She has dedicated her career to improving health-care operations, governance and community leadership, improving outcomes
Age: 35
After Alyshah Nurani’s teenage brother was injured in a car collision, he couldn’t recite the days of the week or even recall what year it was. But he easily recalled the name of his nurse, says Nurani.
She was a U of A student aiming to become a nurse herself, and that moment clarified her perspective. “It showed the impact of one person caring for someone in such a vulnerable state,” she says.
Her brother recovered and became a lawyer. Nurani became a nurse and personally saw the benefits of health care. Once she administered strong painkillers to a dying patient, who thanked her for the chance to spend time with family in comfort. “I loved one-on-one nursing care,” says Nurani. “I wanted to take that knowledge to improve care for thousands of families.”
So she went back to school and finished an executive MBA in digital transformations at McMaster University, learning how technology can improve care. She uses that knowledge as portfolio manager for pediatric operative and surgical services at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, one of Western Canada’s largest pediatric surgical portfolios, including more than 11,000 procedures annually. She also co-authored the Stollery’s emergency management guidelines, which detail a safe, equitable process for handling urgent cases, and she redesigned pediatric endoscopy booking and scheduling to manage waitlists, focusing on children who’ve had long waits. And she has served on numerous non-profit boards, most focusing on health.
Recently, she was the engagement lead for the pediatric surgical suite focus group, supporting planning for the future standalone Stollery. One goal: to ensure patient perspectives are considered in decisions, reflecting Nurani’s dedication to vulnerable populations.
This article appears in the November-December 2026 issue of Edify
