We are excited to recognize Dr. Gabrielle Givens as our October Member of the Month. Dr. Givens is from Franklinton, LA. She completed her undergrad at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, MS, attended medical school at the University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts and her family medicine residency was LSU Rural Family Medicine Program – Bogalusa.
We asked Dr. Givens why she chose Family Medicine. She states, “I chose family medicine due to continuity of care and the relationships that I am able to build with my patients. I grew up in a small town, which helped me to understand the importance of the physician-patient relationship. Building that relationship and trust with a patient is something that I truly enjoy, and being able to care for multiple generations in one family makes family medicine so unique. I love that with family medicine I am able to practice broad scope medicine and incorporate things that I love into my daily practice.”
Dr. Chris Foret was Dr. Givens’ physician growing up. “Dr. Foret was a big part of my journey,” Dr. Givens said. “As soon as I showed interest in medicine, he directed me toward family medicine, saying he thought I’d really enjoy it.” Dr. Foret continued as a mentor to Dr. Givens throughout residency and even helped her decide to practice at St. Tammany Hospital.
Dr. Givens has been with St. Tammany Health System for 3 years in an outpatient clinic location. She began taking medical students as part of her practice. We asked her how she decided to accept a position in academic medicine. She stated, “When St. Tammany decided to begin a family medicine residency, I knew I wanted to go back in academic medicine. This would allow me to teach in a more complete and impactful way. I am looking forward to our first class of residents that are set to being in July of 2024.”
We asked Dr. Givens what advice she offers to the medical students on rotation with her. “I always tell my medical to choose a field of practice that brings you joy. Look for that field where you get excited to go work each morning, once you have that you have a career that you will love for many years to come”, she stated. She also commented, “I believe that we can attract more students to family medicine by giving them more complete and early exposure to our daily practice. I know for many students they are not able to fully understand everything that family medicine encompasses, and I believe that if we were able to really highlight that, they would better know what exactly family medicine entails.”
Away from seeing patients and teaching, she loves listening to classic rock selections from her vintage vinyl record collection and spending time with her 2 American Eskimos, Koda and Chloe.
The LAFP is excited to recognize Gabrielle Givens, MD as our October 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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 225.301.1947.
