SMU Alumni Highlight: Monique Fares

Written by: Holly Morrison

@holly.morrison

Photo by Kelly Clark from The Globe and Mail

The education and career path that SMU alumni Monique Fares has taken to open her own corporate medical clinic may seem unusual, but it is the one that worked for her and brought her success. With her high grades in STEM classes throughout high school, and a lifelong dream of becoming a doctor, Fares originally planned to attend Dalhousie to study medicine in order to become a pediatrician. However, it was her high school volleyball coach that suggested another possible path for Fares: kinesiology. After graduating from Dalhousie University in 2009 with a BSc in kinesiology, Fares then wrote the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in order to continue to pursue medicine.

Before attending medical school, however, Fares decided to take some time off to work in the healthcare field to gain work experience. Working for the Arthritis & Injury Care Centre, she held the position of surgical consultant and worked selling orthopedic medical devices to various clinics and hospitals. Experiencing the business side of healthcare, Fares became interested in the business field and decided she wanted to operate her own clinic one day. It is this decision that led her to attend the Sobey School of Business to receive her Master’s in business administration (MBA) in 2013. 

During her time at SMU, Fares held the position of president of the MBA Society from 2014-15. That same year, she created a detailed market analysis and business plan for a private corporate wellness clinic here in Halifax. Upon graduation, she partnered with two physicians to make this plan a reality. Signature Health opened in January 2016, and Monique was only 28 when she became the chief executive officer, along with Dr. John Gillis as the president and medical director and Dr. Howard Conter as a senior medical consultant. 

Logo by Signature Health

The goal of Signature Health is to be a one-stop medical clinic for both individuals and staff of large corporations, focusing on proactive and preventative treatments such as annual health assessments, diagnostic tests, and nutrition and fitness. The care that patients receive is highly individualized, and patients work closely with the staff, including doctors, nurses, dietitians, and fitness professionals. In addition to the individual care, Signature Health works to sell corporate wellness packages to companies around Atlantic Canada, which consists of a comprehensive annual health assessment in which a patient is seen and consulted by various health practitioners, with any necessary follow-up provided. Today, Signature Health is Atlantic Canada’s only corporate wellness clinic. Prior to Signature Health’s opening, businesses were required to send executives to clinics in Quebec, Ontario, or even to the U.S. Thus, having this high-end clinic situated locally has been a win/win scenario for all parties. Fares hopes to expand the clinic going forward, and is looking to bring more corporate wellness clinics to the Atlantic.

Fares’ success as an entrepreneur has not gone unnoticed. In 2018, she was honoured by the BMO Celebrating Women event in the area of expansion and growth in small business for her work with Signature Health. More recently, she has become a finalist in the 2020 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards (CWEA) for a start-up company. The CWEA will announce their winners during the gala on November 18th.  Fares is in good company; with 20 finalists this year. Over 40,000 women have been nominated for this award since it’s inception 28 years ago. 

Not only does Fares stand out for her excellent work in business, she also holds many different volunteer positions with various organizations. Her passion to allow people to live their healthiest lives has extended to her volunteerism as well.  Fares has volunteered with the Halifax Special Olympics since 2005 as a coordinator, board member, and most recently as the regional coordinator. She also served for 6 years as a trustee on the IWK Foundation Board, and is currently serving on the QEII Foundation Board in the same capacity.

Fares is also a proud and involved member of the Lebanese community here in Halifax. Since 2002, she has served as a member of the Diman Association Canada, a local Lebanese organization. In this role, she co-founded and served as an instructor at the Lebanese School of Dance, which connects students to their cultures through song and dance. In addition, she also served as a board member for the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce in Nova Scotia. 

There is no doubt that Monique Fares is successful in many areas of her life. Through volunteering, business, education, and healthcare, she is certainly a SMU alumni to be proud of and to continue to watch as her business grows. With the announcement of the winners of the CWEA coming in just a few short weeks, I wanted to highlight this amazing woman and her contribution to the world of healthcare. Fares is certainly a role model to look to when it comes to entrepreneurship, and is very supportive of young entrepreneurs achieving their goals. Her story is one that shows SMU students no matter what your major, you can always chase after your passion.