Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin is pleased to welcome new physicians, nurse practitioners and a psychologist to their care teams, according to a press release.

Dr. Nicole Varela joined the anesthesiology department in Albert Lea and Austin in late August.

She received her medical degree at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and completed residencies in anesthesiology and internal medicine at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester.

Varela is board-certified in anesthesiology and internal medicine.

Angela Chisholm, certified nurse practitioner in family medicine, started seeing patients on the Austin campus Sept. 5.

Chisholm received her master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner at Allen College in Waterloo, Iowa, and completed a Bachelor of Science in nursing at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. She is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Her professional interests include women’s health.

Sarah Minter, certified nurse practitioner in urgent care, started seeing patients in Austin on Sept. 5. Minter received her master’s degree in family nurse practitioner from Concordia University in Mequon, Wisconsin. She has completed a family medicine and express care residency in the Mayo Clinic nurse residency program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Melanie DeVries, certified nurse practitioner in family medicine, started seeing patients in Austin on Sept. 19.

DeVries received a doctorate of nursing practice from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. She is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Her professional interests include women’s health and mental health care.

Dr. Nathaniel Lombardi started seeing patients in behavioral health on the Albert Lea campus on Sept. 24.

He received a doctor of philosophy degree in clinical psychology and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Dr. Ruaa Al-Ward started seeing hospital patients in Albert Lea and Austin on Oct. 8.

She received her medical degree at College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, Iraq. She has completed an internal medicine residency at McLaren Hospital at Michigan State University in Flint, Michigan, and at King Hussein Cancer Centre in Amman, Jordan. She also completed hematology training in leukemia at MD Anderson Cancer Center/University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Amman.

Al-Ward most recently completed a hospital medicine fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Dr. Nicole Lovat started seeing patients in family medicine in Austin on Oct. 8. She received her medical degree at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and completed residency in rural family medicine also at the University of Manitoba.