Jessica Cole, MD

Bio

What I like best about being a family physician is getting to know my patients as individuals. During my training I always felt happiest when I was seeing my own patients in clinic. I chose Kaiser Permanente as a place to work because I appreciate Kaiser's philosophy of wellness and am looking forward to establishing my own panel of patients to take care of through the years ahead.

I grew up in San Francisco, the youngest of five. I've been interested in medicine since high school, but followed a different path through college (English major at Pomona College in Southern California) and my first career (newspaper editor at the former San Francisco Examiner). When rumors of the Examiner's impending demise coincided with a serious illness in my immediate family, I found myself at a crossroads, and so I embarked on a journey that has brought me at last to the Family Medicine Service in Santa Rosa. That journey included post-baccalaureate pre-med courses at Mills College in Oakland, medical school at UC-Davis, then residency at the Sutter/UCSF family practice program here in Santa Rosa.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

I love being a family doctor because I believe in helping the whole person achieve wellness.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

American Academy of Family Physicians
Sonoma County Medical Association

Great health resources that I refer to:

UpToDate
American Family Physician

Interests

Currently reading:
Wild Trees by Richard Preston

My favorite book or author:
Larry McMurtry, Wendell Berry, Peter Matthiessen, Pam Houston, Annie Proulx

Great movie:
The Sting, Secondhand Lions, Best in Show

Family & Friends

People in my life:

My husband Brian and I met in Davis at the Unitarian-Universalist Church when I was a first-year medical student. Like me, he is a Bay Area native.

Photos of my Family & Friends:

On a hike in the Desolation Wilderness

Jessica and Brian on our Hawaiian honeymoon

Buddy is half yellow Lab, half Walker hound, which is related to the foxhound. He loves to follow his nose and dig for gophers!
Our cat, Roxanne, is a Manx mix. Her favorite activities are sleeping, chasing the laser pointer, sleeping, trying to steal the dog's food, bird watching, and sleeping.

Pet Photos:

Buddy resting after a hike to Enchanted Pools

Roxanne, studying the latest issue of JAMA

Buddy, the world's best dog

Travel

An adventure I've had:

I swam in the ocean for the first time ever when we went to Hawaii. Growing up with San Francisco's Ocean Beach as my main contact with the Pacific, I had never experienced such warm water and amazing tropical fish!

Favorite place in the world:

The cabin my husband's father and grandfather built in the Sierras in the 1930s. It's on a beautiful peaceful lake. Whenever we go there all stress disappears.

One of my recent trips:

Made my second trip (and Brian's first) to Scotland recently. We spent a week hiking around the southwest highlands, staying at Loch Lomond, Glencoe and Fort William.

A nice local trip we're very fond of is Monterey Bay. We try to get down there at least once a year. A couple of years ago we spent some time in Montana, where Brian's mom has a house on Swan Lake. In our work/study time there, I volunteered at a clinic on the Flathead Indian reservation and attended a wilderness medicine conference in Big Sky.

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

Buddy on the porch at Dark Lake

With Buddy overlooking Monterey Bay

Trip Photos:

Brian and Buddy on Swan Lake

Jessica and Brian in Montana

Hiking the Devil's Staircase near Glencoe, Scotland

Aboard the steamboat Sir Walter Scott on Loch Katrine, Scotland