Meet the Open Arms team: Dr. Lydia Winters

Emmory Shipley, Communications Coordinator

Dr. Lydia Winters, DMD, joined our Dental Clinic in September. She was inspired to work for Open Arms Children’s Health by her son, who is on the autism spectrum. He’s taught her life lessons, and she wanted to use her knowledge to help other special needs children and their families.

Dr. Lydia Winters loves seeing the diversity of people treated at Open Arms Children’s Health. After speaking with several refugee and immigrant families, she learned the clinic provides much more than health care to this population. It is a place where they feel welcomed with open arms in their new country, and brings light to their day.

She has dreams of traveling overseas for dental missions. However, since she’s not in a place where she can travel during this season of her life, she feels like she is accomplishing her dream while working at Open Arms. “I feel as if I have the unique opportunity to travel the world every day I come to work, and make a difference right here in Louisville,” shared Dr. Winters. She is grateful to be able to serve people from around the world.

Dr. Winters is from Mississippi, but has lived the majority of her life in Kentucky. She graduated from Kentucky Wesleyan College in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and earned her Doctorate of Dental Medicine (DMD) from University of Louisville School of Dentistry in 2008. Following dental school, Dr. Winters joined the United States Public Health Service as a Commissioned Officer (0-3) and worked as a dentist for the Indian Health Service for four years.

She believes that treating children is the most important area of dentistry because starting early not only makes children more comfortable with seeing the dentist, but it also influences a lifetime of healthy smiles.

Dr. Winters and her husband have three children. They love spending time with their son and twin daughters enjoying the outdoors, hiking, playing on the farm, playing basketball, building with Legos, and attending church.