Dr. Flowers is a native of Louisiana. She grew up in Winnfield, LA. Her parents are Ms. Jewel Flowers and the Late Mr. Samuel E. Flowers Sr. She attended Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana earning a BS in Physics in May of 2000 and graduated with honors of Magna Cum Laude, Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society and Earl Lester Cole’s Honors College. She completed her post-bachelor studies and pre-requisites to apply to medical school at Our Lady of the Lake College (now Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University) in Baton Rouge, LA.  She attended medical school at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) -Virginia campus in Blacksburg, VA and completed her family medicine residency program at VCU/St Francis Family Medicine Residency in Midlothian, Virginia.

We asked Dr. Flowers how she chose to become a Family Physician. She stated, “As a medical student, I realized that I wanted to do ‘a little bit of everything.’ I initially considered Emergency Medicine because I liked the constant changing pace and never knowing what to expect. But I realized many people were in the Emergency Department for complaints that could be treated just as effectively in an outpatient setting. I knew that I was more interested in small city/large town and NEVER a Level I trauma center. Ultimately, I felt I could make more of an impact in medicine as a family medicine physician.”

She continued, “I chose to pursue family medicine because I liked the idea of being able to address a variety of medical complaints. I enjoyed the ability to shift care from urgent in office complaints to routine follow-up exams. Being able to take care of patients from newborn all the way to their golden years seemed like such a rewarding experience. Also, with family medicine I can have more impact on people through participation in health fairs and community forums to increase awareness of preventive medicine, encouraging health screenings and just simply engage with the public as a physician.

Dr. Flowers is currently the Associate Chair for Rural Medicine and Underserved Primary Care and an Assistant Professor, Clinical Medicine and Diversity Officer for VCOM Louisiana Campus - Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. She also serves as the advisor to the family medicine student organization. We asked her to tell us about her path to academic medicine. She stated, “I had always enjoyed teaching. During college, I tutored my peers and prior to attending medical school, I had taught in secondary education. Specifically, instructed mathematics at a middle school and science at an alternative high school. I really enjoyed helping the children learn and watching the light come on as students realized they could learn.”

She continued, “Initially while practicing in Norfolk, Virginia, I was teaching third year medical students (MD and DO). As I continued, I realized that I wanted to be a part of the faculty teaching the basic medical sciences curriculum prior to them attending their clinical rotations. When VCOM announced that they were building a campus in Louisiana, I was ecstatic. This would be the first osteopathic medical school in the state of Louisiana! As a graduate of the VCOM-Virginia campus, I understood their mission and embraced their goal ‘to prepare globally minded and community focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations.’ As a native of Louisiana, I understood our culture and was aware of the medical need in Northeast Louisiana. I knew that the public would be curious about osteopathic medicine. I wanted to be able to bridge the gap, connect with the local community surrounding the college and overall be part of the first osteopathic medical school in the state of Louisiana.

Dr. Flowers talked about why it is important for her to be a member of both LAFP and the LOMA. "I think being a part of LAFP and LOMA helps me to stay in touch with what is going on in Louisiana’s medical community. LAFP gives me more insight into family medicine physicians in Louisiana and LOMA helps me stay abreast on issues that affect osteopathic physicians in the state of Louisiana. Both organizations provide multiple opportunities for CME and together we continue to advocate for physicians and patients within the state of Louisiana.”

Away from medicine and medical education, she enjoys attending church and spending time with my family. Her hobbies include reading, dancing, running, skating, and traveling. She travels for leisure and mission trips. For mission trips, she has gone to Cape Town, South Africa, Kenya, Africa, El Salvador, and Honduras in Central America. She also spends time doing community service with her sorority sisters in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Omicron Iota Omega Chapter.

Help us congratulate Dr. Jonah Flowers as a May Member of the Month!