OHA GENERAL MANAGER SCOTT MAY IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE DR. NOLAN RAU AS OUR NEW PROGRAM PHYSICIAN.
Okanagan Hockey Academy is excited to announce that Dr. Nolan Rau, MD, CCFP (SEM), Dip. Sports Medicine will be coming on board as the OHA Program Physician in January 2023. Dr. Rau will be stepping into the shoes of the current Program Physician, Dr. Trevor Connolly, who is retiring.
“I am very excited to join the OHA team for the opportunity to work with high-performance student-athletes, as well as the outstanding medical team that already exists here. It is clear that this organization values the health and well-being of the athletes, which is reflected in the quality of the staff that is already working here, and the discussions that we have had so far. I am excited to work with everyone and to continue the excellent work of Dr. Connolly.”
Dr. Rau has his Canadian Academy of Sports and Exercise Medicine (CASEM) Diploma in Sports and Exercise, in addition to his MD credentials. Since earning his CASEM, Dr. Rau has been providing care for teams at the WHL, BCHL, and KIJHL levels, including the WHL Kelowna Rockets and the BCHL Penticton Vees.
In addition to his work at the Junior Hockey level, Dr. Rau was the Event Coverage Physician for the Canada vs. USA Women’s National Team game in Kelowna and the 2022 Canuck’s Young Stars Classic. In 2023, Dr. Rau will be the Event Coverage Physician for the 2023 Canada Games.
His Sports and Exercise Medicine Fellowship Training saw him complete rotations in Sports Medicine, Psychiatry, Emergency, Orthopedics, Concussion, Pediatric Orthopedics, and Ultrasound-Guided procedures. He has provided event coverage for all UBC Thunderbird hockey & football home games, as well as rugby, ISU Skate Canada International, NLL professional lacrosse, and Harry Jerome international track meet.
“OHA Penticton is extremely fortunate to have found someone like Dr. Rau to take over as the Head Doctor in our program. Dr. Connolly has been a staple in our organization for the last 10 years and it is with his recommendation of Dr Rau, we all agreed this was a great opportunity moving forward. Dr. Rau’s education in sport medicine is aligned with our needs to best provide for our student-athletes and will be a great partnership with our medical team already in place.” – GM, Scott May
A Penticton native, Dr. Rau played his minor hockey years within the Penticton Minor Hockey Association system and, between 2018 and 2020, volunteered his time with the PMHA as a Volunteer Coach with the U15 age group. He has completed several hockey coaching certification courses.
Dr. Rau attended medical school in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and says they were four of the best years of his life! He considers him fortunate to have to complete his family medicine residency at home in Penticton and spend time in Vancouver at UBC completing his Sports Medicine Fellowship.
His career highlights to date include providing medical care for the entirety of UBC varsity athletics during his fellowship year. He got to experience working shoulder to shoulder with doctors from the Olympic Games, as well as numerous professional teams.
A true sports fan, Dr. Rau prides himself on being one of the biggest Dallas Stars and Saskatchewan Roughriders fans you will ever meet!