Dr Yongue is a retired family physician in Acadiana and life member of the LAFP. She was born and raised in Breaux Bridge to a large family of 10 children. We asked Dr. Yongue how she chose to become a family physician. She stated, “My father, Ernest Maddox Yongue, MD, LSU graduate of the Class of 1940, was the ideal family physician and surgeon. He did it all from birthing babies, major abdominal surgeries, open reduction of some fractures, burn care and the best listener and mentor to all his patients. It seemed natural to follow in his footsteps. However, he related that in his experience most women did not complete the course. He advised that should I still want to achieve this goal of becoming a doctor after I obtained my RN diploma at CHSN, he would support my journey. He did! I graduated from LSU School of Medicine in 1976 and completed the EKL Residency Program in Baton Rouge in June of 1979. I immediately joined the LAFP and AAFP and have been a member ever since!”

Dr. Yongue began her practice in Westwego at Avenue C Clinic and obtained privileges at West Jefferson Hospital. She described entering practice as a new physician, “This was an awesome experience going into an established medical practice with clinic and hospital impatient duties and having the support of three beloved family physicians providing guidance.” In 1982, she and her husband, Gary Schoelerman, moved back home to Breaux Bridge after he was diagnosed with bilateral optic neuritis and declared legally blind. She joined her father’s practice and was granted privileges at Gary Memorial Hospital now Ochsner– St. Martin.

We asked her about her experience of combining a busy clinic practice with inpatient coverage. She stated, “It was a dream come true -being a family doctor in a small town – delivering babies, caring for children, young adults, their grandparents and performing minor surgery. For hospital coverage, we alternated call like in residency. There were no ER or hospitalist physicians at that time. All-in-all, nothing can compare to the feeling that you get with the privilege of making a diagnosis and then guiding the patient through the process of accepting and understanding the changes that must be made to live with this life altering event.”

As the saying goes, “after one time, come another”. In 1997, Dr. Yongue refocused her practice to reduce her workload and joined the medical team at USL – now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She described this part of her journey as, “This by far, I must say, giving up my private practice was the hardest decision I have ever made. I was fortunately hired as a staff physician for the Student Health Service at USL. Working only 50 or so hours a week and no call gave me new life. I took on the challenge of caring for the ‘college’ students. To my surprise, most came to the health center requesting an ‘excuse’ to get back into class. Overtime, however, the student health center became an established practice. It was heartwarming to watch the students succeed and move onto the ‘real’ world. During my tenure, we prepped the Campus for a possible Bird Flu pandemic by doing an education series for staff and students and isolating and monitoring the students from China; and we managed an outbreak of Meningococcal meningitis including a mass immunization program.”

Dr. Yongue retired in 2014, but she didn’t venture too far from medicine. She is a volunteer physician with Hospice of Acadiana. She described this part of her journey as, “This has given me the opportunity to be at the ‘bedside’ and to offer support to both the patient and their family on this final journey.” She is also a “full-time” Uber driver for my husband who is very active in the Blinded Veterans Association. Outside of medicine, she enjoys cooking and playing in her garden.

Please help us congratulate our January Member of the Month - Marelle Mary Yongue MD, FAAFP!