dad next door
Dr. James Wayne
BY AMANDA MILLER
F or Dr. James Wayne, being a father has shaped him just as much as his career in medicine. As an associate medical director, pediatrician, and Army veteran, he’s spent decades caring for children and serving others, but he says some of his greatest lessons have come from raising his own daughters. From balancing a demand- ing career with family life to passing on the values of accountability and leadership, Dr. Wayne shares how fatherhood continues to influence the way he leads at home and in the exam room. AS A PEDIATRICIAN, WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF PARENTING ADVICE YOU FIND YOURSELF GIVING MOST OFTEN? JAMES: I find myself talking to people the most about the fact that there’s still no cure for the common cold. I get asked what people can do to prevent their children from getting colds. Can they take a supplement, a vitamin, or something to try to help decrease the chances of their child getting a cold? And the short answer is no. They then ask, well, once my child gets a cold, what medicines should I use? And really, it’s just pain control, a humid- ifier, keep them comfortable, and give it some time. There’s really not a lot to do, but I spend a good deal of my time in the clinic reassur- ing parents about the common cold. YOU’VE SERVED IN THE ARMY. HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE SHAPED THE KIND OF FATHER YOU ARE TODAY? JAMES: The interesting thing is that the Army trained me to be a pediatrician. I went to West Point straight out of high school. Then I left West Point and went straight into medical school in the health profession scholarship program. The military paid for me to go to medical school in exchange for continued service. I served 12 years on active duty, and then I continued to serve in the reserves as well. Altogether I served for 26 years.
Occupation: Associate Medical Director & Pediatrician Wife: Tisha Powell-Wayne Children: Nina, 24, and Evangeline “Eva”, 12 Hobbies: Working out, golfing,
fishing, and helping my daughter with softball
I learned a couple of lessons. My oldest daughter was one of my best teachers when it comes to learning how to be a pedia- trician. Experience as a parent was one of my best teachers. As far as the military and discipline is concerned, I try as much as I can to instill some of the principles of accounta- bility, punctuality, and self-discipline in my daughters. Now, it's difficult. I can't parent my daughters the same way that I trained new cadets when I was at West Point, but at the same time, there are lifelong lessons in accountability and leadership that I learned. YOU’VE EXPERIENCED LIFE IN DIFFERENT PLACES. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO RETURN HOME TO BATON ROUGE? JAMES: The main reason we decided to come back home, and it was always part of our plan, was to be close to family. Both my wife and I are from South Louisiana. I’m from Don- aldsonville and she’s from Thibodaux, and most of our extended family is within an hour to an hour-and-a-half radius of where we live now, with a few outliers that live out of state. For the most part, this is home for everybody. Being close to aging parents was one of the big factors in our return. WITH SUCH A BUSY SCHEDULE FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY, WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT BALANCING THOSE SCHEDULES WHILE STILL MAKING TIME FOR FAMILY? JAMES: I’ve learned that prioritizing time
with my family helps me to be a better leader, a better pediatrician. Keeping them first and foremost in my mind allows me to be better at my job. For a long time, I really did have that reversed where the job was first and then I would do time for family when I could. I really have tried to change that and make sure that I’m doing my job and doing it to the best of my ability, but also within that same framework, prioritizing spending time with my family. You can do both. For a long time, I was really focused on work to the detriment of spending that extra time, but now I feel like I’m doing a much better job at being both a good physician and a good leader at work and being there for my family.
WHAT’S THE SECRET TO YOU AND TISHA’S PARTNERSHIP?
JAMES: We started dating when we were 19 years old, so we grew up and became adults together. We didn’t meet each other as fin- ished products. My wife and I do a really good job of making decisions together. It’s that sort of communication and understanding that if one of us has hesitancy about a decision that we’re making, it really does give the other partner pause. If there’s something that I want to do and my wife is hesitant about it, I take a step back and think, if I’m thinking this is a good idea, but my life partner is saying she’s not so sure, that really changes my focus. On the other hand, if I propose some- thing and my wife is all in, I know it’s the right
14 AUGUST 2026 | BRPARENTS.COM
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