Resident Physician of the Month

The Resident Physician of the Month Award is meant to recognize and reward outstanding resident physicians who make exceptional contributions in their academic field while still maintaining their work/life balance.

Interested in nominating someone? Fill out a nomination form here.

August 2020
Dr. Nasser Alohaly
University of Alberta
Neurology

I was born in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. I am the eldest child of a Pulmonologist father and mother who was one of the first Saudi women to study and teach computer science in the early nineties. I am also constantly spoiled, inspired and challenged by my four amazing younger sisters who now live all over the world.

Growing up, I felt at home in hospital environments and enjoyed the logical algorithms of computer programming and circuitry. This culminated in my pursuing pre-med and a medical degree straight out of high school in King Saud University with a strong interest in the Neurosciences.

My path in residency started July 2013 in the Neurosurgical program here in Edmonton. In my fourth year, I made the decision to transfer to Neurology. Four years later, here I am in my R5 year. How did I get here? I found an affinity for Neurology; the thrill of puzzle solving and localizing, along with the encouragement and invitation to do so by the staff neurologists I worked with while rotating, sparked a passion in me. And, to be quite frank, I wasn’t particularly gifted dexterity-wise (did not need to be a neurologist to figure that out). Since then, every day has been full of excitement and gratification. I now prepare to pursue my special interest in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroinflammatory Diseases here in Edmonton after completing my residency.

Outside of the hospital, I quite enjoy practicing yoga, tennis, going to local art events, concerts, and the occasional cooking class (before the pandemic at least…). Recently, with all this time at home, I have rekindled my nostalgia for video games and fantasy series.

Ultimately, nothing I have achieved would have been possible without my parents, siblings and friends back home and here in Edmonton who have been with me for every step in my winding path. I also owe so much to the attendings and resident physicians in Neurology and other fields, all of whom have mentored me, become good friends and have been a fantastic support system professionally and personally. Last but not least, I must thank the nurses, SLPs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, nutritionists and pharmacists who have taught me and laughed with me over the years. It has been, and continues to be, a blessing and a privilege to be surrounded by so many extraordinary people.

A colleague had this to say about Dr. Alohaly:

Dr. Nasser Alohaly is a truly deserving candidate for the Resident Physician of the Month award. While he has never sought accolades for his hard work and dedication to his patients and colleagues, it is important to recognize the invaluable role he plays in our program.

Nasser is an exemplary resident physician both on and off the hospital wards. While his clinical acumen is excellent, it is his caring and empathetic bedside manner that his patients remember. He endears himself to all of his colleagues through the sheer nature of his warm personality. While on the wards, you will often find him enthusiastically teaching junior learners about localization and physical exam skills.

Nasser is always willing to take on extra work to help his colleagues. With the recent introduction of ConnectCare, he took on extra night/weekend shifts as a super user to help his colleagues in ensuring patient care was not affected. This is just one of the many examples of how Nasser goes above and beyond for our program.

Despite juggling the pressures of being a senior resident physician, he is heavily involved in the program as a member of the RPC and CaRMS committees. He also places great priority on resident physician wellness and will often act as an in-house therapist for resident physicians who just need someone to listen to them. Nasser truly embodies what it means to be a leader, mentor and friend for those around him. He will make an excellent Neurologist in the years to come and we are very fortunate to have him as a member of our program.”

Congratulations Dr. Alohaly!