A long way from Oxford: Miami PA pursues fellowship in Hawaii
After six years in Oxford, Natalie Underwood ’23, PA ’25 is trading Ohio's cornfields for Hawaii's coastlines
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Published
Natalie Underwood graduated from the newly launched Physician Associate Studies program in 2025 and moved to Hawaii to start her fellowship.
A long way from Oxford: Miami PA pursues fellowship in Hawaii
After six years in Oxford, Natalie Underwood ’23, PA ’25 is trading Ohio's cornfields for Hawaii's coastlines
•
Published
Natalie Underwood spent six years at Miami University — first as an undergraduate, then as a member and class president of the first cohort of Miami’s Physician Associate Studies (PA) program. Now she’s trading Ohio’s cornfields for Hawaii’s coastlines, but the education she built in Oxford is what’s driving her career forward.
For Underwood, continuing her education at Miami was a no-brainer. She had graduated with her bachelor's in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health in 2023, just that spring, and the newly launched PA program felt like a natural next step.
“I received an excellent education at Miami, and that experience was a big reason why I chose the PA program. I’m proud to be a Miami alum,” Underwood said.
Underwood credited the program’s facilities and faculty with building her foundation as a clinician, but her connection to Oxford extended beyond the classroom. As an undergraduate, she got involved with Monday Meals at the Oxford Senior Center, and staying in town for the PA program allowed her to continue volunteering. She even invited along PA classmates in what Underwood felt was a full circle moment.
“I really valued the program’s emphasis on collaboration. Medicine is a collaborative effort; it’s not an individual effort,” Underwood said about her time in the program. “The opportunity to collaborate in a diverse environment really allowed me to learn from different perspectives and experiences.”
Beyond collaboration, Underwood also highlighted a specific program feature that she’s utilized frequently in her fellowship: her point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training.
“From both a procedural and medical perspective, having ultrasound training is super beneficial and improves patient care. We all got our own portable ultrasounds, which is incredible for a program to do. I use my POCUS training all the time,” Underwood said.
After graduating with her master’s in 2025, Underwood knew she wanted to find a fellowship to advance her training. Her fiancé is currently stationed in Hawaii, and when she discovered a fellowship there that aligned closely with her professional goals, she said she felt like it was the perfect fit. Her fellowship through a Kaiser Permanente hospital is multi-disciplinary and focuses on critical care, emergency medicine, interventional radiology, and surgical subspecialties.
“It’s been great to continue to expand my knowledge,” Underwood said. “My big focus right now is getting as much exposure as possible to a lot of different areas of medicine because these skill sets are transferable. A lot of things are intertwined.”
When her fellowship is complete, Underwood plans to continue her employment at the hospital, citing the strength of the clinical team around her.
“I have really valued the opportunity to train in such a dynamic and supportive clinical environment. Not to mention, Hawaii is the most beautiful place and it’s such a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to live here. I’m so grateful for all of it,” Underwood said about her fellowship in Hawaii.
For Underwood, continuing her education at Miami was a no-brainer. She had graduated with her bachelor's in Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Health in 2023, just that spring, and the newly launched PA program felt like a natural next step.
“I received an excellent education at Miami, and that experience was a big reason why I chose the PA program. I’m proud to be a Miami alum,” Underwood said.
Underwood credited the program’s facilities and faculty with building her foundation as a clinician, but her connection to Oxford extended beyond the classroom. As an undergraduate, she got involved with Monday Meals at the Oxford Senior Center, and staying in town for the PA program allowed her to continue volunteering. She even invited along PA classmates in what Underwood felt was a full circle moment.
“I really valued the program’s emphasis on collaboration. Medicine is a collaborative effort; it’s not an individual effort,” Underwood said about her time in the program. “The opportunity to collaborate in a diverse environment really allowed me to learn from different perspectives and experiences.”
Beyond collaboration, Underwood also highlighted a specific program feature that she’s utilized frequently in her fellowship: her point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) training.
“From both a procedural and medical perspective, having ultrasound training is super beneficial and improves patient care. We all got our own portable ultrasounds, which is incredible for a program to do. I use my POCUS training all the time,” Underwood said.
After graduating with her master’s in 2025, Underwood knew she wanted to find a fellowship to advance her training. Her fiancé is currently stationed in Hawaii, and when she discovered a fellowship there that aligned closely with her professional goals, she said she felt like it was the perfect fit. Her fellowship through a Kaiser Permanente hospital is multi-disciplinary and focuses on critical care, emergency medicine, interventional radiology, and surgical subspecialties.
“It’s been great to continue to expand my knowledge,” Underwood said. “My big focus right now is getting as much exposure as possible to a lot of different areas of medicine because these skill sets are transferable. A lot of things are intertwined.”
When her fellowship is complete, Underwood plans to continue her employment at the hospital, citing the strength of the clinical team around her.
“I have really valued the opportunity to train in such a dynamic and supportive clinical environment. Not to mention, Hawaii is the most beautiful place and it’s such a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to live here. I’m so grateful for all of it,” Underwood said about her fellowship in Hawaii.