Dr. Jennifer Woerner has dedicated her work to changing lives and having a meaningful impact on her field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Dr. Woerner is an assistant professor at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, a wife, also a mom, and an advocate for women in dentistry and medicine.

Dr. Woerner grew up on a ranch in south Florida, and as a child, she dreamt of becoming a large animal veterinarian. After some advice and guidance from her family’s vet, she went to college undecided, but with an intention to enter the medical field. Dr. Woerner ultimately focused on dental medicine and obtained her degree from the University of Florida. Her next venture brought her to Shreveport where she obtained her medical degree and completed her residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery along with a fellowship in cleft and craniofacial surgery.

“One of my mentors used to be heavily involved in the cleft lip and palate team at the University of Florida, so I would attend those clinics regularly...I’ve just always loved kids and the pediatric aspect of surgery,” said Dr. Woerner. “You can do so much for these children to change the way they feel about themselves. Having a child born with a cleft can be a challenging experience for them and their families, so anything I can do to help is important.”

Dr. Woerner noted that her experience as a mother has profoundly impacted her work in a positive way. “I have a lot of friends in town who are female practitioners, and I think many patients appreciate having someone who is also mom caring for their child. My goal is for the parents to always feel like I’m treating their child how I would treat my own,” she said. “I expect that from my staff and my residents as well.”

Dr. Woerner does not just focus on cleft and craniofacial surgery, but practices traditional oral and maxillofacial surgery as well. This includes the extraction of teeth, placement of dental implants, corrective jaw surgery, minor cosmetic procedures, and facial trauma reconstruction. She divides her time between teaching medical students and residents at LSU-Health Sciences Center, caring for children with cleft lip and palate at Shriner’s Hospital for Children, and building her faculty practice at Willis Knighton South.

It’s no surprise working in the medical field and within a surgical subspecialty in particular, is a tremendous responsibility. Adding the work of having a family may seem daunting, but Dr. Woerner feels the tasks of motherhood and a professional career are manageable.

“There’s always this reputation that surgical fields are not inviting to practitioners wanting to have a family,” she said. “But I think that is far from the truth, especially if you consider a practice in academics. Academics can be very convenient for a family lifestyle and you often have more control over your schedule. I think as long as you have a good support system for you and your children - it can be done.”

“The more women who join our field, the sooner we will see the gender gap begin to close, and the sooner you’ll see the bias and mentality change about surgical professions.”

Dr. Woerner said that currently, her profession is only six percent women. While other medical professions and surgical specialties are making strides to close the gender gap, she is taking action to do the same for hers.

“I’m working right now on a collaborative initiative with women all over the country in my specialty to present to our national organization ideas on how we can begin to close the gender gap because it’s going to preserve the future and integrity of our specialty,” she said. “In dental schools right now, over half of the class is women and over half of the top of the class is women. So if we don’t take action to recruit more women into oral and maxillofacial surgery, we are missing out on some of the best and the brightest.” Advocating for women in dentistry and medicine is a top priority for Dr. Woerner.

Outside of her career, Dr. Woerner said that her greatest accomplishments are her two sons, Eli (age 2) and Ethan (age 4 months), and her family. Dr. Woerner is happily married to her husband, Major Garrett Houk, who is a B-52 pilot at Barksdale Air Force Base.

Most of their spare time is spent relaxing as a family. Dr. Woerner has also remained close to her family in Florida, and they visit often. Through all the years of training and work, she has found time to stay close and talk frequently with her mother, father, and two sisters.

Dr. Woerner offers a few words of advice and encouragement for being a woman in business in today’s world, and emphasizes the importance of staying positive.

“I believe if you want to be good, you have to do good – in every aspect of your life.”

LSU Health Shreveport | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery | 2508 Bert Kouns Ind. Loop, Suite 410, Shreveport, LA | (318) 212-5944