Helping parents complete their families and guiding them through infertility
Age: 39
Job Title: Physician, Gynecologist and Infertility Specialist at Alberta Reproductive Centre
As a medical student at the University Of Alberta, Dr. Jinglan Han marvelled in the joy of delivering babies, so much so that she first planned to be an obstetrician-gynaecologist. However, as her education continued, she switched into her current role — one that helps parents of all genders complete their families.
After four years of practice in Saskatoon, she joined the newly opened Alberta Reproductive Centre in 2023 as a physician, gynecologist and specialist in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. As a mother of four who devoted years to her career before starting a family, Dr. Han feels a deep and privileged connection to patients at this pivotal stage of life.
“Sometimes the relationship you have with patients is longer than others,” she says. The lucky ones become pregnant immediately, but it can take years for other patients and leave them with a feeling of failure. Dr. Han wishes many patients who were ashamed knew how common these challenges are, as one in six people experience infertility, according to a 2023 World Health Organization study.
Although Dr. Han can’t guarantee success for anyone on this journey of starting a family, she’s especially affected by the people who’ve been referred to her after experiencing multiple pregnancy losses. These patients are often in a mixed emotional state of devastation and anger. But it’s also these cases that, when successful, often lead to the most profound sense of joy for both her and the patient.
Despite the many challenges and heartbreaks that Dr. Han meets in her work, she’s motivated to keep at it. “At the end of the day,” she says, “there’s a lot of good people trying to do good things in medicine, and that’s very inspirational for me.”
This article appears in the November/December 2025 issue of Edify
