Greetings, My name is Tara Johnie Shelby and I have lovingly attended over a 100 BIRTHS! I am in my 4th year of Naturopathic Medical studies at Bastyr University. In June of 2008 I will graduate as a Primary Care Physician as well as a Licensed Midwife. My specialty is homebirths, but I have attended dozens of hospital births.

One of the principles of naturopathic medicine is “docere” or “doctor as teacher”. This resonates with my vision of educating women and families so that they are empowered to make personalized decisions that best suit their needs. I have watched countless couples feel empowered through knowledge gained in pregnancy to have faith in their bodies and the birthing phenomena.

I love teaching an interactive child-birth education experience because of the rewarding remarks and feedback that women tell me really helped them in labor as well as postpartum. I also really enjoy helping couples come together and explore their own ideals and expectations of birth. Being trained as a physician as well as a midwife gives me a wide spectrum of understanding and appreciation of the birthing process. In the summer of 2003 I attended the Doula training program (with Sandy) as well as having completed the child-birth education teachers series at Bastyr taught by Carrie Kerner.

I was born and raised in NYC and graduated from Cornell University with pre-med degree in Human Biology, Health & Society. I had originally planned to go into Obstetrics and Gynecology at an allopathic medical school but my desire for more complementary and alternative medicine brought me to Washington state to learn more about Naturopathic medicine.

I have traveled all over the world, including a semester at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand were I did an independent study in Traditional Maori Medicine. I’ve worked with physicians, alternative practicioners, shamans and people of the bush in Asia, Central and South America, Europe, and a variety of islands in the south pacific. I most recently returned from the country of Vanuatu after completing a rotation as a midwife at Port Vila Hospital on the island of Efate!

Before starting medical school I worked in research at the University of Washington at the Center for Aids Research, counseling and testing intravenous drug users for HIV. While working in research I got a graduate certificate in Spirituality, Health & Medicine from Bastyr University. I am also certified as a disease intervention specialist and HIV counselor.

Some of my personal interests include music, local organic foods, Reiki, craniosacral therapy and spending quality outdoor time with family and friends. My wonderful and supportive husband and I were married in the spring of ‘04 and live happily on lake Washington in the Matthews Beach neighborhood!