Noobar Janoian was born in 1939 in the small Iraqi town of Mosul where his parents had immigrated after miraculously escaping from their homeland Armenia [presently considered Turkish land] during the Armenian Genocide in 1915. Having received his primary education and completed all of the educational opportunities available in his town, and having already formed a strong desire to become a physician, Noobar Janoian, at the age of twenty, made the decision to move to his native country of Armenia, to avail himself of its reputable medical school. Thus, in 1959, he applied and was accepted to the Yerevan State Medical Institute in Yerevan, Armenia. He earned his medical doctorate in 1966, and embarked upon what would become a lifelong career dedicated to bettering the welfare of those most in need. Dr. Janoian’s decision to become a physician was never one based on financial gain, prestige, or other material benefits associated with the profession. Rather, his motivation has always been to change the lives of the individual people one by one as he had realized that his idealistic views of a better world and utopia of perfect society is nearly impossible and that he just simply can’t change the world for everyone. Medicine for Dr. Janoian was never a profession but a duty to serve and make positive changes in people’s lives, especially to the ones that can’t make those changes for themselves… the poor and the underprivileged. Therefore, from the onset and throughout his professional career, Dr. Janoian has dedicated himself to serving the underprivileged, to helping the sick and needy and improving the quality of their lives.
Upon graduating from medical school, Dr. Janoian moved to the African nation of Algeria, where he accepted his first job. Though offered the option of working in the relatively modern city, he chose instead to head a small clinic in one of the remotest villages, where no medical services had ever previously been available. His justification was that he would go where he was MOST NEEDED. This has always been Dr. Janoian’s fondness… to help those who are most in need. He got appointed to one of the poorest towns close to the border of Libia called Biskra where no other doctor chose to be assigned to and where a poor and ignorant population exceeding 100,000 lived for centuries without civilization and any medical care. Though the following years were extremely challenging, they proved to also be some of the most rewarding years of his life.
In 1972, Dr. Janoian’s journey lead him to Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. He continued his education and vastly expanded his professional experience by working in the areas of industrial medicine, anesthesiology, emergency medicine and family practice. Finally, in 1980, Dr. Janoian made Glendale, California his family’s permanent home, where he has continued to practice medicine for over thirty illustrious years. Since his early years at the USC+LAC Medical Center, until the present time, Dr. Janoian’s commitment has been to serving the low-income and underprivileged population.
By 1986, Dr. Janoian had made the decision to go into private practice. Nova Medical Group was formed in the City of Glendale, CA which started off as a partnership then was continued by Dr. Janoian only as his own practice. When the office outgrew its space, Broadway Medical Center was born in 1991 at its current location on Broadway Street in Glendale. Dr. Janoian’s kind nature, his varied experience, and professional expertise quickly earned him a large and loyal patient population. In fact, many of Dr. Janoian’s early patients continue to see him as their primary care physician. Beyond the exceptional medical care they receive, Dr. Janoian’s patients are impressed by what is his genuine and evident love for his profession and loving concern for and commitment to his patients.
From early on in private practice, Dr. Janoian recognized a growing demographic of underserved people in his community, the poorest segment of the population including many homeless individuals who were not receiving adequate medical care. Dr. Janoian so often treated these poor and homeless patients without charge, he earned a reputation as “the free doctor.” Dr. Janoian took it upon himself to see these indigent patients, without any charge, and made sure that their most basic health care needs are met. It was commonly known within the community that Dr. Janoian rarely turned any patient away. Soon, word of this “free doctor” who was seeing patients at his office in Glendale reached the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. In 1993, the County of Los Angeles contacted Dr. Janoian to embark upon an unprecedented joint venture between the County and a private clinic, wherein Dr. Janoian’s office would provide medical care to the indigent population of the County of Los Angeles.
As Broadway Family Medical Center grew, Dr. Janoian spearheaded the clinic’s final metamorphosis to a non-profit medical center, so that it may best serve the purpose of its inception, to provide medical care to as many poor and needy individuals as possible. In 1999, his private medical office gained its non-profit status and evolved into the “All For Health, Health For All” community health center. Dr. Janoian’s overriding goal throughout his career, and culminating in the formation of this non-profit medical center, has been to extend quality medical care to the neediest populations. Finally, “All for Health, Health for All,” a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation applied for and received its status as a Federally Qualified Health Center [FQHC] and started receiving grants under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act in order to continue to expand its range of services to the indigent population.
Presently, the “All For Health, Health For All” offices have expanded to four locations in the cities of Glendale and Burbank and provide basic healthcare and medications for thousands of needy patients within those communities, including its poorest and most deprived members. The course and scope of Dr. Janoian’s medical career exhibits his unrelenting desire to help as many people as he can, often with no personal gain. However, the rewards he has received by way of the appreciation and love of his patients, the respect and admiration of his colleagues, and his honor within community, are personal rewards that outweigh any quantifiable benefits.
One patient recently shared his recollection of his first visit to Dr. Janoian’s office in 2001. As a recent immigrant, he had no money and no idea about where and if he could get treatment for a fairly serious illness. Like many others, he heard of Dr. Janoian who saw patients for free. When he arrived at the office, he was surprised at the incredible treatment he received, and at no cost. When he was leaving, with a bag of free prescription medication in hand, he recalls Dr. Janoian coming out after him, asking why he was not wearing a coat in the cold weather. When he told the Doctor that he did not have one, Dr. Janoian removed his keys from his own jacket, and put it on the man’s back. The man was moved to tears, especially when he reached into the pocket later on to discover two hundred dollars that Dr. Janoian had put there for him. Dr. Janoian’s staff, friends and colleagues hear stories like this one on a daily basis.
In addition to Dr. Janoian’s exceptional commitment to his profession, his humanitarianism and philanthropy continues outside the field of medicine as well. As an avid admirer of the arts, including visual arts, music, and literature, Dr. Janoian has provided countless opportunities to aspiring artists, writers and musicians, by providing them with the support they need to pursue their creative aspirations. Recently, Dr. Janoian founded a professional networking group called LASCA, for artistically inclined individuals to convene and enlighten, encourage, and support one another. Dr. Janoian also began one of the first ever Armenian cable television broadcasts in 1987 called “Let It Be Light” and later hosted many different TV programs wherein he discussed prevalent medical issues, providing the large Armenian immigrant population of his community with essential health-related information as well as promoted cultural & “free” thinking.
For over six years until present, he has been the sponsor of Narcis literary magazine/periodical in Armenia which has discovered many new talented voices. It’s been recognizing other countries’ talents and literature with an emphasis of promoting the contemporary American literature. Narcis has been awarded a Gold Medal by Armenian Ministry of Culture and is considered the biggest cultural event after the Independence of Armenia.
Dr. Janoian has also written and published three books based on his memoirs as a doctor working with the poor. Dr. Janoian is truly the essence of a renaissance man. A devoted and successful doctor, a philanthropist, a patron of the arts and culture, a revered employer, and a loving family man… Beyond any measure of success, Dr. Janoian’s true value lies in his core humanity, his willingness to forego material gain for the treasure that lies in a greater good. He is rich with the blessings of those whose lives he has touched. Dr. Janoian continues to be one of the 13 providers and the Chief Executive Officer at All For Health, Health For All. To the present day, he works vigorously towards the goals that have driven him for over forty years as a physician and continues to forge his remarkable legacy.