News

Andrea Ardite, MD; Rachel O’Connell, MD; and advanced practitioner Gaye Haas recently joined Ob-Gyn Care Associates of St. Luke’s where they will provide care for annual exams, women’s health issues and prenatal care. A well-respected St. Luke’s physician, Dr. Ardite joins Ob-Gyn Care Associates of St. Luke’s from St. Luke’s Valley OB/GYN.

Andrea Ardite, MD

Dr. Ardite’s clinical interests include caring for women during pregnancies, obesity in women with a focus on nutrition, and urban and underserved medicine. She encourages patients to always take responsibility for keeping themselves healthy and strong, especially during pregnancy. “I always advise patients to remember to do for their unborn child what they would do for their children at home, like keeping doctor appointments, making smart food choices and staying active.”

Originally from Bellmawr, New Jersey, Dr. Ardite received her undergraduate degree from Rider University in New Jersey and her medical degree from Ross University School of Medicine Dominica, West Indies. She then went on to complete her residency at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, where she continued to work for 20 years.

“I’m excited to be caring for women as part of St. Luke’s growing health network and to raise my family here in the Lehigh Valley,” says Dr. Ardite. “Women are the backbone of the family, so keeping women healthy in body and mind will also keep families healthy, so that the next generation is strong and secure.”

Rachel O’Connell, MD

Dr. O’Connell’s clinical interests include contraception and family planning, fertility, breastfeeding medicine, postpartum mood disorders, endometriosis, PCOS, uterine fibroids, chronic pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, LGBTQ health, urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and menopause. She has surgical training and expertise in hysteroscopy, surgical miscarriage management, endometrial ablation, laparoscopy for ovarian cysts or ectopic pregnancy, laparoscopic tubal ligation, mid-urethral sling for stress urinary incontinence, minimally invasive hysterectomy (conventional laparoscopy and robotic) and cesarean delivery.

“I love that as a general obstetrician gynecologist I can take care of a broad range of needs for my patients, referring to a subspecialist when necessary,” Dr. O’Connell said. Originally from Hellertown, Dr. O’Connell is delighted to be back in the Lehigh Valley near family and friends after being away for nearly 15 years. Dr. She earned her medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she discovered her passion for gynecology and obstetrics. She completed her residency training at the University of Rochester Medical Center where she was trained in high-risk obstetrics and surgical techniques including the Da Vinci-assisted hysterectomy.

Dr. O’Connell said she was “drawn to St. Luke's because of the opportunity it gives me to maintain the feel of a small practice where I can get to know my patients individually while being supported by the resources of a strong health network.”

Gaye Haas, CNM

Gaye Haas, CNM, an advanced practitioner, has been providing care for women in the Lehigh Valley for nearly 25 years. Gaye is a certified midwife, but she will be office-based and focus on women’s gynecologic health from routine exams to contraception, menopause, bladder problems, diagnosis of infertility issues and weight management.

Gaye believes that because she cares for women throughout young adulthood, childbirth and menopause, she can provide the most individualized care, customized to each stage’s own nuances and challenges. “Over the years I have learned that to provide personalized care you have to start by listening and observing,” says Gaye. “Explaining procedures and information at a level that each patient can understand is a challenge, but one of the things my patients thank me for the most.” She aims to make patients active and educated participants in health care decisions by providing complete and accurate information.

Gaye received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Cedar Crest College and worked in pediatrics, labor and delivery, postpartum and newborn nursery at Allentown Osteopathic Medical Center after graduating. She then went on to receive a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.

“Working as a nurse for many years prior to becoming a nurse midwife is what makes my care different,” explains Gaye. “I have more time to focus on the preventive aspect of patient care and can assist and support my fellow physicians when we work as a team.” Gaye primarily sees patients in the Lehighton and Tamaqua offices, but will also take appointments in Allentown.

Ob-Gyn Care Associates of St. Luke’s practices are growing in order to better serve patients at convenient locations, close to where they live. Offices in Allentown, Lehighton, Tamaqua and Macungie are open and ready to provide quality care for moms and babies.

These three new providers join Jami Avellini, MD; Waleska Cancel-Kenyon, MD; Jaclyn Davolos, MD; Thuy Ngo, MD; John Stevens, DO; and Mary Spengler, CRNP.

To make an appointment to see Dr. Ardite, Dr. O’Connell, Gaye or any of our providers, contact one of Ob-Gyn Care Associates of St. Luke’s locations:

St. Luke's West End Medical Center
501 Cetronia Road
Suite 120
Allentown, PA 18104
Phone: 484-426-2520

St. Luke's Health Center - Lehighton
575 South 9th Street
Suite 8
Lehighton, PA 18235
Phone: 484-426-2520

St. Luke's Tamaqua Medical Center
120 Pine Street
Suite A
Tamaqua, PA 18252
Phone: 484-426-2520

St. Luke's Health Center - Macungie
2550 Route 100
Suite 210
Macungie, PA 18062
Phone: 484-822-5103