For Lucy Peterson, MD, medicine was never just a career. Growing up with a father who was an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), she witnessed the impact his work had on patients and their families and gradually came to see medicine as part of who she is. “I think I just had it in my blood,” she said.
But medicine was not limited just to the walls of a hospital. Dr. Peterson’s family would often go on medical mission trips, traveling to places like India and Africa to fill in for physicians and provide support where it was needed most.
That early exposure shaped her path. Dr. Peterson went on to attend medical school at the University of Minnesota before completing her obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Vermont. After several years practicing on the West Coast, she returned home to Minnesota where she spent 25 years practicing as an OB-GYN in the Twin Cities.
“While I absolutely loved practicing as an OB-GYN, I decided after all these years that I wanted something different,” she said. “I really wanted to slow things down lifestyle-wise but I also did not want to lose that connection with people. That interaction and that trust is such a privilege, and that’s how I found Signify Health.”
Dr. Peterson has been a clinician with Signify Health for just over a year and says the transition to in-home visits has been both grounding and deeply fulfilling.
“When it comes to someone’s health, being invited into their life, even briefly, is a real gift,” she said. “Sitting with someone in their home, listening and offering reassurance or guidance is the part of this work I value most.”
Recently, during a routine visit, Dr. Peterson noticed a health plan member’s heart rate was elevated and irregular. She encouraged the member to follow up with her primary care physician.
“Moments like that remind you why this work matters,” Dr. Peterson said.
For Dr. Peterson, the impact of in-home visits goes beyond physical assessments. Conversations about mood, mental health and life circumstances are often just as important.
“Sometimes it is the first time someone has been asked those questions, and it gives people permission to be honest,” she said. “Those conversations are what make my role at Signify Health so meaningful.”
Outside of work, Dr. Peterson enjoys spending time with her family, staying active in her church and continuing the medical mission work that first inspired her to pursue medicine. She lives in Minnesota near her son and spends time at a lake home in the summer.
Looking back, Dr. Peterson sees a clear thread running through her career: connection.
“Whether it was watching my dad care for people, delivering babies or sitting at someone’s kitchen table, it has always been about relationships,” she said. “Signify Health lets me keep that part of medicine that I love.”
And for Dr. Peterson, that is exactly where she is meant to be.
Reference to Signify Health herein refers to Signify Health, LLC and its contracted independent physician owned entities to which it provides administrative services including, Signify Health Medical Associates, PLLC; Brookview Medical Associates, PLLC; Signify Health Medical Associates of California, P.C.; Signify Health Medical Associates of New Jersey, LLC; and Signify Health Medical Associates of Kansas, LLC.