Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Catherine Nosal
5/24/2018 10:55:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving, Features
Originally from St. Charles, Illinois, Catherine Nosal was a swimmer at Michigan from 2006-10. She graduated in 2010 with a degree in neuroscience, took a gap year and enrolled at the University of Michigan Medical School, graduating in 2015. Specializing in OB/GYN, Dr. Nosal begins her fourth and final year of her residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard teaching hospital, in Boston later this summer.
Q. How did you land on medicine as your career path?
A. I had always been interested in the medical field and physiology in school, but it wasn't until I took a medical education trip to Nicaragua the summer after my junior year of college that I solidified my decision. I found it so rewarding to help patients all while being fascinated by the material. I then waited to apply to medical school until I had graduated so that I would have time to focus on studying for the MCAT and preparing for interviews.
Q. Why OB/GYN?
A. What job is better than delivering babies?! OB/GYN is a diverse field that involves days performing surgery, delivering babies, or seeing patients in the clinic, and it focuses on the health and wellness of women.
Training at an academic institution also allows me to be involved with medical education and mentoring of students, as we are affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and I have been able to continue being involved in global health. Since my trip to Nicaragua that I went on while I was at Michigan, I have participated in global health trips to Ghana and Botswana, focusing on women's health. There are so many disparities in global health, especially for women, and it is both rewarding and humbling to go offer assistance in areas that don't have resources or access to health care. I hope to keep that as part of my work in the future.
Q. What does a normal day look like, if there is such a thing?
A. Every day is different in residency, which is a four-year program for OB/GYN. My days are spent either rotating through the operating room performing gynecologic procedures, on labor and delivery or in the clinics. They involve very early mornings and often late nights, but I work with some pretty amazing and inspiring individuals, which makes it all worth it.
Q. Is this what you want to do long-term?
A. Yes! I plan on being an academic generalist, focusing on women's health at an academic institution where I can be involved in education. I'm not sure where exactly the next step will be as I love Boston and the Northeast, but I'd definitely consider returning to the Midwest to be closer to family.
Q. Switching gears a bit, what's your favorite Michigan memory?
A. That's a tough question, as there are so many to choose from, but I'd probably have to say the people. I started freshman year at Michigan with a class of women who have remained my closest friends and sisters even to this day. In fact, one of my classmates is getting married next month and there are six girls from the Class of 2010 in her wedding party. Whether it was late-nights studying for an exam, surfing outings in Puerto Rico, or preparing for big swim races, we supported and pushed each other every step of the way. The girls on the team and the staff members were like a giant family for us. We were a tight-knit group and had a lot of fun during our time in Ann Arbor.
Q. How did being at Michigan prepare you for this?
A. Being a Division I student-athlete at such a rigorous and tough academic institution isn't easy. You're on a strict schedule, you're training almost every day and you have to take care of your academics, your body and your mind. I don't think we realized at the time how tough of a job we had because we were participating in a sport that we loved, but it set such a great foundation for the future. It taught me teamwork, discipline, work ethic, how to make priorities. I can probably speak for all my teammates here: it really helped us attack and overcome challenges that our respective careers have given us.
