Hala Karnib, M.D., pulmonary diseases and sleep medicine physician, specializes in serious respiratory conditions in the intensive care unit and treating outpatients who have difficulty getting a good night’s sleep.

Dr. Karnib found her calling early in life and never strayed from it. Not in grade school. Not in high school. Not in college or medical school.

“I know it sounds cliché, but I always had the drive to be a doctor,” she said.

Her ambition was sparked by a positive health care experience during childhood.

“I really liked going to my pediatrician,” Dr. Karnib said. “I still remember his name, his office and everything about the experience of going to see him.”

As a child, she announced her plans and set out on a path to become the first physician in her family.

The Michigan native joined Norton Healthcare in August 2018 after finishing a three-year fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at University of Louisville Hospital. Prior to that, Dr. Karnib completed a one-year sleep medicine fellowship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

As a physician at Norton Pulmonary Specialists, Dr. Karnib cares for seriously ill patients with respiratory conditions and helps other patients get a good night’s sleep, including those with obstructive sleep apnea. She points out the frequency with which obstructive sleep apnea is diagnosed, in part due to awareness on the part of practitioners and patients.

Dr. Karnib stresses the need for good sleep with her patients.

“I think people underestimate how important it is to have a structure when it comes to your sleep schedule, such as what time you go to bed and wake up,” she said. “There is a lot of literature that shows the link between untreated sleep apnea and other health issues, such as diabetes, kidney disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, heart conditions and stroke.”