Dr. Iffat Jahan and Dr. Juby Joseph

Love and medicine go hand-in-hand for married physicians.

Two medical careers and three children don’t leave much time for elaborate Valentine’s Day celebrations, but for married physicians Dr. Iffat Jahan and Dr. Juby Joseph, it doesn’t really matter; the life they’ve built together is proof of their love and commitment to each other.

People who know their story might think they were destined to be together.

Both immigrated with their parents to the United States as preschoolers – he from India, she from Bangladesh. Both of their families eventually settled in the Dallas area. Both wanted to be doctors from a young age.

Really, though, destiny had little to do with it — hard work, good choices and trust in each other helped the two doctors create the lives they now enjoy as physicians in the Optum North Texas Northwest submarket.

Dr. Jahan practices at Healthcare Associates of Texas – Southlake, and her husband Dr. Joseph is at USMD Mid Cities Clinic. They were studying biology at the University of Texas at Arlington when they met through Dr. Ayesha Khan (USMD North Fort Worth Clinic), a mutual friend.

They wanted to become doctors, but the timeline to start medical school wasn’t practical, so they each started down other career paths.

“Juby was going to pursue pharmacy and I was pursuing dental school,” Dr. Jahan said.

Then, a friend told them about St. Matthew’s Medical School in the Cayman Islands, which had a different enrollment schedule. The only problem? It was a complete unknown.

“It was a scary journey to go there and do it,” Dr. Jahan said. “But because Juby had my support and I had his support, we did it together and it solidified our relationship and our commitment to going to medical school.”

In a way, the experience helped them both grow up.

“In college, we were both still living in our parents’ houses,” Dr. Jahan recalled. We had to become adults while we were in medical school.”

The couple married in 2010, completed residencies in Des Moines, Iowa and moved to Sulphur Springs, Texas, where they both practiced at the same clinic.

Though they got to work together, they soon realized that their careers were taking over their lives.

“It was nice to see each other on breaks and lunches,” Dr. Joseph said. “But the bad part was we couldn’t take vacations together because one of us was always on call.”

Then their son was born in 2015, which shed new light on the situation.

“We were so dedicated to our jobs, I don’t remember anything about his first year,” Dr. Joseph said.

“That’s when we realized we needed balance.”

Dr. Khan, who had introduced them, came to their rescue.

“She is with USMD and urged us to join,” Dr. Jahan said. “USMD prioritizes family and happiness and time away from work.

About a year ago, Dr. Jahan moved from USMD to Healthcare Associates of Texas, which embraces the same values, so she could work at a clinic closer to home. Finally, work and family are in balance.

As for the doctors, their relationship is stronger than ever.

“Medicine and our relationship go hand in hand,” Dr. Jahan said. “I don’t know if we could have had one without the other.”