Introducing Dr. Lulu®’s Adolescent and Young Adult Clinic
I was 23 years old when I left Nigeria for the United States. As a first daughter growing up in a patriarchal Nigerian society, there were certain expectations about what my life should look like. Marriage was practically a foregone conclusion. But I had other plans.
I arrived in America on a J-1 visa, started my pediatric residency at 24, and finished at 27. Somewhere along the way, I learned something about myself: I wasn’t particularly interested in following a script someone else had written for me.
And apparently, I still am not!
Because here I am, all these years later, coming out of retirement to open a medical practice. Yes, you read that correctly. I’m going back into clinical practice. By choice. And I’m doing it my way.
The Kind of Doctor I’ve Always Wanted to Be
After residency, I started practicing pediatrics in rural South Carolina. I learned a great deal on the job. About medicine, certainly, but also about people, families, relationships, and the things that don’t always show up in a medical textbook.
I wanted to spend more time with my patients. I wanted to talk with them, get to know them, understand their lives, and learn what was happening beyond the symptoms that brought them into my examination room. I wanted to hug them when appropriate, love on them, and bring their parents along on the journey.
I wanted to help close what I call the ignorance gaps, the love gaps, and the need gaps. Sometimes a patient needs medication. Sometimes they need information, reassurance, encouragement, or someone willing to listen long enough to understand the question they haven’t quite figured out how to ask. And sometimes parents need those things, too.
But there’s a problem. You cannot do all of that consistently in a 15- or 20-minute visit. Not when you’re also expected to review the chart, address medical concerns, document everything, prescribe medications, and move on to the next patient.
I’ve known for a long time that there had to be another way.
So, Why Now?
Over the years, my work has expanded beyond clinical medicine. I became a mom, a certified life coach, speaker, author, and physician educator. I’ve spent years learning firsthand from my children, who are now adults. And I continue to learn as I help healthcare professionals understand the importance of affirming care, psychological safety, trust, and genuine human connection.
I’ve taught physicians about creating safer spaces for their patients. I’ve worked with families navigating some of life’s most difficult conversations around their children’s sexuality and gender identity, relationships, trauma, mental health crises, and even suicide. And I’ve spoken about the importance of seeing the whole person, not just the diagnosis.
Then one day, I found myself asking a fairly obvious question.
Why shouldn’t I do this with my own patients, too?
Why shouldn’t the young people sitting across from me benefit from the same coaching skills, communication principles, and relationship-building approaches I teach other healthcare professionals? Why shouldn’t I create a practice where I have the time to do the things I’ve always believed good pediatric care should include?
And why shouldn’t I enjoy practicing medicine while I’m at it?
After all, this is my retirement gig!
I want to practice medicine because I want to, in a way that allows me to be fully present for the young people and families who choose to work with me.
Introducing My New Practice
I’m delighted to introduce Dr. Lulu®’s Adolescent and Young Adult Clinic, LLC, a membership-based Direct Primary Care practice for tweens, teens, and young adults ages 11 to 23.
Direct Primary Care, or DPC, is a model in which families pay a monthly membership fee for access to an agreed-upon range of primary care services. It allows me to build a smaller practice with more time and continuity for each patient.
My clinic is built around three pillars.
Medical Home: A consistent, welcoming place where young people can receive care, ask questions, and build an ongoing relationship with their physician.
Growing Up Care™: Helping young people develop the confidence, knowledge, and skills to understand their bodies, participate in healthcare decisions, and gradually take responsibility for their health.
Parent Partnership: Working with parents and caregivers as partners while supporting their children’s growing independence, privacy, and self-advocacy.
Here’s something I’ve learned after decades of practicing pediatrics: children don’t magically become healthcare-confident adults on their eighteenth birthdays. We have to help them get there, and we have to bring their parents along without making either party feel pushed aside.
That’s the kind of medicine I want to practice.
From “Mom, Please Make My Appointment” to “Mom, I Got It.”
I love this phrase because it captures something I want for every young person who walks through my doors. Not just good medical care today, but growing confidence in managing their own health tomorrow.
I want an 11-year-old to feel comfortable asking questions about their changing body. I want a 15-year-old to understand why their health information is important. I want an 18-year-old to know how to make an appointment, describe their symptoms, ask about treatment options, and participate meaningfully in their care.
And I want parents to know that they still have an important role in that process. This is about partnership, not separation. It’s about growing up together and creating a medical home where young people feel safe enough to be themselves, ask questions, and learn.
Because growing up is part of their healthcare.
What’s Happening Around Here
My new practice is taking shape in Georgia, with in-person care planned for the Vinings and Buckhead areas and telehealth for eligible patients in Georgia.
If you’re the parent or caregiver of a tween, teen, or young adult, or you know a family looking for a more personal approach to primary care, I’d love for you to explore what I’m building.
Visit www.drlulusayac.com to learn more about the practice, membership, and next steps.
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
I’m curious about something.
If you could change ONE thing about your child’s or your own experience with primary care, what would it be?
More time with your doctor? Better communication? More opportunities to ask questions? A stronger relationship? Something I haven’t mentioned?
I’d love to hear from you because, even after all these years, I’m still learning from the people I hope to serve. And this time around, I’m building the kind of practice I’ve wanted for a very long time.
Until next week,
Dr. Lulu®
Pediatrician | Certified Life Coach | Speaker | Author | Physician Educator