Introducing Dr. Lisa Saturnino, faculty member at Noorda-COM!
What inspired you to pursue a career in medicine?
While I was an undergraduate studying chemical engineering, I had the opportunity to work as an intern at a plastics manufacturing plant. I noticed that some employees were not wearing appropriate safety equipment while working around pipes that leaked potentially carcinogenic chemicals. I found myself really concerned about their health and safety, and it sparked the idea that I wanted a career where I could have a more direct impact on people’s health and help prevent disease.
While finishing my chemical engineering degree, I started exploring medicine by volunteering at a nursing home and a local hospital. Through those experiences, I discovered how much I enjoyed connecting with people one-on-one and in small groups, and I decided to apply to medical school.
After medical school, I spent about 20 years as a full-time clinician. Eventually, I realized that something was missing and that I wanted teaching to be a bigger part of my career. My dad and stepmom were both teachers, so teaching had always been an interest of mine. I decided to earn a master’s degree in health professions education at the University of Utah, which ultimately helped lead me to where I am today—combining medicine and teaching.
Dr. Saturnino at Noorda-COM Commencement ceremony.
What are you most proud of in your journey as a woman in medicine?
My flexibility! My journey has taken me from chemical engineering to medicine, from rural family medicine to emergency and urgent care, and from sports medicine in a ski clinic to lifestyle medicine in a hospital wellness clinic. Along the way, I became a mother, earned my master’s in education, and eventually found my way to teaching at Noorda-COM.
What I have really loved about my career is that I have been able to choose the things I love to do along the way. When a new opportunity comes up—even if it seems a little out there or very different from what I am currently doing—I try to ask myself, “Does this fit with what I want to do at this point in my life?”
I feel incredibly lucky because right now I get to teach medical students at Noorda COM, practice lifestyle medicine, and still work in the ski clinics. I think what has worked for me is being willing to change directions and, at each stage of my life, ask, “What is going to work for me and my family?” Then I try to choose that path.
Dr. Saturnino with her family at a ski resort.
What advice would you give to women pursuing medicine?
I think one of the most important things for women in medicine is learning to take care of ourselves. We are responsible for filling our own buckets. If we care well for ourselves, then we have the capacity to provide better care for our patients and to be more present for the other important people in our lives.
I have also learned that I have to set boundaries because I cannot say yes to everything. For me, it helps to know what is most important and to say yes to the things that move me toward my “why” and what really matters to me.
As women, we often take on a lot outside of our jobs as well. I want to be a great mother, spouse, teacher, and doctor, but I have learned that I cannot do all of those things well if I say yes to everything. Sometimes taking care of ourselves and the people and things that matter most means being willing to say no.
“If we care well for ourselves, then we have the capacity to provide better care for our patients.”
Dr. Saturnino with her daughter.
What is something, outside of medicine, that you are passionate about?
My husband is French, our children are dual citizens, and one of my goals is to become a French citizen! I have been studying French off and on for about 15 years, and every couple of years, I attend a language school in France.
For me, learning French is something I do just for myself. In medicine, we spend so much of our time giving to other people, and I think it is important to remember to fuel our own interests and passions too. Studying French language and culture does that for me—and the trips to France are a bonus!
Dr. Saturnino at her school in France where she learns French.
