New Dean Announced for Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Od Dominion University

“Dr. Louis is a widely regarded physician-scientist with extensive leadership experience in an academic health center,” Alfred Abuhamad, MD, executive vice president for Health Sciences and dean, Eastern Virginia Medical School, said in making the announcement. “She is also a fellowship-trained maternal-fetal medicine physician and a national leader within the field.”

Dr. Louis has spent her career working to improve outcomes for mothers and babies. She has collaborated with the Florida Perinatal Collaborative and led statewide initiatives in Florida to improve outcomes during childbirth and the postpartum period. She has partnered with community organizations and policymakers on programs that increase access to care and improve the health of vulnerable populations.

“Her experiences and knowledge will be vital as we continue our work to address similar health challenges here in Southeastern Virginia,” Dr. Abuhamad said.

Dr. Louis is a pioneer in the study of obstructive sleep apnea in pregnancy, working to better understand the disease and its implications for maternal and infant health. Throughout her scientific career, she collaborated with experts across multiple medical specialties to define the outcomes associated with sleep apnea in pregnancy.

Her research portfolio also includes the study of hypertensive disease in pregnancy, maternal morbidity and mortality and cardiometabolic consequences of sleep disorders. She has authored more than 150 scientific articles and book chapters. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and both industry and private foundations.

Dr. Louis also has excelled in undergraduate and graduate medical education. She is passionate about using simulation and innovation in medical education. She is a sought-after mentor for faculty, fellows, residents and students, and was recognized for her efforts through the Mentor of the Year Award from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Dr. Louis currently serves as the James M. Ingram Professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida (USF) Health — with a joint faculty appointment in the USF Health School of Public Health. She is director of the USF Health Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center Obstetrical Satellite Programs.

Dr. Louis is a past president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) and currently chairs the SMFM Publications Committee. She is a graduate of the SMFM Leadership Academy and the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program.

She is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society and a member of the Robert A. Good Honor Society at Morsani College of Medicine. She has been recognized for research excellence by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the Perinatal Research Society and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine.

Dr. Louis earned her medical degree from MCP Hahnemann University (now Drexel University College of Medicine) after receiving her Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. She completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at Case Western Reserve University (Metrohealth Medical Center)/Cleveland Clinic Foundation and a maternal-fetal medicine fellowship at Wayne State University/NIH Perinatology Research Branch.

She is board-certified in maternal and fetal medicine and in obstetrics and gynecology.