Healthcare That Values the Whole Person: Dr. Jani Rollins Making History Now

Jani Rollins with son Bryce and daughter Mia. Photo courtesy of Jani

Jani cares a great deal for the people in her community of Ashland, Oregon.  She cares so much, that since 1994 she has delivered over 3000 of their babies with some families coming back to her for their fourth and fifth children.  For multiple years, she has been voted Ashland's best doctor.  But it doesn't end when the birth ends.  Jani is a Family Practice physician; to her, the magic of birth continues on through the days and years of parenting and the family as a unit deserves all the attention and support she can provide.  Within one family, she may be caring for four generations at once!  This model of holistic family care is in someways reminiscent of the country doctors of yesteryear.  But Dr. Rollins puts a powerful spin on the way she does things.  She models good care by paying attention to the things that really matter in her own life and this energy overflows into her practice and care for others.

Before it was even a standard college major, Jani was inspired by holistic health and created her own degree program at the University of Utah.  As valedictorian of both her high school and undergraduate program, Jani had the enthusiasm and brain power to achieve high standards.  She was the first person in her family to be educated and trained as a doctor, and she paid her entire way through school, earning scholarships and acquiring student loan debt.  As if this wasn't enough, her level of excellence gained her entry into the nations top medical schools, including Harvard and the University of California-San Francisco;she ultimately chose UCSF.  In a recent interview, Jani relayed that medical school stretched her limits, and as a woman who was interested in surgery, she could see that the 7 additional years of training would cut into her dreams of having a family.  There was just no sympathy for women of childbearing age.  With her focus on family and women's health, she could build a practice on a foundation of trust with her patients.  In this way, doors opened to her that could not be forseen when she was considering a surgical practice.

Jani is very good at listening to herself; this translates to an amazing ability to listen to her patients.  She responds to individuals at just that level- one on one.  This open heart inspired her to start a waterbirth program at the Ashland Family Birth Center (part of Ashland Community Hospital).  No other hospital facility in Southern Oregon allows this option, it is truly pioneering!  Many people refer to Jani as the "midwife doctor" because she is truly with the women she helps deliver and knows that each woman deserves education, support and choices in childbirth.  When they asked about waterbirth, she did the research and made it happen.  She also has headed up a team at the hospital to design a remodel of the facility; every aspect of the remodel holds family at the forefront with an environment to truly meet people's needs and choices.  When asked about her achievements at ACH, even though she has been the head of OB for years and was a member of the perinatal task force, she humbly acknowledges all the progress there as a team effort and has high praise for the "special team" at the birth center who makes it happen.  That was one thing that really struck me as I was interviewing her: she never really takes credit for her accomplishments alone.  Jani is humble and graceful and in love with the people she surrounds herself with.  She is like the mother we all wish we had.

Speaking of being a mother, Jani's two children are the highlight of her life.  In her "spare time", she heads up the Walker Elementary Winter Fair, runs community dinners for the school, is an active participant of the PTO and works to support the Ashland School Foundation.  At her core, Jani knows that this connection to her family is a gift and a great priority.  Educating and being with her children, she hopes to also inspire her patients to do and be what they can be within their families.  At appointments, she takes the time and truly enjoys educating the children.  She loves to grab a stethescope and show the little ones how to use it; especially the girls who might otherwise think doctors are always men.  She spends many hours counseling her patients on social and emotional issues, because she knows how much the emotional body contributes to the overall picture of health and wellness.  She herself has had many life challenges and knows that with her own experiences and her listening ear, the key is balance.  Spending time with kids, self, partner and friends coupled with exercise and healthy eating really matter to Jani.  When surrounded by awesome people, wonderful things can happen!

Whether she is traveling and working in Honduras or Bolivia like she did during her residency, giving talks to the local high schools about what it's like to choose a career in medicine as a woman, or exiting the doors of the birth center after a long night of beautiful births, Jani is a woman making history now.  Each life she touches enriches her own, and each cycle of this care exchange sends out riplets that change the course of many lives from this small town out into the greater world.  I am so thankful for the incredible support Jani offered to me while I was practicing midwifery; but she didn't really do it for me. She did it because she cares about women, children and families.  And that is where it all starts.  Peace on Earth Begins With Birth.