in managing common acute and chronic illness. This care is longitudinal and addresses a wide range of medical conditions.
- Family Medicine is defined by the scope of practice, not the site of practice. Care of the patient crosses hospital, clinic and home settings.
Family Medicine physicians (YOU) have a truly unique skillset, philosophy and approach to patient care. As taught in my children’s math class, every square is a rectangle, but every rectangle is not a square. Every Family Medicine Physician is a Primary Care Doctor, but every Primary Care Doctor is not a Family Medicine Physician.
For more than 75 years, the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians has worked on our behalf to preserve this legacy. I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our mission. The mission of the LAFP is to promote and support Louisiana’s Family Physicians in providing excellent health care, service, and leadership. We aim to accomplish this mission through the following objectives:
- Advocacy
- Practice Support
- Education
- Membership and Communications
- Operational Integrity
How we achieve these objectives is what changes year over year. While the tenets of Family Medicine are the same for all of us, the needs of the Family Medicine physician in New Orleans differ from those in Vivian which differs from those in Lake Charles, and anyone who trained at LSU knows I can’t leave out Bunkie. The LAFP represents each of these physicians. During my term, I hope to increase engagement from all our members to create a unified voice for Louisiana Family Medicine Physicians and carry that voice where it needs to be heard – to employers, legislators, payors, or the national academy. The LAFP is YOUR voice.
The hat I don as your president may be my most crucial yet. Together, we will stand on the shoulders of the greats who came before us, work with our colleagues to preserve our specialty and care model, and, in doing so, pave the way for future Family Medicine physicians. We will remember who we are and raise our voices, so others do as well. Above all, we will make it count.
I am truly humbled by this honor and look forward to serving as your president for the next two years.
Thank you.
Dr. Lisa Casey, a New Orleans native, graduated from LSU New Orleans in 2005 and completed her Family Medicine residency at East Jefferson General Hospital in 2008. She served there as faculty until 2014 and as Program Director until 2021 when she returned to clinical practice. Dr. Casey is board-certified in Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine and serves as a board member of the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians (LAFP), the Medical Association of Southeast Louisiana (MASELA), and Jefferson Parish Medical Society (JPMS). Her professional interests include obesity, resident education, and legislative advocacy. In her free time, Dr. Casey enjoys spending time with her two children, traveling, reading murder mysteries and playing board games.