COM Outlook Summer/Fall 2019

U 16 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE N egron credits her career choice to an unlikely source—the medical shows ER and Grey’s Anatomy . As a child growing up in Fort Worth, Texas, Negron was riveted to the TV screen as she watched fictional characters like Meredith Grey perform lifesaving surgeries. “Growing up, I fell in love with so many different careers and changed what I wanted to do quite a bit, but I kept coming back to medicine,” said Negron, whose family relocated to South Florida when she was eight. “As crazy as it may sound, since no one in my family was in the medical field, these fictional characters were some of my first role models. That’s why I wanted to pursue a career path that would allow me to have as great, and as positive, of an impact as the characters I revered.” While these fictional portrayals lit the initial fire, a personal incident fueled the medical flame prior to Negron attending the KPCOM. During the summer before her junior year of high school, Negron’s grandfather underwent emergency surgery following a nasty fall and was hospitalized in Puerto Rico for two weeks. “I often recall that time as the best and worst two weeks of my life. It was during this terrifying situation that I first found myself. I helped take care of my grandfa- ther by making sure he took his medication, walking him around the hospital, and feeding him his meals,” she recalled. “I was amazed at how natural it felt to take care of him, as though it was my primitive instinct,” she said. “My affinity for caring for others allowed me to make the best of a horrible situation. It really sparked my interest in the medical field and set me down a path to become a doctor.” After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in 2015, Negron matriculated into the KPCOM, making an immedi- ate impact as a student leader within the college, as well as nationally. “I had a desire to better my school, to champion student issues, and to leave my program better than I found it,” said Negron, who served as president of the college’s SGA in 2017–2018. During her KPCOM tenure, Negron became the inaugural member of the college’s Mental Health Awareness Task Force, volunteered as national first vice chair for the Council of Osteo- pathic Student Government Presidents, and served as student adviser to the American Osteo- pathic Association Board of Trustees. She also became a member of the NSU President’s 64 —an elite body of student leaders who provide targeted feedback to the university’s president and serve as student ambassadors and representatives at NSU events. Negron’s involvement allowed her to broaden her expertise and tackle some weighty issues, such as drafting and recommending changes to the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation standards for D.O. colleges pertaining to sexual harassment, professionalism and ethics, and mental health. “Of all the projects I’ve had the unique honor to be involved with, the initiative I derive the most meaning from, and con- sider my greatest contribution to my community, is empower- ing my fellow students to serve as advocates and leaders,” said Negron, who developed a proposal to incorporate sexual misconduct and suicide Natalie Negron hones her diagnostic skills on a robotic manikin in the college’s Medical Simulation Clinic. continued from page 15 NATALIE NEGRON : Failure Fosters Empowerment