Dr. Yoko Broussard, M.D., pediatrician

By Lisa Yates
Editor

Dr. Yoko Broussard, M.D. devotes her life to caring for others.

Her medical practice at 711 South Ryan Street in Lake Charles has operated successfully for 14 years.

Broussard, 41, chose to become a doctor having come from a long line of physicians. She said her grandfather has been her greatest influence.

“My grandfather told me that I could do anything that I set my mind on,” she said. “He believed in the perseverance and dedication. He instilled in me the belief that every person in this person can make a difference. I chose to make a difference by being a doctor and by being an advocate for my patients and their health care needs.”

She described some of the things she enjoys about her work.

“I enjoy talking to my patients and making them feel better,” Broussard said. “I cannot always cure an illness, but I can help make the pain a little more tolerable.

“I think it is a privilege when patients trust me enough to allow me to help them, whether it is writing an antibiotic prescription for an infection, to prevent illness by ordering a mammogram or colonoscopy, to being present to advise and guide patients and families in the last stage of life.

“I love following the birth of a newborn and watching that infant grow into the cute, toddler stage, then progress to a young child. Some of my patients have grown from adolescents to young adults having children of their own. I am blessed when they in turn ask me to be their new baby’s doctor.”

Happily, Broussard has been able to combine the family life she always wanted with the career she considered her personal mission. She has been married for 18 years and has raised two sons – “Matthew is an 11-year-old intellect, who wants to grow up to be a baseball player or to be the coolest video game creator,” she said. “Jared is the friendliest 8-year-old who recognizes no strangers and participates in every sport and social event that he comes across.”

Balancing work and family life isn’t easy, especially for a doctor. Broussard said her profession does not recognize a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. shift; and, she frequently works long hours caring for her patients.

“The time I spend with my family is very precious,” she said. “It is rare that I work less than a 45 hour work week. On call weekends, I may actually work up to 60 hours. I am lucky that I have a husband and children that are very tolerant of my work schedule. My children are well-known in the area hospitals for they have accompanied me frequently on rounds. They know which hospitals have the best food and how to get treats from the nursing staff.”

In addition to her medical practice, Broussard’s career includes charitable work to benefit the community. She is an advocate for children and the underserved.

Broussard serves on the board of the Children’s Museum, and is as a long time champion of the Children’s Miracle Network.

“I also have been the director of Kidpower of Southwest Louisiana, which is a program that addresses the obesity problems of our kids today,” she said.

In addition, the doctor serves as the medical director, and on the board, of Matthew 25:40 – a nonprofit organization that oversees the intervention of recovering addicts and integrates them into being productive members of society.

“I also serve on the Calcasieu Medical Society Foundation Board,” she said. “We provide the funding necessary to run the Calcasieu Community Clinic that provides health care for the working uninsured poor in this community. I am also a volunteer physician at the Calcasieu Community Clinic.”

Broussard was nominated recently to serve as vice president of Louisiana Medical Society.

“I hope to be able to play a part in finding a solution to the health care crisis in our society, and to encourage our legislators to come together to solve the Medicare/Medicaid and uninsured issues of our state,” she said.