Olivia E. Hilal, MD
Resident
University of Pittsburgh, BS
Drexel University College of Medicine, MD
I was born and raised in the city of bridges, the town of old steel mills, and Heinz Ketchup–Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My earlier years were spent performing my viola all over the city, the country, and sometimes across the Atlantic in our family string quartet. Music has always brought me a lot of joy, and I’d often find myself performing for patients at hospitals to share that joy and peace with them. I closed out my chapter in Pittsburgh by attending the University of Pittsburgh where I majored in Biology and minored in French—an ode to my French-speaking Lebanese family as my father is from Beirut.
Philadelphia was the next place to call home, where I spent my medical training at Drexel alongside my best friend, who happens to be my twin sister. I spent a lot of time in the smaller suburbs of Philadelphia during my training and fell in love with providing care for my community and understanding how to be of service to its needs. During the last two years of medical school, I completed my clinical years in hospitals in both the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas.
Although big city life was an exciting change, I dreamed of moving somewhere where community is the backbone of the town and neighbors take care of each other. Close to a decade ago, my sister and I had our first experience with Lancaster after performing in a regional orchestra, and now we are so excited to call this beautiful city our home. Above all, I love the broad scope of family medicine, and have also developed an interest in palliative/geriatric and addiction medicine.
When I’m not at the hospital, I’m most likely outside hiking a local trail, whipping up a big batch of middle eastern grape-leaves, or singing and playing my guitar with friends.
