A doctor of medical arts
鈥淚 think it makes for better doctors to have a humanities background."
Some weeks, Mike Natter 鈥�08 spends up to 80 grueling hours in the New York City hospital
where he鈥檚 a resident in internal medicine. It doesn鈥檛 leave a lot of time for drawing,
but he finds 30 minutes, here and there, to sketch. It helps him stay balanced despite
the 鈥渉ellacious schedule鈥� and sometimes emotionally draining moments inherent in caring
for very sick patients.
Initially an art major at Skidmore, Natter found science and math 鈥渄aunting鈥� and preferred 3-hour studio classes 鈥渨here I produced tremendously large charcoal drawings of women.鈥� But, he says, 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 insanely talented enough as an artist to stand on my own and be successful; I needed another life path.鈥�
Natter had always considered himself 鈥渁 passionate humanities guy from the Upper West Side, in to literature and the arts. That鈥檚 why I was at Skidmore.鈥� Yet he didn鈥檛 see himself as particularly academic.
When a psychology course in his sophomore year included a lecture on the brain, 鈥淚 got hooked on neuropsychology. I worked in the lab and saw I was not a dumb kid. I gained academic confidence and did well in my classes. Junior year, I had an epiphany: I wanted to be a doctor.鈥�
He recalls that choice making his parents happy, but there was another reason. Having been diagnosed with diabetes as a young child, he liked the idea of 鈥渉elping people with the same disease鈥� and plans to do a fellowship in endocrinology after his residency.
Because he hadn鈥檛 been studying science all along, Natter attended a post-baccalaureate program to earn the right academic credits before applying to medical school. That further study, he remarks, 鈥済ave me a chance to mature.鈥�
He adds, 鈥淢ed school admissions tests and your grades in science courses don鈥檛 tell what kind of person you are. I know it sounds soft and fluffy, but a doctor needs to be compassionate, a 鈥榩eople person,鈥� empathetic.
"To be a good physician, you must be good at observation, and I learned that skill at Skidmore in art classes.鈥�
After medical school at Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia, Natter is now a resident at NYU鈥檚 Langone Medical Center. Throughout his studies and training, he says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 cathartic for me, as a doctor, to continue my work as an artist.鈥�
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and some of them sell, which pleases him. His work fits into three categories: classical anatomy illustrations, didactic pieces that teach about medical topics and cartoons that make light of serious things. He hopes to produce a few books incorporating his original art, 鈥渢o explain medicine in a fun way, especially to kids.鈥�
As he sees it, 鈥淚鈥檝e actually been very fortunate. I got into med school by the skin of my teeth and had 鈥榠mposter syndrome,鈥� feeling like everyone was smarter than me. But the truth is, I am successful. And my time at Skidmore was formative, as I was encouraged to explore both of my interests: science and art. For me, one informs the other.鈥�
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