Natalie Delemeester, M4, is a new TIP student at the UMHSparrow/MSU Family Medicine Residency Program.
"I am driven by a desire to create positive change. This is what drew me to medicine and what continues to drive me throughout medical school. I value continuing my training at a residency that advances patient care by creating community based practitioners that are able to adapt to the needs of their community and advancing the tools to improve public health and engage politically. Sparrow’s family medicine residency is my first choice program given its strong curriculum and faculty, OBGYN track, and my love of the Lansing area. My commitment to family medicine as evidenced through involvement with FMIG and attending MAFP events, my work in political and medical advocacy, and my vision for the future of family medicine make me a good candidate for Sparrow’s family medicine residency. It would be a privilege to be a member of the TIP program and begin building what I envision to be a long term career in the Lansing area caring for the community.
One example of my commitment to family medicine is my time as co-president of the MSU CHM FMIG and my current work creating an FMIG for M3 and M4 students. As co-president of the CHM FMIG, I dedicated my free time to organizing events that would expose my classmates to various aspects of family medicine. These included having a geriatrician speak to the membership about the role of palliative care in primary care, hosting a suturing class for those interested in more hands-on medicine, and connecting classmates with resources met through attending the MAFP conferences. I am now in the process of creating an FMIG to connect M3 and M4 students to host events such as an advocacy talk with members of the MAFP’s advocacy committee and a journal club to promote continued learning and support classmates to become involved with family medicine. I will continue to seek ways to lead and advance family medicine during my residency and would love to do this at Sparrow.
My advocacy work often mixes political and medical initiatives. I volunteered with the campaign to end gerrymandering in Michigan, the effort to enshrine reproductive rights in the Michigan constitution, and continue to engage in political volunteering to promote social causes. I also am doing research with Michigan’s Area Agencies on Aging and am working on research enhancing the voices of persons living with dementia in their own care. During my career, I want to advance public health through collaborative works with community partners such as the Allen Street Cooperative and healthcare partnerships with groups like Community Mental Health. As evidenced by my work to enshrine reproductive rights in the Michigan constitution, I believe OBGYN care is an integral part of primary care. Thus, Sparrow’s strong women’s health track is also a significant draw for me.
In addition to the advocacy component of the residency, U of M Sparrow Lansing is my first choice for residency because of the diversity of patients between the Mason and Lansing campuses. In training at Sparrow, I would gain experience working with significant socioeconomic and societal challenges while also learning through the advocacy curriculum how to help patients experiencing these. As a queer female from a rural area of Michigan, I have lived experiences that add to my ability to appreciate and care for underrepresented identities. I also love the Lansing area, plain and simple, and this belief in the community will help me be a more effective physician and a benefit to the area as a whole. For instance, I want to have a presence in events such as 517 day promoting access to medicine. Ultimately, I believe my passion for the specialty, continued efforts to advance social justice, and commitment to the Lansing community are a good fit for the Sparrow family medicine program and would make me a good TIP recipient. After residency, I look forward to staying in the area and working with the partners met through the residency and continuing to advance patient care."
