COVINGTON — The AVALA Physician Network has expanded its primary care services with the addition of Susan Ovella, a physician who is board-certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. Ovella will join AVALA Care and begin seeing patients Feb. 2, 2026.
Ovella’s dual certification allows her to provide primary care across the lifespan, from infancy through older adulthood, offering continuity of care for individuals and families within a single practice.
A lifelong New Orleans–area resident, Ovella was born in New Orleans and raised in Metairie. She earned her medical degree from the LSU School of Medicine and completed a combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency at LSU New Orleans. During her residency, she served as chief resident in 2000.
“I treat patients as a partnership,” Ovella said. “With respect, I try to educate each patient so they can make the best healthcare decisions for themselves. I truly value that they choose me for their primary care.”
Ovella said her approach to medicine centers on building long-term relationships with patients and families, reflecting her interest in continuity and preventive care.
“Caring for families feels as if they are part of my own,” she said, adding that her interest in primary care has been shaped by a long-standing focus on science, learning, and service.
AVALA Chief Medical Director K. Samer Shamieh said the addition supports the network’s focus on comprehensive primary care on the Northshore, particularly for families seeking care across multiple life stages.
Ovella will begin seeing patients Feb. 2, 2026. Appointments can be scheduled now.
About AVALA
AVALA, a health network with a 21-bed hospital, surgery center, diagnostic imaging, physical and hand therapy, physician clinics, and urgent orthopedic care, offers some of the most innovative and minimally invasive surgeries and procedures in Louisiana.
Offering a wide range of specialties and services, including robotic surgery, AVALA has received multiple national recognitions, including placement on Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2024 list of “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Orthopedic Programs,” a 2025 USA TODAY Top Workplaces award, and a 2024 Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award from Press Ganey.