Judette M. Louis, MD, MPH
Dr. Judette M. Louis is Professor and Dean of the Eastern Virginia Medical School at the Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia. She joined the school in 2025, having held several senior leadership positions during her 18 years in academic medicine.
Dr. Louis completed her undergraduate degree from Seton Hall University, her medical degree at Drexel University, and her public health degree at Johns Hopkins University. She completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Case Western Reserve University (Metro Health Medical Center). Following her residency, Dr. Louis completed her fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at Wayne State University/National Institutes of Health (NIH) Perinatology Research Branch.
In 2012, Dr. Louis began a 13-year affiliation with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine in Tampa, Florida. She assumed a series of increasingly responsible academic roles, including Vice Chair of Clinical Research, Director of the Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship, Division Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine, and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Her academic leadership was complemented by hospital leadership roles, including Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tampa General Hospital and Chief of the TGH Women’s Institute. She has served as the President of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) and currently serves as chair of the SMFM Publications Committee.
Dr. Louis’ research in obstructive sleep apnea in pregnant women led to a career focused on maternal morbidity and mortality. After completing a Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship, Dr. Louis embarked on a career studying obstructive sleep apnea in pregnancy. At the time, little was known about the disease and its implications for maternal and infant health. She collaborated with sleep medicine experts and anesthesiologists to define the outcomes associated with sleep apnea in pregnancy. Her research portfolio has expanded to include research on hypertensive disease in pregnancy, maternal morbidity and mortality, and cardiometabolic consequences of sleep disorders. She is an advocate for the inclusion of pregnant and lactating populations in clinical trials. Dr. Louis has authored more than 100 scientific articles and book chapters. Her research has been funded by the NIH, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as both industry and private foundations.
Clinically, Dr. Louis has worked with the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative to improve health outcomes during childbirth and the postpartum period. She led statewide initiatives in Florida for obstetric hemorrhage and Hypertension. She continues to collaborate with community partners to improve obstetric outcomes among the most vulnerable populations.
Dr. Louis and her husband have two children.