Community Minded, Neighborly Care
Meet the New Doctors in Your Neighborhood:
Orange Coast Women’s Medical Group
You will see them at the supermarket, the hiking trials, preschool drop-off and at the dog park. The Orange Coast Women’s Medical Group team is deeply embedded in their South Orange County communities. The most recent additions to the team have come from prestigious programs throughout the country to deliver exceptional care to their new neighbors.
Lorene Wiley, M.D., Finds Connection in Patient Care
The way her grandmother tells it, Lorene Wiley, M.D., wanted to be a doctor from the time she was in kindergarten.
“My grandmother said I was playing with her hair, and she asked if I’d be a hairstylist, and I said, ‘No, I’m going to be a doctor,’” said Dr. Wiley, who grew up in a three-stoplight town in Louisiana.
In medical school, women’s health revealed itself as the obvious path.
“I first knew I wanted to be an obstetrician during my third year of medical clerkship in obstetrics. I was in my first delivery, and the mom was crying, the dad was crying, the baby was crying, and I was crying as well,” said Dr. Wiley. “That was the moment I knew that obstetrics was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Dr. Wiley has a passion for high-risk obstetrics, minimally invasive gynecological surgeries, including robotic surgery using the Da Vinci robot, and reproductive medicine. She moved to Orange County to join Orange Coast Women’s Medical Group from Greenville, North Carolina, where she completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at East Carolina University/Vidant Medical Center.
With a husband stationed at Camp Pendleton and a Chow Chow that loves Orange County’s walking paths, Dr. Wiley is finding it easy to connect to her new home.
“I find it an absolute privilege to be able to take care of a woman throughout her lifetime, and I am excited by Hoag’s commitment to empowering women on their wellness journeys,” she said.
Elizabeth Johnson, M.D., is a Passionate Physician Offering Compassionate Care
When Elizabeth Johnson, M.D., watches her son perform in the school musical at San Clemente High School this fall, she will be seated in the audience along with his classmates, several of whom she delivered. Forging relationships that last an entire lifetime is one of the greatest joys Dr. Johnson experiences, both as a physician and as a community member.
“I have patients whom I started seeing at 15, who are now married and about to have their first baby,” Johnson said. “Helping them through that obstetrical experience, learning about their lives. It’s wonderful.”
Dr. Johnson attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where, in 2001, she earned her medical degree with a concentration in women`s health and the Luba Robin Goldsmith Award for excellence in obstetrics and gynecology. She came to Southern California after completing her OB/GYN residency at Northwestern University in 2005. There she was recognized for excellence in resident teaching, research and compassionate patient care.
“I understood that I could bring my life experiences into the clinical situation and connect with my patients on a deeper level,” Dr. Johnson said.
Dr. Johnson feels particularly drawn to working with adolescents and teens, as well as with young women at the start of their family planning.