Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Janine Darby Reflects on Public Service

Rachel Ravina | The Reporter•

Dr. Janine Darby is a woman of many talents.

The 50-year-old Eagleville resident is a wife, mother of four, a physician, a nonprofit executive, chairwoman of the Lower Providence Township Board of Supervisors, and the Montgomery County coroner.

As she reflected on her life she found that service was a common theme.

"When I think about my journey, I think I was placed on this earth for a reason, and that reason is to serve,” Darby said in an interview with MediaNews Group.

Darby found her way to Montgomery County more than two decades ago when she attended medical school at Temple University, but her story began in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

It’s a place where medicine had long been a passion of hers. Darby recalled marveling at a family member who was a surgeon and was "just fascinated by how the human body works.”

"It’s always been an interest since I was 8. So it was either I was going to be a doctor or I was going to be an actress. So the actress part did not pan out as well,” she said with a laugh.

Darby instead opted for the "medical route” and came to the Keystone State for school, attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

It’s also where she’d meet her husband, Chád. He was a senior studying computer science and math and she was a freshman studying biology. They dated long-distance for three years, got engaged, and have been married for 28 years.

After getting her bachelor’s degree in 1995, she earned her master’s degree in developmental biology from American University in 1999 and completed her thesis project at the National Institute of Health. Medical school was next on the list. She’d taken the necessary tests, interviewed and was admitted to a selection of schools, Temple University’s Katz School of Medicine, among them.

However, she "deferred a year” after getting pregnant with her first child, and the Darbys moved to the Philadelphia suburbs in 2000.

"I’ve lived here longer than I’ve been in my hometown,” she said.

After getting her doctor of medicine distinction, Darby became board-certified in both family and obesity medicine. Darby opened up her private practice, Lifestyle Changes by Dr. Darby, in 2018, where she focused on group weight loss, corporate wellness and seeing patients.

"I can plan it how I want it. It gives me the freedom to do other things like what I’m doing here,” she said, referring to work in other aspects of her life.

Darby maintained that public service is paramount for her, but she hadn’t imagined entering the political arena.

"I never saw myself in politics at all,” she said, adding that "2020 happened, and George Floyd happened, and my kids were very instrumental. They used to have protests on the corner of Ridge and Park avenues. So those are my kids that started that,” she said.

While Darby said she wasn’t drawn to the demonstrations, she was to activism.

"I’m not one to do that,” she said. "I don’t like the crowd … but I thought to myself, what is a better way I can help in providing awareness, education to what’s going on in our community?”

She launched the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force in the summer of 2020. The social justice nonprofit focuses on outreach aiming to "bring awareness and educate about marginalized individuals’ issues.”

Their work began within the Methacton School District, Darby said, helping education officials craft policies surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion, and install Alexis Washington as the district’s K-12 DEI and climate counselor. The nonprofit holds events and provides resources at the local, state and federal levels, according to the organization’s website.

Darby’s efforts were noticed by community members, and she was asked if she’d be interested in running for political office.

That proposal was something she said she needed to discuss with her family.

"Because running for office it’s not just you. It’s your whole family. So my husband was in, and my kids were like go for it. It was a long year of campaigning,” Darby said.

Darby ran as a Democrat. She got on the campaign trail amid the COVID-19 pandemic as she met with future constituents, getting a better sense of the inner workings of local government.

But Darby said she faced instances of racism in her township.

"I was threatened. So safety was an issue for me, and then there was a lot of racial hate speech,” she said.

"It’s not my issue, it’s their issue of course, and for me, I was doing nothing wrong,” Darby went on to say. "We just put more lights on our house, and the chief was aware of the threats. That wasn’t going to stop me. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. All I’m here is to do good.”

Darby was the top vote-getter in the Lower Providence township supervisor race in November 2021. Of the four candidates, Darby and Republican Peter MacFarland won with 3,804 votes and 3,684 votes, respectively, according to results from the Montgomery County Office of Voter Services.

She was later elected chairwoman of the five-member governing board.

"I’m the first Black woman township supervisor … and hopefully I won’t be the last,” she said.

Darby reiterated the importance of community involvement as she took on this new role.

"In regards to getting into the political realm, it was more of if I didn’t do it, who else would? I want to be a part of the solution of different issues that are plaguing our community,” she said.

Those issues varied, Darby said. It was a "learning curve” as she came to the role with a medical background. Darby was tasked with gaining insight on infrastructure, land development and public safety priorities for a suburban township of nearly 26,000 residents.

Stormwater improvements were top of mind, Darby said, after much of the area was flooded in 2021 when the remnants of Hurricane Ida came through with a powerful force. Darby also noted upcoming Pennsylvania Department of Transportation road alignment and roundabout projects, as well as establishing a Human Relations Commission in November 2022.

"We just want to make sure everyone is aware that we have no tolerance here for hate or any other type of discrimination. So that was important to vote on and pass as well,” Darby said.

Managing all of her responsibilities in the medical, political and advocacy areas is an evolving process. While no day is typical, she prides herself on her time management skills.

"Having four children you have to be organized. I keep everything. I have … my phone with a calendar it’s color coordinated to keep me organized,” she said.

Darby was again faced with another chance to serve, running for coroner in Montgomery County in 2023.

As a physician, she said she was used to dealing with the living, not the dead, but saw an opportunity to use her medical expertise within the community.

"I started thinking about it more, and with what I do with health and wellness, I’m like ok well let me flip it, and utilize this as a platform to getting more preventative health messaging,” she said, noting that heart disease, substance abuse and suicide are the "top three cases” the coroner’s office sees locally.

"The good part of me being a doctor as a coroner is I’m able to explain the pathophys(iology) of what happened to your family member. So that’s the beauty of this,” Darby said. "All coroners don’t have to be doctors, but it is beneficial because you understand the pathophys of the diagnoses … and so yeah it’s been great. It’s a different aspect of what I do on a regular basis.”

Darby was elected coroner during the November 2023 general election, besting Republican challenger Annamarie Scannapieco with 155,270 votes to 90,876 votes, respectively. Another 207 write-in votes were recorded in the race, according to Montgomery County election results.

As coroner, Darby has been getting up to speed over the past few months, meeting with employees and working on outreach initiatives. She touted an existing partnership with the Gift of Life Donor Program, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit aiding in organ donation and transplants.

While kidneys, hearts and lungs are critical, Darby said the coroner’s office can provide other items such as bone, cornea and tissue donations to those in need.

"Yes we have decedents here, but we also look at it as we’re giving life after death,” she said.

Darby is the first Black woman elected as coroner in Montgomery County. When asked what that means to her, she responded candidly.

"Hopefully I won’t be the last. Hopefully, I will not be the last,” she said, adding that "hopefully I’m a role model for others that look like me to be in this position, whether it’s coroner, whether it’s running for another office that Black women can be in these positions and be successful in these positions.”

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