Dr. Molly Campbell: “Every woman deserves the best!”

Dr. Molly Campbell’s silver Dansko clogs sparkle with glitter. The doctor sports the extra shine whenever she’s in surgery or on call. “Sometimes, we are all so busy in our day-to-day life and we need to remind ourselves to slow down and enjoy the little things,” the OB/GYN said. “After the loss of my sister last year, there have been little signs from above for me, almost like a piece of glitter falling from the sky, that if I wasn’t looking for it, I would have missed it.”

Her signature shoes of choice are intentional and send a signal. “It’s just a reminder to slow down and find happiness in the littlest of things like a hummingbird hovering by your window,” she said. “My shoes just bring a little bit of sparkle and joy that we all need in life.”

Full Circle
Landing a job as one of Adventist Health Lodi Memorial’s new obstetrics and gynecology physicians at the Galt Multispecialty Medical Office is a homecoming for Dr. Campbell. She grew up in nearby Lodi and she would sometimes head over to Arbor Convalescent Hospital, where her uncle worked, postponing chores at her family’s pizza parlor to hang out and visit with the residents. “I would walk down to visit the residents, read to them, help get them lunches or go on walks around the facility with them,” she said. “I was always wanting to help people, engage with them, keep them company.” Today, she is thankful to work for an organization that values the work-life balance a working mom needs while allowing her to provide the best care for her patients.

“Dr. Campbell was recruited by Adventist Health to ensure we are able to provide critically needed specialty services in our community,” said Adventist Health Lodi Memorial president Brooke McCollough. “We are excited that we can now offer women’s health services thanks to Dr. Campbell’s expertise and familiarity with this community as a native Lodian. We are very fortunate to have her on our team.”

Dr. Campbell said she really liked the idea of being an OB/GYN because she is able to take care of her patients through different chapters of their life. She set her sights on becoming a doctor when she was a young girl and her decision to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology was cemented when she did rotations in medical school and found a mentor, Dr. Ahmed Yousry, who had a passion for the field. “This job can be draining and demanding with long hours. You absolutely have to have a passion and love for your field,” she said. “It would be a long road if you didn’t love what you do. I think my patients do see that I love it.”

New Life
Her favorite part of her job? “The biggest joy is getting to deliver a baby; to be able to share in that moment with the family is incredible,” she smiled. As someone who is grounded in the importance of family, Dr. Campbell believes it’s an honor to be able to help bring a new life into the world.

She is equally committed to encouraging her patients to be mindful of their health and to schedule their annual exams and screenings. “Sometimes an OB/GYN may be the last doctor a patient has seen since having her baby. As OB/GYNs we have an important job to encourage women to continue to take care of themselves with well woman visits each year, even after having children.” she said. “The annual visit is such an important part of the patient’s life; it includes routine cervical cancer screening, breast cancer screening, bone density screening and discussions about overall health. Yearly exams are so important for women’s health.”

Dr. Campbell knows this first-hand, having lost both her grandmother and, more recently, her sister to breast cancer. The painful losses sting no matter how much time passes and maybe that’s even more reason to try and spread a little sparkle while caring for her patients.

According to Tiffany Trull, Adventist Health Lodi Memorial’s director of Ambulatory and Physician Services, Dr. Campbell is a “girl’s girl” who uncompromisingly holds herself and her staff to the highest standards of patient care. “She believes every woman deserves the best,” said Trull. “She’s a role model for ambitious women in the workforce with her ability to balance drive and professionalism with a soft touch and the ability to foster trust that is so critical in her field. Everyone loves her.”

Childhood
Being a working mom with elementary-age children is a juggling act, but Dr. Campbell has the help of a supportive spouse who also happens to be her college sweetheart. She and her husband, Matthew Campbell, met at Rutgers University, where they were both nationally ranked NCAA Division 1 swimmers. They are parents to nine-year-old Charlotte and six-year-old Luke.

Her childhood memories include sitting with her sisters and cousins on the roof of Pizza Works, which her parents, Dan and Sue Jones, owned, to watch the Lodi Lake fireworks on the 4th of July. She also thrived on a local swim team, Lodi Swim Club, where she began swimming at a young age and continued swimming through high school at Lodi High, which then led to collegiate athletic and academic scholarships. Growing up in Lodi also meant riding horses in the country and chasing hummingbirds with her sisters. And, of course, hanging out at the family business, where she and her siblings made their lunches for school and helped out behind the counter.

Respecting Discipline
Being a D-1 athlete in college taught Dr. Campbell how to prioritize and juggle many responsibilities, including self-care. “Being a collegiate athlete amplifies the discipline that you have to have. You have to put your priorities in order. You needed to make sure you got enough sleep every night so you weren’t tired for morning practice, and also make sure you were on top of all of your school work,” she said. “As a collegiate athlete you are very aware of the need to be at the top of your athletic ability while also maintaining your grades, as you realize that your sport is not going to be your job later in life, but it was a huge catalyst that got me where I am today.”

That discipline was essential when she attended medical school in the West Indies at St. George’s University and then completed her residency at Newark Beth Israel-Barnabas Health at Jersey City Medical Center, Jersey City, New Jersey. She and her husband, a New Jersey native, made a home there while she continued to pursue her medical career. Dr. Campbell even became a mother while juggling the rigors of her residency program. After their second child was born, she and her husband decided it was time to continue their parenting in the small-town environment of Lodi, close to family and friends. “Adventist Health Lodi Memorial has given me an incredible opportunity to expand women’s health services in the community all while being near family, which has meant the world to me,” she affirmed.

Like Mom and Dad, Like Children
Today, she and her husband are teaching their kids a love for swimming. “My kids are definitely water babies,” she smiled. “Seeing your swim coaches on the pool deck cheering you on like they are family is just an incredible experience for anyone to have, and I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Lodi Swim Club from the time I was five years old through my high school swimming career and beyond. To have my kids swimming under the same coaches who coached me growing up is pretty special.”
Her aunt, Babe Jones of Lodi, who is also her godmother, said the family is so proud of their doctor. “My sweet Molly. She is a gem; she is really special. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always wanted to be a doctor. When you asked her, she would never waver from that. I think the reason she does so well in her practice is because of the way she is such a good listener and so caring. If you cry, she cries.” Babe emphasized it’s been heartwarming that Molly’s kids are getting to experience the same kind of childhood that Molly enjoyed so much.

“To be able to come back home to Lodi and work in the community where I grew up is pretty special. Not many people can say they work as an OB/GYN in the same hospital where they were born,” Dr. Campell noted. “My kids get to spend time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. They get to be surrounded and loved by the same coaches—John and Cindy Griffin, Coach Troy, Coach Tricia—who coached me in swimming.”

Does the doctor have more advice for women trying to find that elusive work-life balance? “Family always comes first. Enjoy the little moments of life, wake up early, enjoy the nighttime snuggles with your kids, and don’t forget to enjoy the journey. Even on the toughest of days, find a little piece of joy.” she said.

Being a physician in a small community and seeing her children thrive in her hometown is special. “Yes, I have long hours, but to know that my family is surrounded by loving people means the world to me, while I also get to do what I love as an OB/GYN,” Dr. Campbell concluded. “I feel like I’m right where I’m meant to be.”