Louis E. Hempel, M.D., FAAP
Natively from: Lexington, Kentucky
Undergraduate: University of Kentucky, BGS, 1982
Medical School: University of Louisville School of Medicine, MD, 1987
Pediatric Residency: Wake Forest University, 1987 to 1990
Joined Children’s Medical Group 1990
Dr. Hempel grew up near the beautiful horse farms that surround Lexington, Kentucky. He and his wife met as students at the University of Kentucky, and they continue to make frequent visits to their home state. Dr. Hempel’s wife is a pediatric ICU pharmacist at Arthur M. Blank Hospital. He has a married son, who is a senior research economist at the Federal Reserve Bank in Washington, DC., and a married daughter, who is an internal medicine physician practicing in Atlanta. His son-in-law is a pediatric emergency room physician at Arthur M. Blank Hospital. Dr. and Mrs. Hempel have a young granddaughter who helps them keep up with all things related to preschool children.
Dr. Hempel has spent his entire medical career with Children’s Medical Group, where he has served as both a partner and past president. It has been a great joy for him to watch so many of his patients grow up from infancy through college. Over the years Dr. Hempel has developed a strong interest in mentoring high school and college students. To help them achieve their goals he has authored a book, “Preparing for Success in College and Beyond, A Pediatrician’s Guide for Teens and Parents.”
For over 20 years Dr. Hempel has helped teach medical students, pediatric nurse practitioner students, and physician assistant students. His students have come from the University of Alabama Birmingham, Emory University, the Medical College of Georgia, and Vanderbilt University. In recent years Dr. Hempel has mainly focused on teaching medical students from the Augusta University / University of Georgia Medical Partnership. He is an associate clinical professor of pediatrics there, and two-time winner of their Exemplary Teaching Award. This partnership has served as the Athens, Georgia based campus of the Medical College of Georgia, and it is slated to become the University of Georgia School of Medicine in the fall of 2026.
Dr. Hempel has announced his intention to retire from Children’s Medical Group in May of 2028. Until that time he looks forward to seeing patients both old and new. Over almost 80 years in existence, Children’s Medical Group has always found outstanding physicians and nurse practitioners to replace those providers who have finished their careers. Dr. Hempel knows that the families who have trusted him to take care of their children will be in great hands when he steps away from the practice.