Judy Genshaft Honors College alum Dr. Nathan Le attributes his decision to become a physician to a pivotal Honors experience that inspired his passion for providing compassionate and socially conscious medical care.

A 2019 University of South Florida graduate with a bachelor's in biomedical sciences and a minor in public health, Le was eager to explore the intersection of health, ethics, and medicine during his time at USF. He engaged in activities such as working as a teaching assistant for former Honors professor Dr. Donna Petersen, conducting research in biophysics, and attending the Dominican Republic Beyond the Classroom Program led by Dr. Lindy Davidson to learn about health care access in developing areas.

It's honestly difficult to completely encompass just how grateful I am for my experiences through the Judy Genshaft Honors College. – Dr. Nathan Le

 After graduating from USF, Le attended Florida State University's College of Medicine, where he continued to foster his love for research. He contributed to the publication of a paper titled "Quality Improvement Project: Addressing Recurrent Presentation of Patients with COVID-19 to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital Emergency Care Center from March 2020-March 2021."

After completing medical school in 2023, Le recently wrapped up his first year as an internal medicine resident at the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and caught up with the Honors College in an interview with Honors News.

Q: Looking back on your time in the Judy Genshaft Honors College, how did your experiences as an Honors student leave a lasting impact on you?

A: My experiences as an Honors student molded me into a more well-rounded individual. During my time at the Judy Genshaft Honors College, I engaged in an array of experiences. These ranged from participating in a biophysics research project and Honors thesis that led to a published article to embarking on a service trip to the Dominican Republic. These experiences and the multitude of Honors courses I took challenged me academically and broadened my perspective on the world around me. This in turn laid the foundation for my career in medicine. Being a part of the Honors College has also cultivated life-long friendships and relationships with people that continue to support me today.

Q: After having now gone on to complete medical school and begin your residency in internal medicine, do you feel that any Honors courses directed or informed your career path?

Dr. Lindy Davidson’s Honors course on service-learning and disability was pivotal in my decision to become a physician. This course and service trip to the Dominican Republic showed me the impact I can have as a physician who is culturally competent, preventative care focused, and sees health care as something influenced by not only medical conditions but also socioeconomic factors.

Because of this experience, I have also learned how important it is for patients to have as much agency in their health care as possible, which goes together with preventative care and patient education. Later on during my time at USF, Dr. Donna Petersen’s Honors course on interprofessionalism in health care, to which I had the pleasure of serving as a TA, gave me more of the tools I would need to eventually practice such patient-centered care that requires a team-based approach. Moreover, Dr. Benjamin Young’s many Honors courses on philosophical topics addressing the human condition have also directed my path in medicine. His courses on bioethics, practical wisdom, and stoicism have strengthened my ability to critically think about a multitude of different obstacles in medicine and life’s many challenges we all go through. Even with all that being said, it is honestly difficult to completely encompass just how grateful I am for my experiences through the Judy Genshaft Honors College.

Q: You just completed your first year of residency with Sarasota-Memorial Health Care System, what do you enjoy about the community that you are doing your residency in?

Sarasota has been a great place to live! I have been in Sarasota since my 3rd and 4th years of medical school since the FSU College of Medicine (FSU CoM) has a regional campus there. I am very grateful to be able to stay with FSU CoM’s Internal Medicine Residency at Sarasota Memorial Hospital! I also have to shout out USF’s Sarasota-Manatee campus of course!

I have especially enjoyed the diversity of the community as well as the close-knit and diverse group of co-residents I work with. The beach, weather, and opportunities for many outdoor activities such as kayaking, volleyball, and pickleball really makes it a great place to live and work!

Q: What are your aspirations for the future?

In the future, I am planning on staying in Sarasota to practice primary care!

Q: What are you looking forward to after completing your residency?

I am looking forward to honing my own individual practice of medicine, tackling the primary care shortage, and giving back to the community that helped train me as well as the state of Florida in general.

Q: What advice would you have for current Honors students?

The most important piece of advice I have for current Honors students is to always challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone, and be open to change. Honestly, at the beginning of my time at USF, I was much more introverted and nervous to venture out of my comfort zone. However, when I finally took that leap of faith and embarked on my first service trip, which also happened to be my first trip outside of the country without my family, I had a life-changing experience that directed me to where I am today.

As Dr. Young emphasized to me during my time at the Honors College, travel and experience are the best teachers since that is when you are really challenged and in turn learn the best about yourself and the world around you. I would also want to emphasize that it is crucial to establish a good work-life balance as early as possible. As Honors students, we often pursue higher level education and set our sights for the next ambitious goal and mountaintop, which often leads us on a rewarding but challenging and long journey.

Always keeping wellness in mind allows for you to continue doing what you love. In the context of health care professions, you can only take care of others effectively when you take care of yourself. Lastly, I just want to remind all the current Honors students to reflect on their journey so far because there is not a shortage of amazing opportunities offered through the Honors College. If I were to go back, I would choose to have my undergraduate journey here every single time!