Physician sees many changes in rural medicine
In the January-February 2020 edition of Alberta Doctors’ Digest, the AMA proudly Shines A Light on Dr. Lori Lobay.
Born and raised in small town Alberta, Dr. Lori Lobay is a rural general practitioner and has been, for 35 years.
Born in Smoky Lake and delivered by her father (because the doctor from Vilna did not make it in time), Lori always planned to work rurally. Lori’s father, Dr. Fred Lobay, was Smoky Lake’s lone physician for several decades, during which he cared for the residents of Smoky Lake and also the nearby Indigenous Cree population and Hutterite communities.
As a small-town doctor in rural Alberta, travelling country roads at all hours during snowstorms was a matter of course for Dr. Fred Lobay. Often with family in tow, he delivered babies and administered anesthetics for the town and neighboring communities. Dr. Lobay passed on his love and dedication as a country doctor to his daughter, Lori.
In a memoriam article (Edmonton Journal, September 14, 2013; written by Keith Gerein) dedicated to her father upon his death August 25, at age 89, Lori commented: “He was a hard-working, uncomplaining, humble sort of fella who really loved his job and the community.”
It is evident, based on the description provided by Dr. Alison Clarke in her nomination of Lori for recognition by the AMA’s Shine A Light program, that Lori only planned to do what she knew, providing care with compassion while dedicating herself to her patients and community.
Continue reading Dr. Lobay's Shine A Light profile (Alberta Doctors’ Digest, January-February 2020)