We are thrilled to welcome Malinda Moussa, ARNP, to the Beaches OBGYN family!
Born and raised in East Tennessee, Malinda has over 19 years of experience practicing as a women’s healthcare nurse practitioner in Jacksonville Beach. After receiving her undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, she received a Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt University, where she graduated with summa cum laude honors.
“I can tell you that all our doctors are beyond excited about adding Malinda to our family,” shares Dr. Leandro Rodriguez. “Like all the doctors in our practice, she lives in the Jacksonville Beach community that we so proudly serve. We can’t wait for our current patients to also meet her!”
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and two children, watching college football, being outdoors, and traveling. Read on for more from Malinda, including her passion for women’s healthcare, what one piece of advice she would like to offer her patients and a few of her local Jax Beach favorites.
What inspired you to pursue the field of women’s healthcare, specifically obstetrics and gynecology?
This is one of the few specialties where you get to truly be a part of your patients’ lives over decades. Patients don’t only come to us when they are sick — they come as teenagers, when they get married and have babies, go through menopause, etc. I really get to know patients throughout many different aspects of their lives.
What aspects of the practice are you most passionate about and why?
Providing emotional support and medical advice in a judgment-free zone. Because we work in women’s health, I feel that patients tend to be more open and honest with us than they may be in other specialties.
If you could offer one piece of advice to your female patients, what would it be?
Come in for your yearly visits. With pap guidelines changing and an increasing popularity of long-acting birth control methods such as IUDs, women are not coming to see us as often as before. Unfortunately, this can lead to missing an early diagnosis of something like breast cancer or other gynecological cancers not specifically screened by a pap alone.
Is there a personal situation or scenario that has helped solidify your chosen career path?
Working in women’s health, we don’t only treat ‘OBGYN’ or medical conditions, we provide a lot of emotional support during some difficult times throughout a patient’s life. Going through infertility issues and experiencing a complicated pregnancy and delivery myself has deepened my love for this specialty and validated the importance of what we do.
What do you love most about Jacksonville and its the surrounding beaches? Any particular shops, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. you love?
I love Jacksonville, especially the beaches. How blessed are we to be able to wake up in the morning and see the ocean every day? It’s a great community.
My favorite restaurants include North Beach Fish Camp, Sun Deli, Vinny’s Italian, Kairos Nutrition Bar, and Rita’s Italian Ice (specifically their watermelon ice!). I’m super excited about Whole Foods coming, and of course, I still love my Marsh Landing Publix and Trader Joe’s. I also love green drinks from Nekter Juice Bar and all the workout options the Beaches has to offer such as Pure Barre, Pilates, and Crossfit.
Jacksonville is so family friendly. We love going to the beach, the pool, the park, the library and riding our bikes on the weekends.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with Malinda Moussa, ARNP, contact Beaches OBGYN at (904) 241-9775 or use the message widget on this page and write “Request an appointment with Malinda.”