Student Spotlight

Ann Lee, ND Student

It seemed that Ann Lee had fashioned the perfect start to a perfect career. She followed her proclivities towards physics and chemistry as an undergraduate at Pennsylvania’s Bucknell University, where she graduated summa cum laude in May 2002 with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering. Her junior year, she attended a career fair and discovered the pharmaceutical company Merck & Company, where she eventually went to work.

But four years later, the down-to-earth, family-oriented high achiever decided the field of allopathic pharmaceuticals was not enough. Sourcing raw materials for black widow antivenin and mad cow disease projects was fascinating, but Lee sought a more “efficient” and natural way of healing human beings. Now, less than a year away from her doctor of naturopathy degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut, she reflects on where she has been and where she is going — and the leap she is still taking.

Synthetic beginnings
A natural leap
Going long
From compounds to compassion
Patience obtains all

Synthetic beginnings

AANMC: How did you make the decision to go into pharmaceuticals after graduating with a BS in chemical engineering?

AL: We had a company fair at Bucknell. I just went around and tried to get an internship with any company I could, because I knew if I could get my foot in the door, I would be guaranteed a job after graduation. And Merck actually has a site close to Bucknell. So I interviewed with them and got in. I always wanted to be in the health care industry, so it was a natural progression to go into pharmaceuticals.

I guess you could ask, “So, why didn’t you just go to medical school?” I guess I never really saw myself as a doctor. Growing up, I was definitely more interested in the sciences, and my strengths are in chemistry and physics. So I figured I could get in to Merck using my strengths.

AANMC: Does your work as a chemical engineer in the pharmaceutical industry translate to naturopathic medicine, or are they completely different?

AL: You think of the two as being on totally opposite ends of the spectrum. But my experience in chemical engineering and the pharmaceutical industry prepared me well for the naturopathic program in terms of the rigors to be faced, and even the concepts of using biochemistry to affect somebody’s health. It really does translate well.

AANMC: What was it like to work on a black widow spider antivenin?

AL: [Laughs.] It was very interesting, because I worked on it mostly from a raw material and technical support side, so we had a lot of issues with actually sourcing the black widow spiders. We got them from places like Georgia and Virginia, from guys who basically had an eclectic interest in collecting them. [But] once you capture spiders and they’re not in the wild anymore, the potency of their venom decreases. We always had to work with different people and ask them if the spiders were freshly caught. We were even working on projects that required milking the spiders. You get the spiders and remove their glands that contain the antivenin. Then you inject it into horses, bleed the horses, and their blood would constitute part of the antivenin. The antivenin doesn’t kill [the horses]. But it is an uncomfortable process for them.

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A natural leap

AANMC: The leap from big pharma to naturopathic medicine seems counterintuitive. What motivated you to make this leap?

AL: It was definitely difficult. As a chemical engineer, you have a pretty stable job. Going into naturopathic medicine, there is really no guarantee of what will come after graduation. It is a little scary.

I think what motivated me the most was just thinking about my parents, because I knew they were getting older. Would I be comfortable giving them the stuff that I was manufacturing for the rest of their lives? I wanted to provide them with alternatives that would work and have fewer side effects. That was the major motivation that gave me the courage to make the change.

AANMC: Why did you choose Bridgeport?

AL: The East Coast is my home. Plus I think I also knew I wanted to practice on the East Coast, so it just made sense for me to stay in the area.

I e-mailed faculty and administrators who went to Bastyr and the other schools to ask their opinions of Bridgeport compared to the other schools. A lot of what I heard is that the University of Bridgeport is one of the newer ND schools, so the faculty there is more open-minded to staying with traditional naturopathic medicine. I didn’t want to get into pharmaceuticals again: I wanted to be forced to use true naturopathic medicine.

AANMC: From the perspective of your prior work experience, what has challenged you most in studying naturopathic medicine?

AL: Since my strengths are in chemistry and physics, I had to learn human anatomy and physiology from the beginning. And even now, I know I definitely need to develop more skills in physical medicine.

I feel the path I’ve taken has really enriched my life, and it was a natural progression. If I were to have started pre-med, then maybe I would’ve burned out more quickly, I’m not sure. But with my experience in the pharmaceutical industry and manufacturing, I could also incorporate my own nutraceutical line into my practice as an ND, knowing what is involved and the importance of raw material and organic sourcing. Without my background, I wouldn’t have that insight.

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Going long

AANMC: The science of epigenetics seems so far removed from pharmacology. What attracted you to it?

AL: I think what attracts me to it is just the notion that some people make excuses about how it’s their genetics, how they can’t really change their lifestyles and change their outlooks for their children. But you aren’t stuck with specific cards when you are born. That’s why we’re all attracted to naturopathic medicine, because of the preventive portion of it.

Naturopathy is a more effective approach that is more aligned with the body’s natural healing power, more spiritually aligned. It’s how we’re meant to heal, versus putting foreign chemical compounds in our bodies, which we have trouble breaking down. It’s the least invasive.

AANMC: What work have you done in epigenetics that also has shown you that you are called to naturopathic medicine?

AL: I started Dr. D’Adamo’s personalized medicine shift this semester. This is his pilot program. He started coming to the University of Bridgeport because he realized that [epigenetics] wasn’t part of our education at all, and that if he didn’t come and make it part of the curriculum or clinic experience, then we’d be forced to get into it after we graduated.

I’m looking forward to seeing how our recommendations on diet and lifestyle actually have a profound effect on people. I think this will help solidify my very reason for going into naturopathic medicine.

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From compounds to compassion

AANMC: What is it like to have worked daily with chemical compounds and to now work daily with patients?

AL: Yes, it is quite a difference. I’ve had to develop more of my personal and communication skills. I am more of an introvert, so it was a natural progression for me to go into engineering and manufacturing. Working at Merck, you have to interact with a lot of people, but it’s different than a doctor-patient relationship, which is a very sacred relationship. You have a lot of responsibility. This change to being able to interact with people — it just gets me so excited to be able to affect somebody’s life in a positive way, to go from a more corporate environment to knowing I can directly impact somebody’s life and even future generations. This is what I’m learning from Dr. D’Adamo.

AANMC: Can you share a patient experience that made an impression on you, in which you astounded yourself with what you are capable of?

AL: After learning all of these diagnostic procedures and treatments in class, you oftentimes feel as though you have to do something profound for the patients you see in clinic. But really, the ones that have wowed me the most have been when I’ve just stuck to the basics.

For example, I’m at an outreach clinic and we work with underserved populations. I’m working with a woman who came to the US five years ago. Just working on the basic things, like her sleep hygiene and making sure her diet — she has chronic sinusitis — has no dairy or wheat that might cause the congestion. Just sticking with the basics. When I was beginning to walk her out [one day], she just gave me a hug out of nowhere. It just meant so much to me that she appreciated the time I’d spent with her. Maybe it was just listening to her.

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Patience obtains all

AANMC: What advice or inspiration can you share with people who are considering a radical career shift into naturopathic medicine?

AL: Even though the program is a lot of work, it is so satisfying to be able to interact with patients and make a difference in their lives, and even in their family dynamics, so they can live more healthful lives and end up doing what they are meant to do in life. I guess that’s my advice. Don’t look at it from a financial aspect. This is the path you want to pursue to make a difference in other people’s lives.

The first two years, you are inundated with the basic sciences. You aren’t in clinic yet, so you don’t get to interact with the patients. You are in class all the time. Then you can burn out, too, because over the summer you are studying for the basic science boards. But once you start going into clinic and interacting with patients, you get to see the profound effects you can have on patients using naturopathic medicine. It just remotivates you, and gets you fired up again and more excited about being in the program.

AANMC: What is your involvement in and what have you learned from being actively involved in the NMSA (Naturopathic Medical Student Association)?

AL: I started off being recruited to be a membership chair, so I tried to build up the membership at the University of Bridgeport. And I went to the AMSA (American Medical Student Association) conference as a representative of the NMSA. There, a bunch of us were working on gaining status in the AMSA. We realize it takes time for acceptance.

They didn’t really accept us as regular standing members, wherein we could serve on action committees and things like that. During the delegation, we made our arguments for why we deserved to be on the same level [as they], and I realized support, even from regular medical students, is very open to us. It was amazing to hear the students advocating for us. It makes the outlook for our future even greater, knowing that we can build integrative relationships early on.

Ultimately, the patient wants both types of care. If we want to offer the best medical care for patients, then we need to work with each other.

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Ann Lee’s cheery and high-pitched voice belies the seriousness of her mission at the University of Bridgeport and as a future doctor of naturopathic medicine. Her active participation in the Naturopathic Medical Student Association and National Society of Leadership and Success marks a level of commitment not only to herself, but also to the profession at large. When she’s not dipping into one of her favorite texts, Hahnemann’s Organon of the Medical Art or Lindlahr’s Philosophy of Natural Therapeutics, she likes to balance the rigors of study and clinic with club dancing, tai chi/chi gong, cooking and, believe it or not, fishing. She looks forward to using her pharmaceutical experience to explore nutraceutical applications in the future.

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Jamie Friddle is a writer in Seattle who enjoys interviewing people who love what they do. His interests range from social and mind sciences to theology and spirituality to business and art. His articles have appeared in many Seattle-area and national magazines.

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