Dr. Laura Balda is a board-certified family medicine physician who has worked as a concierge doctor for more than a decade. She is a passionate patient advocate and focuses on finding the best course of treatment for each person, taking into account their individual physical, genetic, social, psychological, and spiritual circumstances.
“What I love about family medicine is that we can run the gamut of all the specialties. We can look at the whole person,” Dr. Balda says. Through her holistic approach, she seeks to empower patients to maximize not only their lifespan but also their healthspan.
A native Floridian, Dr. Balda earned her Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Central Florida, and she didn’t initially think she would become a physician. When she had her first child shortly after graduating college, Dr. Balda changed her plans, taking additional science courses and enrolling in medical school while raising a 3-year-old on her own. She describes this experience as “a lot of work but a lot of fun.” She then earned her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine and completed her residency at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach.
After her training, Dr. Balda worked as a concierge physician in Washington, D.C. for several years before moving back to Florida, where she founded her own practice, Balda Health, in 2014. Since then, Dr. Balda has treated patients of all backgrounds and stages of life, and developed a particular interest in geriatrics. Dr. Balda always practiced with an emphasis on preventive medicine, and after she lost her mother to early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, that further ignited her fervor for making sure her patients have access to all the information they need to make decisions about their health.
Dr. Balda understands that her patients come to her with unique—and sometimes uneven—experiences with health care, and she says she enjoys building trust with them over time, honoring their choices, and supporting them on their path to wellness. “What it comes down to for me is listening to my patients and allowing them to steer the course of their clinical experience,” she says. “Advocating for my patients is hugely important to me. I can always see outside the box and find a way to get something done.”
Dr. Balda uses her intimate knowledge of her patients to create personalized plans for their health and enjoys collaborating with specialists in areas such as nutrition, movement, and preventive neurology to deliver 360-degree care. “At Atria, I can practice at the absolute highest level of my field. This is a really exciting opportunity to have access to anything that I need at any time for a patient,” Dr. Balda says.
She encourages her patients to cultivate their psychosocial well-being in addition to their physical health. “One of the pillars of longevity is the connections people have in their lives,” she says, “whether those are religious or family or friend connections.” As a physician, Dr. Balda strives to understand the important relationships in her patients’ lives so she can encourage and support them, because, she says, “these connections have a huge impact on patients’ health and quality of life.”
In her free time, Dr. Balda volunteers at the Caridad Center, the largest free health care clinic in Florida, where she treats many patients who are undocumented, uninsured, and underinsured. Dr. Balda is also an avid runner, she enjoys spending time on the water, and she loves traveling the world with her three children.
Credentials
- Founder and Former Concierge PhysicianBalda Health
- Affiliate PrivilegesGood Samaritan Medical Center and Jupiter Medical Center
- Former Concierge PhysicianInova VIP 360°Concierge Medicine Program
Awards
- Exceptional Women in Medicine: 2020-2022Castle Connolly
Affiliations
- Volunteer PhysicianCaridad Center Medical Clinic