Doctor Spotlight: Nicole Alexander, DO

Dr. Nicole Alexander was a very active middle and high school student near Cleveland, Ohio. She was a gymnast, did tumbling, cheer and played volleyball. But with all that activity came injuries, and a lot of them. She had shoulder surgery, broke both ankles and injured her low back. All those trips to the orthopedic office left her with a big interest in medicine.

“My orthopedic was a DO and he went to Ohio University, and I really liked him and how he approached me as a human before I was just a patient. He would come in and joke with me. He understood more than just the bone.”

That doctor helped fuel a fire that Dr. Alexander already had to help people in a holistic way. She set her path to becoming a doctor.

She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH for her undergraduate degree where she met her husband, Billy. She then went on to attend Ohio University for medical school.

Little by little, the field of Neurology started to become more interesting to her.

“It’s like a big puzzle and I always loved puzzles,” Alexander said.

But one of the biggest things she loves about neurology is the exam used.

“In neurology we still use our exam and rely on that quite a bit to help us understand what’s going on below the surface. The nervous system can show itself quite a bit during our time with the patient.”

Dr. Alexander moved to Dayton to complete her residency at Grandview Medical Center where she worked closely with the doctors at Dayton Center for Neurological Disorders every day. When she graduated residency, it just made sense to join the practice.

Alexander has traveled quite a bit over the years…from mission trips with her church youth group, to Germany to see where her family is from. She credits these experiences to giving her a greater appreciation of people and their differences. She uses that in her job every day.

“People want to be heard. Actually listening to my patients is a huge part of my practice. That, and making sure they understand that the body is a unit, and everything is related.”

When she is not at the office or hospital seeing patients, Dr. Alexander and her husband keep very busy with their young son and daughter.

“Boating, fishing and hiking are some of our favorite things to do” she adds.