45
COM Outlook . Summer-Fall 2014
lum of medical school and matricu-
late into the upcoming medical class
if the students have achieved 80
percent or higher in each class.
“The program gave me the tools I
needed to master efficient study hab-
its, hone my time-management skills,
and build a strong foundation of
medical knowledge necessary for suc-
cess in medical school. Through the
program, I’ve learned there’s no limit
to the amount of effort I will exercise
to reach my goals,” Dr. Wellington
explained. “I’ll never forget the day I
got the phone call of acceptance. I’ve
never been more excited in my life.”
NSU-COM prides itself on a holis-
tic practice of choosing candidates.
The vetting process has led the col-
lege to accept students that may not
have been selected anywhere else be-
cause it knows such candidates often
make wonderful doctors—and that
their experiences often build them
into leaders who do great things. Dr.
Wellington was one of those stu-
dents. Her dedication to her dream of
being a caring physician resulted in
personal and professional rewards as
she worked with her fellow students
and members of the community.
As she triumphantly welcomed the
demanding life of a medical student,
Dr. Wellington also considered the
importance of the personal side of
her life. “I met my husband Sausaun
just before I began medical school,”
she said. “From our first few dates, it
was clear to us that we were meant
for each other. Halfway through
medical school, we got married on
the beach in a small, intimate cer-
emony. He’s been through every step
of this journey with me as my rock
and greatest supporter.”
Once Dr. Wellington joined her
classmates at NSU-COM, she further
developed her great passion for
teaching and mentoring others—a
tradition that started when she was
an undergraduate. She flourished as
a leader among her peers, participat-
ing in the traditional medical school
activities of studying, publishing
her research, and attending medi-
cal conferences. She also served as
an academical society peer mentor
and tutor for her classmates and
underclassmen. Her devotion to
giving back to the community led
her to serve as clinic coordinator for
the student-run HIV testing clinic
on campus—expanding the clinic’s
outreach to offer testing and HIV
awareness at community centers and
events throughout South Florida.
Logging more than 300 hours of
community service, she won a TOUCH
Community Service Award. After
her induction into the Sigma Sigma
Phi National Honorary Osteopathic
Service Fraternity, Dr. Wellington
redesigned COMPals—a program that
brings undergraduate students from
various universities to NSU to learn
about the medical school curriculum,
listen for sounds made by internal or-
gans on the Harvey simulation device,
and study cadaver specimens.
A few examples of recognition
for her strong sense of purpose and
social responsibility include member-
ship in the Gold Humanism Honor
Society and Psi Sigma Alpha National
Osteopathic Scholastic Honor Society,
being recognized as a Sigma Sigma
Phi Grand Chapter physician member,
winning the Leonard Tow 2014 Hu-
manism in Medicine Award, receiving
During her time at NSU-COM, Dr.Wellington participated
in the college’s medical outreach trip to Jamaica.
Dr. Wellington with her
husband, Sausaun, at their
2012 wedding.
