Pediatric

Residents

2016-2017

Daniel Albrechtsons

Born in Calgary, Daniel has lived most

of his life in beautiful St. John's, New-

foundland, where he also went to medi-

cal school. He did his undergraduate

degree at McGill University in Montreal.

He is very excited to be part of this resi-

dency program! Interesting things about

Daniel include the following: His long

last name comes from Latvia, where he

still has some family. He also lived in

Norway for a couple of years when he

was little. It is often remarked that Dan-

iel doesn't sound like a Newfoundlander,

but he can put on a very convincing ac-

cent when he needs to. He was a compet-

itive swimmer for 12 years and still en-

joys swimming as a way to unwind and keep in shape. He is also fairly

musical. He has enjoyed singing in a number of choirs over the years and

can also play the tuba and trombone. His favorite band is Radiohead, who

he got to see live in Montreal during their last tour. He loves all sports

and his favorite hockey team is the Canadiens. During his spare time he

loves to read novels and is often guilty of being in the middle of several

books at once. He would like to thank everyone in the program for being

so welcoming and is looking forward to the years here in Halifax!

First Years

Abdullah Nour

Abdullah is from Saudi Arabia and was born in

Jeddah. He went to medical school in Bahrain

at the Arabian Gulf University and graduated

with an MD degree. He has played tennis for

the Saudi national team since the age of 13

years, and he was a professional tennis player

for 2 years! Abdullah is married and has three

children.

Chelsea Hammer

Chelsea is a native Dartmouthian and

has lived in Nova Scotia for her whole

life. She loves the salt air, seafood,

and admittedly freezing cold win-

ters. She went to Acadia for her under-

grad in Biology before coming back to

Halifax for medical school. Fun facts

about Chelsea include: she is an only

child, friends (often) call her a crazy

cat lady, and chocolate of any kind is

the way to her heart. She also loves to

travel, read, and hike. Feel free to stop

her in the halls and strike up a conversation; she is always willing to chat!

First Years

Claire Pond

Claire is thrilled to be a new pediatric resident at the IWK! She is origi-

nally from Campbellton, a small town on the Quebec-New Brunswick

border. She attended UNB Fredericton for her undergraduate degree in

interdisciplinary leadership studies, and spent some time working in Slo-

venia and Ireland. Soon after, Claire came to Dalhousie for her Masters

in Speech-Language Pathology, and then

went to work with the preschoolers in Camp-

bellton. The summer before medical school,

Claire ran away to Toronto to fulfill a bucket

list dream of dancing at the National Ballet

School. Then, she settled back into reality in

Saint John where she completed medical

school (and met her husband!) at Dalhousie’s

satellite campus, DMNB. Claire can carry a

tune, but she cannot carry herself past a bak-

ery without sampling its contents! Besides

pediatrics, she loves the ocean, lists, greeting

cards, and the occasional fashion magazine.

She is excited to re-discover Halifax and is

really looking forward to working with you!

Lauren Hanes

Lauren grew up in Bedford, NS just outside of

Halifax. She hasn't travelled far, considering

she's been a DAL student for the past decade,

first completing an undergraduate degree in

pharmacy prior to medicine. She recently got

married to her husband Mike in October, a

New Brunswicker who works for the federal

government as an electrician (although in the

summer you’ll find him on the golf course!).

Outside of the hospital you can find her at yo-

ga, catching up on Netflix, spending time with

friends and family or attempting to make glu-

ten free food taste good. She's so excited to be

continuing her training in peds in her

hometown and to be joining the IWK family!

First Years

Erin Quigley

Erin was born in Guelph, but spent most of her childhood in Austin, Tex-

as, eating plenty of Mexican food and perfecting her guacamole recipe.

After mediocre performances in most team sports, Erin discovered her

love of theatre. She returned to Canada for her

undergraduate degree in theatre at Dalhousie,

and stayed at Dalhousie for medical school as

well. While most of her extended family lives

in the Halifax area, her parents are currently

living in New York City, where she tries to

visit as much as she can. Her hobbies include

rock climbing, shopping, seeing plays, and

travelling whenever possible. Her favourite

place that she has travelled to so far has been

the Isle of Skye on the northwest coast of Scot-

land.

Second Years

Alyssa Smith

Alyssa was born in the bustling metropolis of Mis-

sissauga, Ontario, but raised in a small town called

Alcona, Ontario (close to Barrie!). She attended

Western University and studied Biology and Medi-

cal Sciences before pursuing medicine at the Uni-

versity of Ottawa. As many of you have probably

figured out, she spends most of her spare time with

her very spoiled two year old Cavadoodle Rio. Co-

pious amounts of pictures are always on hand:)

With her partner Ryan having moved to Halifax

this past spring, she's excited to spend more time in

the city on her weekends off! She is

very grateful for the warm, supportive environment

here at the IWK.

First Years

Abdulrahman Alkanhal

Abdulrahman! Don’t worry! You are not

the first one to find it difficult to say! It

can be pronounced Abd ar-Rahman. I am

originally from Saudi Arabia. I was born

in Texas and spent the early years of my

life in upstate NY. I went back to Saudi

Arabia with my family when I was

around seven years old. I graduated from

the College of Medicine, King Saud Uni-

versity in 2011. Two years later, I ob-

tained my MPH degree from the Univer-

sity of Miami, and I am currently in an-

other seaport city on the Atlantic

Ocean—but definitely with opposite

weather—doing my Pediatric Residency

at Dal. I have moved to Nova Scotia with

my lovely wife. I like to travel by car; during the last interview season, I

drove all the way from Vancouver to Halifax!

Second Years

Hilal Al-Riyami

Hilal was born in Oman, the diamond of Gulf

countries, and graduated from Sultan Qaboos

University. He enjoys traveling, camping and

playing football. He is a keen reader in politics

and history with some interest in poetry. He has a

great sense of humor and likes a good conversa-

tion. Last year he welcomed a new baby (Sarah)

and he wishes her a life full of happiness.

Second Years

Dominique Piché

Dominique moved from Quebec to the United States at the age of 5 and

spent most of her childhood growing up in Colorado. She studied biology

with an honours in genetics and a minor in French literature at Mount

Allison University in New Brunswick. She was fortunate enough to work

on a tetravalent Dengue virus vaccine at the CDC throughout her under-

graduate years. After Mt. A, Dominique went on to do a Masters in Bio-

medical Sciences at Colorado State University. Dominique’s work in

tropical medicine first sparked her desire

to pursue medicine as a career, leading

her to McGill University for medical

school. Dominique loves skiing, rock

climbing, hiking, baking and travelling

as much as possible. She is engaged to

Corey, an Air Force helicopter pilot

based in Shearwater Nova Scotia, whom

she will be marrying in October!

Dominique can't believe that she is al-

ready an R2 and has thoroughly enjoyed

her first year in Paediatrics at the IWK.

Make sure you try a slice of her carrot

cake this year!

Second Years

Laura Stymiest

Laura was born and raised in

Fredericton, New Brunswick. She

followed in her family’s footsteps

and attended Mount Allison Uni-

versity where she studied Biology

and International Relations. Laura

then went on to study medicine at

Dalhousie Medicine New Bruns-

wick in Saint John. She was

thrilled to match to Pediatrics, and

has loved becoming part of the IWK team. In her first year, Laura repre-

sented the resident group as the Canadian Paediatric Society liaison and

looks forward continuing in that role this coming academic year. She is

interested in the social determinants of child health and prevention of

early life adversity, and hopes to pursue research in these areas during her

residency. She enjoys all things music, loves spending time outdoors, and

has fallen in love with Nova Scotia!

Rachel Mullenger

Rachel is a Halifax local, growing up just a short

walk from the IWK. She completed a BSc. Hu-

man Kinetics with a minor in Health Science at

St.FX University and her medical school at Dal-

housie. When not at the hospital, Rachel can be

found on the ski hill, sailing or on the dodgeball

court. She enjoys outdoor adventures around

Nova Scotia including biking and hiking. Rachel

is looking forward to R2 and is interested in

Emergency Medicine. She is excited for her

upcoming wedding this fall.

Jodie Villeneuve

My name is Jodie and I was born and raised in “rural” Ottawa, where I

completed two university degrees in Kinesiology and Health Sciences.

Throughout university, I worked at IKEA for 3 years, and then lululemon

for 5 years. I like to think that I am excellent at putting furniture together

and even better at practicing yoga, but IKEA instructions are still word-

less and my balance is absolutely terrible. I still love hot yoga though. I

also love travelling the world and being outdoors, so I can’t wait to further

explore hiking, running, and camping in

Nova Scotia. I did my first year of Pedi-

atrics in Newfoundland after completing

medical school in Galway, Ireland (way

better than Dublin, but I’m super bi-

ased!). I got married last August, and

my husband is currently in Fredericton

finishing up his Family Medicine Resi-

dency. That’s just a tiny bit about me.

But I can tell you oodles more over

some good food (I’m a bit of a foodie)

and a glass (or two!) of wine.

Fajer Altammar

Fajer Altammar moved to Halifax two

years ago from her home country,

Kuwait. She went to medical school at

Kuwait University. She spent most of

her childhood living in the States.

Fajer is blessed with an amazing hus-

band and is the mom of the cutest two

boys in the world: Shamlan and Oth-

man. When she’s not working or re-

covering from being an on-call, she

enjoys spending time with her family

outdoors. She is an ice-cream addict

that loves travelling, cooking, and practicing tai-chi. In her spare time

(almost never), she likes to take on new interior design/home décor pro-

jects. She believes that with positive energy and passion, almost every-

thing is possible.

Second Years

Nawal Al Shamli

Nawal was born and raised in

Muscat, the capital city of Oman.

She attended the Sultan Qaboos

University where she earned her

MD. Following medical school,

she decided to make the big

move to Canada for her residen-

cy. She just completed her sec-

ond year of paediatrics residen-

cy. She is telling all of her

friends that although the winter

weather can be challenging, Hal-

ifax people are warm, friendly and kind. Nawal really loves eating out

and trying new restaurants. In her free time, she enjoys outdoors, reading,

painting and staying connected to family and friends. She feels lucky to

be part of the IWK Health Centre’s big family. She is excited for this new

academic year and can’t wait to take this journey with all of you.

Lyndsay Russell

Lyndsay was born and raised in Moncton, New Brunswick. She received

her Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology at Dalhousie Univer-

sity, and decided she loved it so much that she wanted to stick with Dal

for her Medical Education and residency as well! In her spare time Lynd-

say loves to travel, camp, soak up

some sun at the beach, spend time

with friends and family, and bake

(you need to try her cupcakes!). She

and her boyfriend, Kirk, are kept

plenty busy raising their bunny Lily,

who turned two this past Easter. She

can’t believe how quickly her first

two years of residency has gone by

and has had so much fun working

with and getting to know everyone at

the IWK. Lyndsay can’t wait to see

what the next half of her residency

has in store :)

Third Years

Noor Gazzaz

Noor (meaning Light in Arabic) is originally

from Jeddah, a Saudi Arabian urban city

located on the Red Sea coast. Currently, she

is living her lifelong dream as a pediatric

resident at IWK in Halifax, one of Canada's

best cities – a place and a family she's con-

sidered her second home. She's a hyperac-

tive person who adores kids and loves being

around them. She genuinely enjoys a healthy

and fit lifestyle (lifting weights, swimming,

jogging, etc.), as well as sharing healthy

lifestyle tips with others. One thing that can't

be separated from Noor is her camera so

please say "Cheese" whenever you see her!

Her biggest dream is to travel around the world and explore different

cultures.

Charu Prasad

Charu hails from London, Ontario. She was born in the more glamorous

London, England and moved around quite a bit as a child. She loves be-

ing in Halifax for residency! She completed her undergraduate degree in

medical sciences at Western University as

well as her medical school. She describes

herself as a child at heart which is why she

loves Pediatrics. Besides anything Disney,

she also enjoys reading books, dancing and

choreographing (she is trained in South In-

dian Classical dance X twenty years!!),

singing, going to the gym, travelling and

spending time with family and friends. She

is grateful for the warm welcome to the

Pediatrics family, and has LOVED her first

two years at the IWK. Next July she heads

to Toronto for her fellowship in nephrology,

so she is looking forward to having the best

last year of residency ever with everyone

here!

Third Years

Dave Burnett

While I was born in Halifax, I was actually

raised in beautiful Victoria BC. However, at

17 I wised up and headed back East to Acadia,

where I completed a BScH in biology and met

my future wife Deanna. After spending some

time trekking around Western Europe, we

moved to Toronto where I completed an MSc

in molecular cancer signalling. I was then

lucky enough to spend 4 great years studying

medicine at Dal, and even more lucky to have

gotten a baby out of the deal (our Toby was

born during my 4th year). My son will be 3 this

September, but I’ll be away at the time on a 3 month paternity leave for

baby #2 (due July 2016)! See you all in October!

Third Years

Lindsay Vellacott

Lindsay grew up in Airdrie, Alberta, just outside of Calgary. After high

school, she spent 4 years at the University of Calgary, taking her Bache-

lors of Science in Exercise and Health Physiology. Then she completed

medical school at the University of Alberta. Lindsay has a keen sense of

adventure, and a strong desire to see the world. Through her travels, she’s

had the chance to fly over the jungles of Costa Rica, scuba dive the Great

Barrier Reef, see the Big Five in Kenya, white water raft the Nile River,

and walk through WWI trenches in Europe. In spite of all of her interna-

tional travels, until an elective here in fourth year, she had never been

east of Saskatoon! Her sense of adventure carries over into her everyday

life and activities. Lindsay loves baking, cooking and trying out new

foods. She loves downhill skiing,

rock climbing, hiking, kayaking,

backpacking/camping, and many oth-

er outdoor activities. Over the last

couple of years, she’s taken up surf-

ing, explored Nova Scotia, and run

the 2am leg of the Cabot Trail Relay

(twice!!)! For an Alberta girl who

wasn’t going to go east of Saskatoon

for residency, this has definitely been

an adventure!!

Fourth Years

Rachel Barrett

Rachel grew up in Toronto and completed medical school at McMaster

University in Hamilton, Ontario. Three years ago, she moved to Halifax

for pediatric residency with her partner Victor (he’s now a General

Internal Medicine fellow) and they have absolutely adored living by the

ocean. Rachel feels very proud to call the Maritimes her second home and

very lucky to be part of such a supportive

and compassionate paediatric team. She

is very excited for her final year of

residency and is looking forward to

working with Erin M. as co-chief

residents! Rachel is the oldest of not four

but now five siblings, as her family

welcomed a new baby brother into their

lives last year! Besides showing you

pictures of her adorable little brother,

Rachel loves travelling, singing karaoke,

watching romantic comedies, musical

theatre (seeing it, not doing it), and

holding your baby. And if you ever

happen to be looking for any gluten-free

restaurant recommendations in Halifax,

Rachel is a seasoned celiac who’d be happy to help!

Hiba Al Tarrah

Hiba is originally from Saudi, and she moved

to Halifax three years ago. Hiba and her hus-

band have two beautiful girls, Leah and Tala.

As much as Hiba has loved living on the east

coast, she will be moving to Toronto next year

to do her fellowship in Hematology-Oncology

at Sick Kids. She is super excited about her last

year of residency at the IWK!

Ashley Geerlinks

Ashley is sad to say this is the last time

she will be in the resident book. Ashley,

Geoff, Jake and Kessel will be moving

back to Ontario so Ashley can start her

subspecialty training in Hematology/

Oncology at Sick Kids in October. They

are sad to go but happy to be moving

closer to family. She would like to thank

everyone for making the past 4 years so

special.

And ... Let's go Blue Jays!

Breanna Clive

Breanna was born and raised in

the suburbs of Vancouver. She

completed her bachelor and

medical degrees at UBC, and

decided it was time to check out

the other coast! Growing up

salmon fishing on the west coast,

she is happy to still be near the

ocean. In her spare time she

enjoys being outdoors, hiking,

camping and cycling. She is also a

fan of live theatre and is hoping to

go to New York again this fall!

She loves traveling and lived for 8

months in Vienna, Austria, exploring most of Western Europe. Breanna

and her husband Bryce welcomed a new member to their family: Henry,

born on June 20. Breanna will be off work for 6 months, returning

January 2017, but will be sure to visit the IWK on maternity leave!

Fourth Years

Erin MacDonald

Originally born in Halifax, I grew up second

in a family of four in Antigonish NS. I come

from a very large family (typical rural NS)

of almost 40 aunts and uncles with too many

cousins to count. I am super excited to

welcome my new niece into our family and

try to spend most of my free time with her

and her two brothers. I did my

undergraduate degree at StFX in Ecology, a

Masters in Fish biology in Newfoundland

and worked as a recruiter before starting

med school at Dalhousie. I’ve loved all of

my time here at the IWK and am really

looking forward to my final year… well

maybe not all the exam prep. You can

usually find me enjoying the many awesome

restaurants around Halifax or yelling at the

TV watching the Jays!! I am so grateful to

be part of the IWK family.

Fourth Years

Kate McNeil

Kate was born and raised in Halifax. She

did her undergraduate degree in Biology

at Dal. During that degree she played

varsity basketball, which was a lot of

fun. By the end of her four years she had

pretty much every possible injury and

finally had to stop playing. She did her

med school at Dal and early on realized

pediatrics was the only specialty for her.

She has loved her first three years at the

IWK and is looking forward to her final

one! In her free time she loves to cook,

go out to dinner with friends, run, and go

to the beach whenever possible. Finally,

she loves travelling and is always thinking of her next trip!