Dr. Gracia Hamadeh, a family medicine specialist, attended the January session of the Welcome Collaborative.

For internationally trained physicians arriving in Nova Scotia, the transition into practice can be both professionally rewarding and deeply personal. For family physician Dr. Gracia Hamadeh, a participant in the Welcome Collaborative in January, the program offered more than an orientation—it provided structure, connection, and reassurance.

“The Welcome Collaborative is a statement that we are here to support you,” says Dr. Hamadeh. “It lets physicians from around the world know that they’re not alone.”

Dr. Hamadeh brings extensive international experience to Nova Scotia. Between 2020 and 2025, she practised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the Dr. Suleiman Habib Medical Group as a founding physician, and at Dr. Suleiman Al Fakeeh as a staff physician and U.S. veterans’ physician.

Before that, she completed her family medicine residency at the American University of Beirut and held a range of clinical roles across Lebanon, including ambulatory and urban care, rural practice, and hospitalist work.

After learning about Nova Scotia through international recruitment efforts, Dr. Hamadeh says the Welcome Collaborative played a critical role in her transition. “I was grateful that I was a participant in the Welcome Collaborative before initiating my practice,” she says. “It was very compact, but it created structure for my days.”

She describes the five-day program as both grounding and practical, bringing together voices from across the health-care system. “It introduced the pillars of the different entities of the health-care landscape—from nursing to social workers to clinical psychologists, to Doctors of Nova Scotia,” she says.

Now practising in Halifax, Dr. Hamadeh says her approach to medicine has continued to evolve. With a clinical focus on obesity medicine, she emphasizes preventive care and a patient-centred model. “My role here is not just writing a prescription,” she explains, “but facilitating access to resources and safeguarding patients’ choices regarding their health.”

Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Hamadeh is also committed to community building. In January 2026, shortly after arriving in Halifax, she co-founded the Lebanese Health Professionals of Atlantic Canada, creating a network to support integration, collaboration, and community development.

Looking ahead, she hopes to remain involved with the Welcome Collaborative. “It makes a difference in the lives of individual physicians who participate, and I’m looking forward to giving back,” says Dr. Hamadeh.