Member of the Month: Loren S. Lasater, M.D.

Physician invigorates practice through military service

posted 04.21.11

Loren S. Lasater, M.D., is a family physician in the U.S. Army Reserve who has provided care for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at a medical base in Germany, as well as for U.S.-based troops at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

Lasater joined the Reserve after the attacks of 9/11 when military campaigns were beginning in Afghanistan and Iraq. He says he knew that his skills as a physician could provide needed support to soldiers.

The Reserve has broadened his view of family medicine and invigorated his career by allowing him to travel to new places and work with a variety of physicians. The experiences he has had practicing medicine in different settings has allowed him to compare and contrast different techniques and systems, including socialized medicine in Germany, and incorporate the best practices from these systems to enhance his current practice.

Being able to help veterans, soldiers, and their families has been a “great honor,” says Lasater, and he highly recommends the experience to other family physicians.

He received his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, went to medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and completed his residency at Phoenix Baptist Hospital in Phoenix, Ariz. Along with serving in the army reserves, Lasater has practiced in Arizona and Texas in a variety of settings, from private practice to multi-specialty groups.

He chose to pursue family medicine because of its diversity and central role in medicine. His favorite part about being a family physician is coordinating the care of people through all of life’s stages, especially children.

When not practicing medicine, he enjoys running, snow-skiing, spending time with his family, and TCU football.

How does working with soldiers compare to working with civilians? My time working with our American soldiers and their families has been an incredible experience. Our American men and women in uniform are true patriots who have all volunteered to help our country during very difficult times and it is very gratifying to work in service to them.

Were you inspired by anyone to pursue family medicine? I was inspired as a child by my doctor, Dr. Gustafson, in Houston. To me, he was the embodiment of a caring physician. A real-life Marcus Welby, M.D.

If you could change one thing about the health care system what would it be? I would hope for a health care system that would properly value primary care doctors, rewarding doctors for their cognitive skills and coordination of care for the patient. Unless the system is changed, the availability of family physicians to meet the increased needs of our population as demographics shift will not be adequate.

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights outstanding Texas family physicians in QuickInfo and on the TAFP website. We feature a different TAFP member each month who is doing great work to advance family medicine in his or her community. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month, nominate the physician by sending his or her name, phone number, and e-mail address to kalfano@tafp.org. View past Members of the Month here.