Physician Spotlight: Joshua LeBlanc, MD
How Place Affects Who We Are
A conversation with Joshua LeBlanc,MD
St. Tammany-based independent pediatrician and physician leader Joshua LeBlanc, MD, remembers, at 10 years old, proclaiming his aspirations to his big sister that he would one day become a pediatrician. Son of a distinguished United States Air Force colonel and the middle of five children, Dr. LeBlanc recalls his family moving eight times, starting out in the Carolinas, followed by the Virginia – Washington, D.C., area, then Florida,California and, finally, Texas.
For decades, military children have received considerable attention in social psychology research. Most recently, a Dartmouth study on three-quarters of a million military kids indicated that moving, on average every two to three years, was a potential predictor of success in later life, including an ability to cope, adapt and perform. The findings also indicated a keen sense of belonging and a sense of pride.
Dr. LeBlanc, founder of LeBlanc Pediatrics, could be the poster adult-child for this recent research.
“We were an Air Force family that moved every few years…from early childhood through high school. I am the first one in my family to become a physician.”
Shortly after high school graduation, Dr. LeBlanc rejected a soccer scholarship to the U. S. Air Force Academy and left basic training. But with hardly a “brat” mentality, he stayed true to his dream and pursued the study of medicine in Ohio. He eventually landed a residency spot at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and later moved to New Orleans with his wife, Josie, to finish training at the Tulane University School of Medicine.
Dr. LeBlanc professes a genuine love of caring for patients, from birth to their launch into adulthood. In his field, he is fascinated by the scientific complexities of the human body and the interplay of family dynamics. Dr. LeBlanc also enjoys the leadership aspects of being a modern, value-driven physician, seeking opportunities to help staff reach their full potential and give back to his community.
As for the business side of Dr. LeBlanc’s clinical success, he embraces the race to adopt technology and capitalizes on OHN’s healthcare data tools, which he considers a requirement to adapt to our ever-changing healthcare environment.
“Throughout my experiences growing up in a military family, to today, grit is the one ingredient I carry with me.”
As the founder and CEO of an independent multi-clinic pediatric practice, Dr. LeBlanc attributes his ability to grow while remaining private to his partnership with Ochsner Health Network. It provides the necessary IT and support teams that most believe “can only come from big systems,” he added.
And when it comes to the proverbial EMR “headache,” Dr. LeBlanc notes that he and his staff work closely with OHN to find solutions that alleviate glitches within Epic and, in turn, improve our clinical operations.He describes that body of work as “forward-thinking” and asserts the importance of keeping the patient experience central to their focus.
Since the Epic adoption, Dr. LeBlanc’s team has improved patient intake process and efficiencies, data collection, and both provider and employee engagement.
Joshua LeBlanc, MD, enjoys reading John Calvin Maxwell’s books on leadership and watching historical documentaries. To beat burnout, he kayaks, cycles, landscapes and travels. And if you are wondering about Colonel LeBlanc, he retired with honors from the Air Force and moved one last time––to the North Shore––to be near his middle son Joshua, wife Josie and their two sons. A place he can now truly call home.
