The ministry of medicine & motherhood
Whether she’s going for a bike ride on the Trinity Trail with her husband and son, baking bread, or serving patients in UNT Health Fort Worth’s family medicine clinic, Olivia Lapucha, DO, rarely sits still.
Dr. Lapucha loves spending time outdoors with her family and compares residency to a long, strenuous hike.
“There are exhausting days and difficult stretches that feel like they will never end, but looking back, it is remarkable how quickly growth happens, both professionally and personally,” Lapucha said. “You're so focused on the climb that you don't realize how much you've ascended until you reach the summit and take a look at what you've accomplished.”
A foundation of faith
For Lapucha, each patient she meets is far more than a series of symptoms to be investigated.
Long before residency, she saw medicine as a deeply human profession rooted in compassion, dignity and service to others.
“Until college, I had not fully realized how essential humanity is to the medical profession,” Lapucha said. “I loved the challenge and beauty of science, but also pondering questions about human suffering, meaning, virtue and what it means to care for another person with charity.”
Medicine felt like the natural meeting of all those interests, and that realization ultimately led Lapucha to family medicine and UNT Health.
Her faith continues to ground her both personally and professionally, especially during the demanding years of residency and early motherhood to one-year-old Andy.
“Life looks very different these days, but in many ways, it feels richer too.”
Everyone is someone’s Andy
Becoming a mother reshaped not only Lapucha’s life at home, but also unexpectedly
impacted the way she connects with patients and families in the exam room.
“Motherhood has deepened my empathy and brought forth an intuition that was not cultivated in me before becoming a parent,” Lapucha said. “I often find myself thinking, ‘Wow, that is someone’s child. That is someone’s Andy,’ whether I am caring for a newborn, an adult or an elderly patient.”
That shift, she says, often appears in small moments of patient care, like noticing subtle changes, recognizing unspoken fears, and understanding the vulnerability families carry into healthcare settings.
“Experiencing the love I have for my own child has made me more aware of how deeply illness affects entire families, not just individuals,” Lapucha said. “I think it has given me a new and profound way to relate to my patients and made me more attentive to the emotional side of patient care.”
A culture of support
While residency and parenthood can be demanding, Lapucha says the support she has
received from both her family and her residency program has made all the difference.
“My experience has shown me that it is possible to do both and do them well,” she said. “It requires intentionality, a lot of planning, flexibility when those plans fail, and a willingness to accept that balance does not always look perfect day to day.”
Lapucha describes the family medicine residency program as a small and close-knit community, with a positive culture and genuine camaraderie.
“Our faculty lead with a great deal of grace and understanding,” she said. “There have been many moments when faculty and co-residents stepped in to help when family needs arose unexpectedly. Whether it was helping rearrange schedules, covering responsibilities, checking in when my son gets sick, or simply offering encouragement, those moments reminded me that I am part of a community that truly cares about one another.”
The leadership of program director, Dr. Tasaduq Hussain Mir and associate program director, Dr. Jason Thompson, as well as the encouragement of her co-residents, carries deep meaning for Lapucha in a society that can value productivity above all else.
“As a mother, there is always a lingering fear that your responsibilities at home will be seen as an inconvenience or burden, so moments of genuine understanding and support mean more than people probably realize.”
Embracing the imperfection
Lapucha says one of the greatest lessons she has learned during residency and motherhood is to let go of the expectation of doing everything perfectly.
“I have learned the importance of being okay with imperfection,” she said. “Sometimes the house is messy, the laundry does not get folded, dinner is simple, or you miss things you wish you could attend. There are seasons where you simply cannot do everything at once, and that is okay.”
That perspective has also shaped the advice she gives to other medical students and residents who hope to build both a career and a family.
“I would encourage medical students or residents not to let fear or negative sentiments from others convince them that they have to choose between medicine and family if both are important to them,” Lapucha said. “There is never a ‘perfect’ time to have children, and a career in medicine will always be demanding in some way.”
While the balancing act is not always easy, she believes the experience has ultimately strengthened both her personal life and her work as a physician.
“In many ways, becoming a parent has made me a better and more attuned physician and has brought me more joy than I could have imagined,” Lapucha said. “Residency may not always feel balanced in every moment, but it can still be a deeply meaningful and beautiful season of life.”