Heart of Gold

A Tarzana-based family medicine physician lends a listening ear and a caring spirit to each of her patients.

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When Frederick Facey, MD, began practicing medicine in the San Fernando Valley in 1923, he had no way of knowing that a century later his business would be booming throughout Los Angeles. Once he decided to expand beyond his solo practice, he gradually took on partners and Facey Medical Group was born.

Over the years multiple locations were established, and in 2014 Facey’s Tarzana office opened its doors. Today the practice brings together services such as OB-GYN, pediatrics, internal medicine and rheumatology under one roof. The bright, modern space also features an in-house laboratory and radiology, and there’s plenty of parking. It’s no wonder Valley residents opt to make this practice their go-to health center.

One of nine doctors based at the Tarzana office, Loren Leshan, MD, has worked with Facey Medical Group for four years and recently transferred to Tarzana from the Porter Ranch location. A California native, she earned her medical degree from Boston’s Tufts University School of Medicine in 1980 and then completed a residency in Cleveland. She has spent the past four decades practicing medicine in Mexico, Wisconsin and Florida, as well as here in her home state.

“It is a privilege to be a doctor and to help people feel their best.”

“I have delivered 1,500 babies and worked in hospice and home care,” Dr. Leshan shares. “I have helped bring life into this world, and I have helped people transition to the next. It is a privilege to be a doctor and to help patients feel their best.”

As a family medicine practitioner, Dr. Leshan specializes in comprehensive health care for all ages. In addition to diagnosing and treating illnesses, family practitioners also focus on disease prevention and personalized coaching on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“I educate patients to take good care of themselves,” says Dr. Leshan, who takes her own health very seriously. She practices yoga and meditation regularly, in addition to swimming, biking, hiking and gardening when she’s off the clock. “I try to integrate physical and emotional and spiritual health for myself and my patients.”

Passionate about her role as health care advocate, Dr. Leshan tries to find out what matters most to her patients and then help them achieve their goals. When it comes to health challenges, she is known for her empathy.

“I listen carefully to their concerns,” she says. “I partner with them to decide how to treat their problems and conditions. I want to help them feel their best—even if they have a lot of medical problems.”

Dr. Leshan’s warm, caring nature was inspired by unfortunate childhood experiences. After her father died when she was 10 years old and her siblings were even younger, her mother struggled as a single mom. Having survived a concentration camp in the Philippines during World War II, she had psychological and physical health challenges. Dr. Leshan remembers the care that many physicians showed her mother—trying to help her heal the wounds of war.

Family medicine caregivers at Facey Medical Group pride themselves on treating patients with that same empathetic, mindful and holistic manner—medically, psychologically, nutritionally and emotionally. And Dr. Leshan ensures that every person who enters her office receives a warm, friendly encounter.

“Although I only speak English and Spanish, I listen with my heart as well, hoping to hear what people are trying to tell me,” she says. “I want to know my patients so I can partner with them and offer them the best possible care.”