Alexander Belan is a Philippines-born, San Francisco Bay Area-based healthcare professional. After graduating from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines with a degree in tourism, he worked as a travel and tourism specialist and eventually came to the United States with his wife and daughter.
Aleks began exploring other careers following September 11 attacks and subsequent slowdown in tourism, he settled on healthcare, specializing in dialysis care. After first applying for a patient care technician position, he accepted a role as a reuse technician. “It was a good start for me to understand dialysis in general and a strong foundation for working in this field,” says Aleks.
After training as a PCT several months later, Aleks worked both jobs for a while, and he received recognitions for being a reliable PCT and reuse technician, helping multiple clinics. He worked as an access flow surveillance technician for eight Bay Area clinics for 13 years, learning about hemodialysis access through interactions with hospital case managers, nurses and doctors. “Plus, researching on my own has been very helpful. It helped me advance during my in-center days and had a huge impact on my hemodialysis career.”
Today, Aleks works with the Satellite WellBound Home and Peritoneal Dialysis assist program and has been very busy learning other modalities and finding effective ways to evaluate how patients can start on whatever modality works for them. “Our company is well known for its outstanding reputation for the in-home modality, and it’s good to be a part of the organization.”
Aleks is passionate about patient care, saying, “It’s all about giving patients comfort and extending a helping hand. If I can lessen their worries and make them smile again, that’s a win.”
Outside his busy work schedule, Aleks’ passions include photography, cycling and hiking and, occasionally, culinary activities.