Community spotlight: A childhood dream lands St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital its first neurologist

Not only has St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital welcomed a new doctor, she is the facility’s first neurologist.

Nigerian-born Dr. Teye Umanah will provide assessment and care for a full range of neurological conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord and nerves.

She will also hold weekly office hours among the team of talented physicians in the Internal Medicine Department.

The hospital’s chief of staff, Dr. Waleed Chehadi noted the hiring of Dr. Umanah is “a testament to our commitment to continue to attract top-level talent.”

She tells myFM what motivated her to join the staff in St. Thomas.

She says she hopes to have a positive impact on the health and well-being of patients in St. Thomas and Elgin county, focusing on stroke follow-up, transient ischemic attack (TIA’s), seizures, epilepsy and vascular-related dementia.

She came on board at the end of September and notes she is excited to work with the hospital team.

She will oversee clinical leadership of the hospital’s Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic.

From a very early age, she knew she would become a doctor and she never wavered from that dream.

After earning a degree from the University of Calabar in Nigeria, she continued her training in the U.S. and then on to Western University for subspecialist training in cerebrovascular diseases.

Dr. Umanah affirmed she never took her mind off the prize.

Dr. Chehadi stressed Dr. Umanah will  “significantly enhance our ability to provide exceptional neurological care.”

For the time being, she will not be accepting outpatient referrals.