Resident of the Month Winners - 2024
Please look below at the winners of Maritime Resident Doctors' Resident of the Month award for 2023. For more info on the award including criteria and an application form, please CLICK HERE.
November 2024 - Yousuf Ahmed (PGY3, FMIE)
Maritime Resident Doctors is pleased to announce Yousuf Ahmed, a PGY3 in Family Medicine Integrated Emergency Medicine (Saint John), is our latest Resident of the Month.
Our Resident of the Month award aims to improve resident well-being by recognizing and rewarding resident colleagues with exceptional achievements while maintaining a work-life balance. The criteria includes academic accomplishments, research activities, social events, family life, community involvement, humanitarian service, leadership, and more.
Serving as co-chief of his program, Dr. Ahmed was nominated by his peers.
"He continually fosters a collegial group environment and is an excellent resource for junior residents," his nomination reads. "Importantly with this role, he is socially focused on improving resident engagement and wellness with the introduction of an annual resident wellness retreat. He also coordinates iFMEM socials and co-runs the social media pages."
In addition to his work as chief, Dr. Ahmed excels in his specialty.
"He is also one of the leaders in the Canadian frostbite collaborative - focused on improving frostbite care, particularly in rural centres, by improving access to vital medications, researching novel therapies and management. He also proves himself as a leader in the emergency department during our simulation exercises and on shift."
As the winner of this award, Dr. Ahmed will receive a $100 gift card.
Congratulations from everyone at Maritime Resident Doctors on winning this award.
April 2024 (No. 4) - Karen Cholmondeley (PGY3, Internal Medicine)
Maritime Resident Doctors is pleased to announce Karen Cholmondeley, a PGY3 in Internal Medicine Saint John, is our latest Resident of the Month.
Our Resident of the Month award aims to improve resident well-being by recognizing and rewarding resident colleagues with exceptional achievements while maintaining a work-life balance. The criteria includes academic accomplishments, research activities, social events, family life, community involvement, humanitarian service, leadership, and more.
Dr. Cholmondeley was nominated by her peers.
"I believe that she deserves recognition for her fierce advocacy on behalf of residents and she has demonstrated on numerous occasions the ability to rise to challenges," her nomination says. "As chief she had to deal with the call schedule and all of the last-minute changes that arise. I have also seen her on multiple occasions staying late at work to help a co-resident in need."
Originally from Kingston, Ont., Dr. Cholmondeley has served as chief resident in Saint John and will head back to Ontario shortly to complete her fellowship in Respirology.
"Karen is someone who always tries to get the group together for events," he nomination says. "She has hosted gatherings at her place, and she often invites the group to join her in the various organized running events, such as the Port City Beer Run."
As the winner of this award, Dr. Cholmondeley will receive a $100 gift card.
Congratulations from everyone at Maritime Resident Doctors on winning this award.
April 2024 (No. 3) - Saly Halawa (PGY3, Family Medicine Emergency Medicine)
Maritime Resident Doctors is pleased to announce Saly Halawa, a PGY3 in Family Medicine Emergency Medicine, is our latest Resident of the Month.
Our Resident of the Month award aims to improve resident well-being by recognizing and rewarding resident colleagues with exceptional achievements while maintaining a work-life balance. The criteria includes academic accomplishments, research activities, social events, family life, community involvement, humanitarian service, leadership, and more.
Dr. Halawa was nominated by her peers.
"Saly exemplifies the well-rounded resident and human," her nomination says. "Incredible clinical acumen aside, she has continuously made sure to take care of herself and others throughout residency. Saly actively seeks out study sessions with others (and I don't think it's because she is the one that needs them...) and when emergencies come up, she's always the one to jump in and take a call shift off your hands so you can take care of yourself. She is kind, caring, and an all-around wonderful person, not to mention a great clinician."
Dr. Halawa is a perfect example of the all-hands-on-deck attitude present in many small programs.
"Our program only has two residents per year and my second child was born a month into our first year of residency. Even though we'd only known each other for three weeks, she offered to care for our eldest while my wife gave birth," her nomination reads. "She also continues to take our kids on play dates, babysits so we can have date nights, and actively recruits my wife to play sports with her in their spare time."
As the winner of this award, Dr. Halawa will receive a $100 gift card.
Congratulations from everyone at Maritime Resident Doctors on winning this award.
April 2024 (No. 2) - Fares Al-Jahdali (PGY5, Orthopaedics)
Maritime Resident Doctors is pleased to announce Fares Al-Jahdali, a PGY5 in Orthopaedics, is our latest Resident of the Month.
Our Resident of the Month award aims to improve resident well-being by recognizing and rewarding resident colleagues with exceptional achievements while maintaining a work-life balance. The criteria includes academic accomplishments, research activities, social events, family life, community involvement, humanitarian service, leadership, and more.
Dr. Al-Jahdali was nominated by his peers.
"Fares is an exemplary leader in our program and very deserving of 'Resident of the Month'," his nomination says. "He has been a great addition to our resident group. Over his almost five-years here, he has developed into an accomplished resident-teacher and readily shares his knowledge with his peers and junior learners."
Despite a typically heavy schedule, Dr. Al-Jahdali always finds time for mentorship.
"In a notoriously busy program, Fares has found ways to find time for daily teaching for junior residents and is known for his 'teaching moments' at morning handover," his nomination continues. "His mentorship has endeared him to the junior residents, and he is often the person they reach out to when they encounter difficulties. He does this while balancing his own academic commitments, a heavy residency schedule, and still finds time to play soccer with a group of other residents. In terms of a well-balanced leader, I can't think of anyone more deserving of Resident of the Month than Fares."
As the winner of this award, Dr. Al-Jahdali will receive a $100 gift card.
Congratulations from everyone at Maritime Resident Doctors on winning this award.
April 2024 (No. 1) - Fares Al-fares (PGY5, Pediatric Oncology)
Maritime Resident Doctors is pleased to announce Fares Al-fares, a PGY5 in Pediatric Oncology, is our latest Resident of the Month.
Our Resident of the Month award aims to improve resident well-being by recognizing and rewarding resident colleagues with exceptional achievements while maintaining a work-life balance. The criteria includes academic accomplishments, research activities, social events, family life, community involvement, humanitarian service, leadership, and more.
Dr. Al-Fares was nominated by his peers.
"Fares has been a leader and inspiration to our pediatric and non-pediatric colleagues," his nomination reads. "He is a passionate teacher, and its no surprise that he won the teaching award for pediatric residents at Dalhousie University, as well as an international award from the Canadian Federation of medical students recognizing him as a culture changer of medical education."
His nomination goes on to outline how much Dr. Al-Fares helps his colleagues settle into their residency.
"Fares has fit in so well and is the glue that keeps us together. He goes out of his way to mentor juniors, students, and to explain and teach. He is friendly, funny, and well known as the Pokemon doc. His enthusiasm is infectious, and inspires everyone around him. Patients regularly come looking for the 'Pokemon Doc' and Fares takes his time to genuinely make each patient feel special."
As the winner of this award, Dr. Al-Fares will receive a $100 gift card.
Congratulations from everyone at Maritime Resident Doctors on winning this award.
