Dr. Alicia Stovell has followed her calling - right back to the shores of the Island her parents left almost 50 years ago.

Born in the United States to Bermudian parents, Dr. Stovell, who recently took over the late Dr. Hamza's opthamology practice, said she feels as though she has finally come home.

"I sometimes feel as though I am Bermudian," she said. "Codfish breakfasts, Christmas dinners, summers with my grandfather - I saw kids picking loquats and it reminded me of my youth. It's rather exciting for me to return."

Dr. Stovell was born and raised in Queen's, New York, and she attended the State University of New York where she took first an undergraduate degree in Biology and then medical school for opthamology.

Afterwards, she spent one more year in internal medicine at State University before moving on to the Windy City, where she took a position at Cook County Hospital - Chicago's only public hospital. "I spent three years there and then I decided I was not going back to New York," she said.

Instead she went into practice for herself. Dr. Stovell operated out of two practices; one a "mega-practice" consisting of eight offices, five MD's, and an awe-inspiring 250,000 patients.

And on top of the mega-practice she also ran her own private practice. "It was for about 12 years," she remembered.

Then, a year and a half ago, she heard of the unfortunate and untimely death of Dr. Hamza. Dr. Stovell had actually spoken with Dr. Hamza during her time in medical school about practising in Bermuda, however caught up in her residency in New York she said she did not feel the timing was right.

Then, after 12 years of the mega and private practices: "I got the call and it was at the right time for me," she said.

Placing an associate in her private practice and ending the mega-practice, Dr. Stovell spent the next year concentrating on the move to Bermuda.

And finally, just last week, she landed in Bermuda and opened up her practice in her new home.

"In one week it's been quite interesting. There's still a few things I need," she laughed. "But I'm devoting my energy to eye care ... I've met a lot of people, they've been very helpful - from the Bank of Bermuda to medical practitioners to my neighbours to family in the States, England and here.

"Yes, I'm planning on being here for a while," she added. "I feel that I've grown a lot as far as building businesses in the States - but there comes a point when you have to be able to put down roots."

Dr. Stovell said she was glad she had not moved to Bermuda when Dr. Hamza first approached her during her time in medical school. "It was a good time to refine all the skills necessary," she said. "When you are one of only two opthamologists 800 miles from the mainland. I feel very knowledgeable about the clinical side and surgery. Now I am able to give back what I feel Bermuda gave me.

"What do I hope to accomplish? I want to enlarge upon where Dr. Hamza left off. He had quite a technologically advanced office, I want to bring it up to all the sophistication of electronic media and the new technology that's occurring and that Bermudians should have available to them."

She feels lucky, she added, because Dr. Hamza's practice was already so technologically advanced.

"There's a state of the art laser, photography, glaucoma screening already in place - I am fortunate that I can walk into a practice that hasn't been open in a year and a half but is still up to date. Everything is working, all I have to do is bring my knowledge."

Dr. Stovell thinks there is definitely a need in Bermuda for more than one opthalmologist (Dr. Leonard Teye-Botchway also practices opthamology on the Island).

"There's a heavy diabetic population, glaucoma, trauma - it's good that I have a heavy surgery background, that's probably the thing I love to do most.

"I love what I do."