We are so excited to introduce Dr. Sharon “Shay” Collins-Burley as our April Member of the Month. As a native of Lake Charles, she is back home as a second-year resident in the Lake Charles FMRP.
Dr. Collins-Burley grew up in Lake Charles with her very supportive parents, Andrea Nash, Patrick Collins and an amazing “Bonus Mom”, Cassandra Collins. She is the oldest of four children, Karen, CJ, Alex and “bonus sibs”, Jasmine and Marcus, along with her sister and brother-in-law, Briana and Victor. Dr. Collins Burley is very close to her grandmother, Lillie Nash, who continues to pray for her every day. She has a large extended family that includes a host of aunts, uncles and cousins. In high school, Dr. Collins-Burley played basketball as a shooting guard. She even scored game-winning buzzer beater shots.
When asked why she chose family medicine, Dr. Collins-Burley stated, “I believe family medicine chose me as a young teen, which was confirmed during high school as a CNA and continuing through medical school”. She continued to talk about how people in her life galvanized her decision to become a family physician, “I was beyond inspired by my brilliant mentor, Dr. James Lawrence, who treated patients in an underserved area in Mobile, AL. He would spend time finding community resources for patients, whether it’s inexpensive or free medications to help manage their incurable diseases. Also, I was inspired initially by my late grandmother, Rita Collins, who played a major role in my upbringing. She volunteered her time at local hospitals when not caring for her 8 children and a plethora of us 30+ grandkids. She was always so patient, compassionate, kind and welcomed all strangers to have a home cooked meal! However, despite all the compassion shown she suffered from many chronic medical conditions while taking more than 25 pills daily!”
Dr. Collins-Burley had this to say about her favorite aspect of Family Medicine, “I thoroughly enjoyed all clinical experiences and relationships formed in various settings. However, my favorite aspect of family medicine is the relationships that are built with my patients. It’s gratifying to be chosen as one’s primary care physician. I feel honored to see them return for follow-up visits knowing that they trust you to help guide them to lead healthier lives, while also recommending their family and friends choose me as well. It’s a tremendous blessing to be of service to others in my community.”
Dr. Collins-Burley is a champion of Family Medicine by participating in panel discussions for our FMIGs. We asked her what advice she would give to medical students about Family Medicine and choosing to be a family physician? She stated, “Family Medicine is an awesome specialty! It is very broad, and it allows you to learn about the entire body, mind and spiritual aspect of individuals and how it can play a role in managing their health. In addition, you form long-lasting relationships with your patients which in turn can help build rapport and have an understanding of the individual or family dynamics when managing their healthcare needs.”
She continued, “There is a complexity to this specialty because we treat patients of all ages from the “wound to the tomb” with acute and chronic medical conditions while providing preventative services. Learning how all systems of the body are interconnected and interdependent gives us the opportunity to work in outpatient and inpatient settings, wound care, minor procedures, sports medicine, and the list goes on!”
Dr. Collins-Burley’s future plans include continuing her love for building relationships with patients by working in various settings to help them prevent, manage and treat preventative and chronic conditions. She is also interested in inpatient medicine and wound care as well.
Dr. Collins-Burley is married to her handsome husband, DeBorian Burley, and is blessed to be the mother to two incredible sons, Dylan and Daxton. Away from medicine, she loves music, particularly 90’s R&B as it creates fun positive energy on tough days. Dr. Collins-Burley states, “Ultimately my family is everything! Every day is a reminder of how blessed I am to be surrounded by such wonderful, phenomenal people- my family and friends I call family! I could not have made it where I am today without each one of them! Now, I am building new relationships with my LSU Family!”
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 225.923.3313.