UH Family Physician Coaches Patients on Healthy Lifestyles

Growing up in South Euclid, Isabelle Lane looked up to her uncle, a surgeon who regularly traveled to the Philippines on medical mission trips. “He was the one who inspired me,” she recalls. Watching his commitment to service and patient care sparked her ambition to become a physician.

Isabelle Lane, DO, MPH

Before pursuing medicine, however, Lane had another goal: earning a college athletic scholarship. A standout guard on the basketball team at Brush High School, she achieved exactly that: she was recruited to play Division I basketball at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J. on a full athletic scholarship.

The official rosters listed her at 5’5”, though she stood closer to 5’3” — a detail that underscores her determination, grit and competitive spirit. Her speed and quick reflexes, she says, helped her excel on the court.

At St. Peter’s, Lane majored in biology. Balancing Division I athletics with the academic demands required for medical school was no small feat. “It was a lot to put together,” she says. “I studied a lot on the back of the bus.”

She went on to earn her DO at the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, which she attended at the same time as her younger brother. “So we had a support system,” she notes.

Her postgraduate training included a family medicine residency and an academic fellowship at UH Case (now Cleveland) Medical Center in the Department of Family Medicine, where she served as chief resident in 2007–2008. She then completed a Master of Public Health at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 2009, concentrating on health promotion and disease prevention.

Since 2009, Dr. Lane has been part of a busy family practice in Streetsboro.

Over her 16 years in practice, she has seen notable shifts in patient health trends. “Heart disease has become much more prevalent,” she says. “When I was in medical school, if a patient was in their 30s or 40s, people would say they were in the wrong age group for heart disease. But now we’re seeing exactly that.”

Diets high in fast food and ultra‑processed foods, combined with sedentary lifestyles, are major contributors, and they are areas she studied closely during her public health training.

Her interest in prevention is one reason she has pursued additional training in lifestyle medicine, including through UH Connor Whole Health. She recalls earlier years in medicine when preventive care was harder to prioritize. “I remember when we couldn’t get physicals covered,” she says, describing an era of ‘band‑aid medicine’ focused on treating symptoms. “Now things have changed, and there is a real focus on preventive medicine and lifestyle.”

She has also observed an increase in cancer among younger patients. “When I first saw a patient with breast cancer in her 30s, I was shocked,” she says.

Alongside clinical changes, Dr. Lane has noticed cultural shifts in patient expectations and behavior. Some patients, she says, have become more demanding about specific treatments. “It’s a different world,” she says. She addresses such behavior directly. “We are respectful to patients, and we expect the same from them.” That clarity, she believes, contributes to the remarkably low staff turnover in the practice.

Conversations about weight and metabolic health can also be challenging. “Some patients get upset when I explain how much their extra weight affects their current and future health,” she says. “I’m here to explain the guidelines — because we do have so much control over our health. Some people just want their meds, and I tell them medication alone will not fix the problem.”

Despite these challenges, Dr. Lane is known for her empathy and her ability to connect with patients. “You have to get through so much in a visit,” she says. “So I always try to be efficient but quick — and I always make sure to ask them to tell me what’s going on, because I do want to know.”

Sixteen years into her career, Dr. Lane remains energized by the evolving challenges of primary care and the opportunity to make a lasting difference in her patients’ lives. Recently, she was recognized with a “Dinner with the Doc” honor from UH CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair.

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