Canadian Association of Optometry Students March 2021
Student Doctor of the Month, Jesse Alibrando
Jesse Alibrando is a 4th year optometry student at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). Born in Montreal, Quebec, and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Jesse is well-versed in a variety of languages, which has provided him with the tools to perform ocular examinations in French, English, Spanish and Italian. Jesse obtained his Honors Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science from The University of Ottawa in 2017. He is excited to graduate from MCPHS in June 2021 and move home to serve the residents of Ottawa, Ontario.
While pursuing his undergraduate degree, he worked at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, where he gained an appreciation for the empathy required to provide paediatric healthcare. Additionally, while living in his hometown of Cornwall, Ontario, he volunteered for a youth organization called Optimist Club, where he sat on the student board to help organize events and played at numerous local venues with his local rock band. Jesse also taught music to elementary school students during his free time, played organized sports, and worked at his local grocery store while in high school.
Jesse is passionate about helping others. While in optometry school, he was a part of the mentorship program where he volunteered a lot of his free time in mentoring 1st and 2nd year optometry students. His helping nature is highly recognized by his patients, preceptors and peers. In the clinic, Jesse is known to be knowledgeable, compassionate and gentle. As quoted by one of the attending doctors, “to put it simply, Jesse is a pleasure to work with in clinic! He is always happy to take patients, and capable of handling any type of case thrown his way. And of course, his wonderful personality and kindness are appreciated by everyone he comes into contact with, especially his patients!” Jesse has clinical interests in a variety of settings including paediatrics, low vision, and OD/MD co-management of ocular disease.
Jesse is deserving of The Canadian Association of Optometry Students “Student Doctor of the Month” for his outstanding desire to contribute to the field of optometry.