COM Outlook Summer/Fall 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 17 FAST FACTS NATALIE NEGRON, D.O. Hometown • Fort Worth, Texas Leadership Highlights • inaugural member of the KPCOM Mental Health Awareness Task Force • national first vice chair for the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents • president of the KPCOM Student Government Association • student adviser to the American Osteopathic Association Board of Trustees • student delegate for the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association Board of Trustees Residency Training • family medicine residency at Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Florida KPCOM Kudos “What I have appreciated most from my mentors and role models has been the belief they have placed in me. It is because they believed in me that I have felt inspired and motivated to accomplish my goals. As a direct consequence of this, I have dedicated my time as a student leader to do the same for others.” Words of Wisdom “Sometimes our biggest successes can be rooted in what seem like our biggest failures. What I mean by this is that sometimes the obstacles we face in life, though we may not know it in the moment, may reveal themselves later in life to be learning experiences and hidden blessings.” prevention training into the medical student curriculum. Becoming a KPCOM graduate and embarking on her family medicine residency training at Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Florida, are huge triumphs for Negron, who almost surrendered her medical school dreams following a setback during her senior year as an NSU undergrad. “I was applying for medical school, and as any premed student can attest, the process is grueling and exhausting. You are pushed to your limits mentally and physi- cally,” she explained. “You place yourself in a vulnerable position by entering into what can oftentimes be a cutthroat and competitive environment,” Negron added. “My personal struggle was made even harder because I had to take my Medical College Admission Test twice. Standardized tests had never been my strong suit, but I was so discouraged upon receiving my first score. I began comparing myself with others, and I started to doubt my ability to succeed, to make it into med school, and to one day become a physician.” To compound her anguish and self-doubt, Negron encountered an unsupportive administrator who told her to consider a different field, such as law, and give up her dream of becoming a physician. Not surprisingly, Negron was devastated. “One day, when I was feeling completely overwhelmed by it all, I confided in my genetics professor, who shared some words with me I have never forgotten: ‘Failure is not what defines you. What defines you are your actions and willingness to get back up and keep going,’” she said. “At a time when I had started to lose faith in myself, he never lost sight of my potential. With his words engraved in my mind, I pushed forward.” Negron not only persevered, she thrived, winning several prestigious accolades, including the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association Seltzer Legislative and Healthcare Policy Award in 2017. In early 2018, she was voted KPCOM Student of the Year by her peers and duplicated that feat a few months later when she received the KPCOM Student of the Year honor at the NSU Student Life Achieve- ment Awards. “Had I listened to the admi- nistrator who gave up on me, I never would have followed my true passion,” added Negron, who plans to remain involved in health care and public policy issues at the state and national level throughout her career. “In the time that has passed since then, I have used those words, both from the administrator and from my professor, as motivation to continue forward and follow my dreams.” One such dream is to com- plete a fellowship in women’s health following her residency and open a women and children’s health center in South Florida for the underserved. “The challenges we face hap- pen for a reason, even if they are unclear in the moment,” she stressed. “Be resilient in the face of adversity, and remember that the middle space is only tempo- rary. There are brighter days ahead after the storm if you have faith and trust the process.” o