About Louetta Westphal, MD, MPH
Lou Westphal MD, MPH, completed her medical school training at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Southern California, with also a Master's Degree in Public Health with an emphasis in nutrition from the Loma Linda University School of Public Health. After three years of General Surgery residency in Los Angeles, she spent several years in practice in San Diego followed by a two year residency in Cosmetic Surgery in the Detroit, training under noted plastic surgeon Richard E. Straith, MD, at the Straith Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Straith had pioneered several surgical instruments and techniques in use today, and the Cosmetic Surgery residency evolved from a Plastic Surgery Fellowship into one of the first intensive training programs of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. Of historical interest was Dr. Claire L. Straith, father of Richard Straith, who was one of an early group of plastic surgeons in Paris, France, who studied and shared information on the best treatments for war injuries. Out of this small group later came the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
