Dr. Brooke Lovett Lenz ’00 starts her day early helping her husband, Michael ’00, dress their three children before she heads off to work as an OB-GYN doctor at Bay Area Physicians for Women in Mobile.
Her work day usually begins around 6:45 a.m., when she checks on patients in Labor and Delivery at Springhill Medical Center, located next to her physicians’ office.
Then there are rounds at the clinic to see patients from 9 a.m. to lunch, when it’s back to the hospital for scheduled surgeries and deliveries. She usually leaves the office between 5 to 5:30 p.m.
She said she’s blessed to have five other doctors in her group so she has time with her husband and children before the day ends.
“I’m fortunate in my practice because I have a great call schedule,” said Brooke. Juggling a demanding career and a busy family life also requires scheduling. On days when surgeries are scheduled for later in the morning, Brooke and Michael split duties taking the two oldest children to school.
Their oldest child, 10-year-old Sam, is a student at UMS, while Ryland, four, is in pre-school at Ashland Place. Their daughter, 1-year-old Maggie, who is adopted, stays at home with Dad, who has a real estate business that makes it flexible for him to be home.
“Our careers have evolved around our family,” said Brooke.
Brooke was 13 years old when her family moved to Bay Minette in the 1990s for her father to become Bay Minette’s police chief. She graduated from Baldwin County High School in 1997, then began her studies at the University of Mobile.
“I was looking for somewhere that was far enough from home and I could live on campus, but not too far that I couldn’t see my family,” said Brooke.
Plus, she was awarded a full-tuition University of Mobile Board of Trustees Scholarship.
While touring the campus, she decided she wanted to try out for cheerleader. She made the squad for the Rams and cheered during her four years at the University of Mobile.
Brooke said she had a “great relationship with all my professors there.” Another advantage, she said, was that the science classes she needed for medical school weren’t large lecture classes.
“You had one-on-one attention with your professor. And they knew your name,” she said.
Attending the University of Mobile “was just good life preparation for me.”
The combination of chemistry and cheerleading also had a life-changing impact.
Michael, a Murphy High School graduate who played for the high school’s baseball team, was offered a baseball scholarship to play for the University of Mobile Rams. But after two years at the college level, he hurt his shoulder and stepped away from baseball to focus on his chemistry degree.
With two years left on his scholarship eligibility, Michael joined the cheerleading squad and was partnered with a girl from Baldwin County he didn’t know – Brooke.
It wasn’t until later, when Michael was tutoring Brooke in chemistry, that they started dating. They graduated from the University of Mobile in May of 2000, married and started a family.
Brooke, who had graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biology, took some time off to become a nanny.
During this transition period, “I decided I wanted to go into medicine because I was drawn to science and healthcare,” said Brooke.
Plus, she said, “I truly liked the idea of taking care of people.” Brooke was accepted to University of South Alabama Medical School, where she graduated in 2007. It was during her third year at USA’s Medical School she discovered that she liked taking care of female patients and wanted to be an OB-GYN doctor.
She did her Ob-Gyn internship at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital from 2007-2008 and completed her residency there in 2011.
She especially likes seeing the different stages of her patients’ lives.
“One thing I like about the medical field is you do a lot of different things. I never get bored,” said Brooke.
In addition to a busy profession, and raising three children, she is also involved in the family’s church, Cottage Hill Baptist, and community activities. She is president of the Mobile Bay OBGYN Society and a member of the Junior League.
“We just make it happen,” said Brooke. “Michael’s the support system of our family. He keeps me going and keeps the kids going and is the chef in our house.
“We both grew up in Christian homes but feel that our time at UMobile definitely helped us grow in our Christian faith. It brought us not only to each other, but to many other of our friends that we will have for life,” said Brooke.
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