Dr. Hongsermeier-Graves grew up on a small family farm and ranch. She was drawn to surgery at an early age when she was enlisted as her dad’s surgical assistant for their cattle, horses, and hogs. Natasha loves the allure of yet-undiscovered components of neurophysiology and finds nothing more fascinating than the human nervous system. She can’t imagine another field would be more challenging, fun, stimulating, or meaningful to her than neurosurgery, and she considers being a small part of this amazing field a privilege.
According to Dr. Hongsermeier-Graves, you couldn’t ask for better co-residents, faculty, or
department leadership. She has already had an incredible training experience so far and knows that her residency will set her up for a successful career as an academic neurosurgeon after graduation. She also considers the culture around neurosurgery at the U to be unparalleled. Natasha knows she is extremely lucky to train at one of the best and busiest (both clinically and academically) neurosurgery programs in the country—in arguably the most picturesque location! She can’t wait to hit the ski slopes soon.
Natasha’s intern year has been challenging so far, but she can honestly say that she has never learned so much so quickly. She is always blown away when she thinks about how far she and her fellow interns have come in only a few months. They have fantastic mentors in all of their co-residents, from the PGY-2s who have shown them the ropes, all the way up to their chiefs.