Columbus Medical Association Doc Spotlight of the Week Interview – Laura Londra, M.D.
Dr. Laura Londra, M.D., FACOG is a Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility specialist with Ohio Reproductive Medicine in Columbus, Ohio.
Where you born and/raised?
I was born in Argentina and grew up in a small city 3 hours north of Buenos Aires. How did I get here? Well, I met my American husband through a friend of a friend, he was on vacation in Argentina. I then came to the US to present research at a meeting…and we got married the following year!
What was your first job?
I was a temp assistant at a bank, and my job was to help Italian immigrants to obtain retirement benefits. My commute was an hour and a half in a bus! Shortly after, I got a job translating scientific papers to Spanish, for a medical newsletter, and I was able to buy my first computer and do it from home. I loved that job!
You have two weeks off and a plane ticket to go anywhere. Where would you go?
I like cities, art and food: Rome or Paris (sorry this is not very original!).
What would you like your fellow CMA physicians to know about you?
I came to Columbus not having any family ties or friends, but I felt like this was a good place to raise a family and help others start/build families. I like to practice medicine that is based in good evidence, but with an eye on the patient: some things look reasonable on paper, but we are people, and reproductive medicine touches very personal values.
What made you decide to be a physician?
I was one of those skinny girls who was a little bit of a ‘late bloomer’, and my mother was concerned. She took me to the office of the physician who delivered me, and as it turned out, I was alright. But that gave me the opportunity to realize what an OBGYN does, and that was it! I fell in love with the reproductive system, so to speak.
What hobbies do you participate in your free time?
I like to read, ride bikes, cook healthy meals for my family, and follow my children to their activities as much as I can. I am very thankful to have a great life!
Is there something about you that would surprise people?
We have a family goal/ project of visiting every presidential house in the United States. So far we have visited 15 houses. We started when we were living in Baltimore, since DC and VA are so close by. We visited the White House too. Monticello in VA, JFK’s boyhood home in MA, and Woodrow Wilson’s house in DC are my favorites.
If you could be any superhero who would you be?
Elastigirl, from the Incredibles. To be a good physician nowadays requires doctors to be very flexible, quick witted and open minded.
What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter season?
Watch my daughter figure skate at the OSU ice rink with a cup of hot tea (mint or chai) in my hand!
In your opinion, which animal is the best (and why)?
My 7 year old son says a cat because they don’t pee in the house (we currently have a puppy). I think I have to agree…
If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do?
First thing: buy myself yet another pair of shoes! I would also start a foundation to protect early childhood. I am convinced –and there is research that supports this- that the early years are the foundation for adulthood in many aspects. As a society, we would benefit from advocating for early childhood initiatives.
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