Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas announces its new Family Medicine Physician, Lisa Ayala, M.D., who will provide care at CHC/SEK’s Pittsburg South clinic.
The clinic, located at 1011 S. Mount Carmel Place, houses CHC/SEK’s women’s health services such as obstetrics and mammography.
Dr. Ayala grew up on a northeast Kansas farm. Her father, a veterinarian, inspired her to go into medicine.
“I got to see a lot of animal medicine and decided maybe that’s not quite for me, but I love the science part of it and helping people,” she says.
Dr. Ayala isn’t new to CHC/SEK. She spent part of her clinical rotations at CHC/SEK, following Family Medicine Physician Bethany Enoch. Now she’s back and will provide family medicine services, including obstetrics, her passion.
A mother herself, Dr. Ayala enjoys being part of her patients’ pregnancy journey, a “vulnerable time in a powerful and precious moment in their lives.”
Preventative care during pregnancy is essential, Dr. Ayala said, adding that it helps keep families healthy from the start.
“Pregnancy and having a baby are really wonderful but also can be really scary time in a woman’s life,” she says. “A lot of changes are happening; it’s a time when things can go wrong and can go wrong quickly. We like to keep a close eye on mom and baby and ensure things are going well.”
Dr. Ayala went to the College of the Ozarks at Point Lookout, Missouri, before graduating from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, where she received her medical degree. She completed her residency through St. Mary’s Family Medicine Residency in Grand Junction, Colorado. She is currently a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians and has been on several committees including obstetrics committees. During her academic career she was Chief Resident, was on the honors track in OB/Women’s health focus and was intern of the year. Throughout her residency she provided care as a volunteer resident physician at a clinic for the homeless. She is also conversationally fluent in Spanish.
Dr. Ayala and her husband Sergio have a 3-year-old son, Armando. She enjoys gardening, baking, reading, and crocheting.
