Title: Pediatric neurosurgeon
Age: 52
Hometown: Baton Rouge
Lori McBride was dissecting a cricket when she discovered her passion.
It was 1984, and McBride was a freshman studying zoology and physiology at LSU. She had a student job in the entomology lab where she completed procedures on lab crickets. The combination of hands-on work with the need to be extremely careful and precise ignited a new passion for the Baton Rouge native: neuroscience.
Fast forward to 2019, and McBride has been practicing pediatric neuroscience for more than 20 years. Since moving from New Orleans to Baton Rouge in 2017 to join Our Lady of the Lake’s department of pediatric neurosurgery, she has already made large strides.
In addition to joining a craniofacial team to offer less invasive surgeries for patients, she plans to launch a spina bifida clinic at the Lake‘s new Children‘s Hospital when it opens in October 2019 on Essen Lane.
Spina bifida is a rare birth defect where the child’s spinal cord doesn’t develop properly. Some children become paralyzed or unable to walk, but with the right care many of McBride’s patients are able to walk, ride a bike and live healthy lives. Since most spina bifida patients require care from different doctors, this clinic will provide a network of professionals from different specialties to create the most effective care plan for each patient all in one place, McBride says.
When she’s not in surgery or checking on patients, her work days include researching and developing plans for new hospital programs. With the new Children’s Hospital on the way, McBride says she looks forward to providing her patients with a modern, easy-to-navigate hospital built just for them.
“My favorite part of my job is the attitude of the kids,” McBride says. “Seeing them recover from being desperately ill in the ICU to coming back to the clinic joking around and asking for stickers is so special.” ololchildrens.org
CHATTING WITH MCBRIDE
If you weren’t doing your current job you’d be: An architect
What did you want to be when you were a kid? A maid, then an archeologist (random, I know).
Something you hope to accomplish in 2019: Maybe learn to dance. Seems unlikely!
Click here to read about the rest of our People to Watch in 2019.
This article was originally published in the January 2019 issue of 225 Magazine.
