Dr. Natalie R.

Before attending Ponce Health Sciences University, Dr. Rivera Rodriguez graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor of Science in biology. During medical school, she served as Vice President of her class and helped coordinate a medical student conference with more than 300 attendees. After earning her MD, she interned at Hospital Oncológico de Puerto Rico before beginning her transitional year. Now a preventive medicine resident, Dr. Rivera Rodriguez is also pursuing a Master of Public Health at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Throughout her training, Dr. Rivera Rodriguez has developed extensive experience in medical education, mentorship, and applicant evaluation. As an interviewer and application reviewer, she has evaluated candidates' personal statements, clinical experiences, and extracurricular activities using standardized criteria and has contributed to post-interview ranking discussions. As Chief Resident, she mentors incoming residents and collaborates with faculty on curriculum development. She also developed and coordinated a culinary medicine elective for fourth-year medical students at UMass Chan, incorporating evidence-based nutrition education into medical training. She has also taught lifestyle medicine, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and chronic disease prevention in community settings, including medical respite and senior center programs.

Dr. Rivera Rodriguez's research and scholarly interests center on preventive medicine, lifestyle medicine, nutrition, health equity, and food insecurity. She is a core research team member of a randomized controlled trial examining medically-tailored groceries and mental health outcomes among food-insecure patients with depression. She has authored a case report on adult ileocolic intussusception published on Authorea and has presented at national conferences, including meetings of the American College of Preventive Medicine and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. 

Dr. Rivera Rodriguez believes that what sets an applicant apart is not necessarily the most impressive list of accomplishments, but something genuine and distinctive that helps an admissions committee remember them. She enjoys helping students uncover those qualities and finding ways to highlight them authentically throughout their applications. She also emphasizes the importance of character, recognizing that qualities such as kindness, respect, curiosity, and approachability matter deeply in the people who will become physicians. 

As an admissions coach, Dr. Rivera Rodriguez’s style is collaborative, practical, and individualized, and she encourages students to reflect on their goals, experiences, and the kind of physician they hope to become. Her goal is to help students present not only what they have accomplished, but who they are and what they will bring to the medical profession. Whether she’s helping a student develop an application timeline, refine a personal statement, choose meaningful experiences, or prepare for an interview, she gives them clear next steps while adapting her approach to their needs. Her coaching ultimately helps students move forward with clarity, confidence, and a stronger sense of direction.