MANITOULIN—Dr. Jennifer Jocko, who works on Manitoulin Island, has been named a North East Local Health Integrated Network (NE LHIN) Healthy Change Champion. She has a strong connection to Northeastern Ontario. She was born in North Bay, raised in Mattawa, and went to school in Sudbury. She loves the region, and is passionate about serving the people who live in it.
A registered nurse in the Northeast for 10 years, Dr. Jocko decided to pursue a career as a physician. She attended medical school at McMaster University, and completed her obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) specialty training at the University of Ottawa. In 2014, she joined the team at Health Sciences North. For the last year and a half, she has also been the Regional Cervical Screening and Colposcopy Lead for the NE LHIN. In addition, she is a consultant specialist at the Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre where she has a weekly half-day clinic-and she has a monthly rural outreach OB/GYN clinic on Manitoulin Island. Dr. Jocko holds an Assistant Professor position at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and is an active member of several medical societies.
For her commitment to women’s health and patient-centred care, Dr. Jocko has named a NE LHIN Healthy Change Champion.
“Dr. Jocko not only makes herself available to patients-she reaches out to them,” said Kate Fyfe, interim CEO, North EAST LHIN. “She makes a point of helping to create a positive experience for the patients she serves. She is a role model in improving patient-centred care and the NE LHIN is so pleased to recognize her for her work.”
Dr. Jocko says her ultimate goal, in everything she does, is to put the patient first.
“I listen to my patients, discuss options, and educate them about those options,” said Dr. Jocko. “We work together towards a plan.”
Dr. Jocko treats a long list of OB/GYN patients-who speak highly of her compassionate approach to care.
“Dr. Jocko was so calming and professional,” said one patient. “When I went to her for a colposcopy procedure, I was anxious, but she took the time to thoroughly explain the procedure to me and address my concerns.”
Dr. Jocko’s special interests include high-risk obstetrics, advanced laparoscopy, cervical cancer screening, and First Nations women’s health. She sits on the Aboriginal Women’s Health Committee for the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ of Canada (SOGC)-and she has joined the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) planning committee for the fifth International Indigenous Women’s Health Meeting, to be held in New Mexico in March 2018.
“I believe in improving access, providing good quality, specialized care to First Nations women and women in rural and remote areas,” she said.
Dr. Jocko intends to continue to provide the best possible care to the people of Northeastern Ontario. She and her business partner have been working to improve access to fertility services for women in the North East. They also plan to open a Northeastern Ontario Women’s Health Network Clinic in Sudbury by early 2018, with the aim of providing imaging and laboratory services for patients.
“It has always been my dream to provide one-stop shopping for women’s health,” said Dr. Jocko. “Living in the North does not mean unequal access to quality health care.”
