Hometown: Algona, Iowa

Undergrad: University of Iowa, neuroscience

Incoming medical student Reese Rosenmeyer’s first introduction to a career in health care came from her mother, Jennifer, who is a nurse practitioner. Growing up in a small town, it was common for her mom to be stopped by thankful patients.

“We’d be in the grocery store, and she’d have people come up to her and say, ‘Doctor Jen, thank you so much for your help,’” Reese remembers. “Of course, I think my mom’s the smartest person in the world, but to see other people recognize the impact she’s made on them was really cool.”

Rosenmeyer’s grandfather, a lifelong farmer, was diagnosed with lung cancer when she was a teenager. Jennifer was instrumental in guiding his care through this difficult time. Her care and support helped Rosenmeyer see health care professions in an entirely new light.

“Farming was what he loved to do, and he did it up until he couldn’t anymore because he was so sick,” Rosenmeyer says. “In the last few weeks of his life, it was his wish to die at home. My mom was able to make sure that he was being taken care of and getting the things he needed in that stage of life. I was her right-hand gal for that.”

Being part of her grandfather’s end-of-life care was a fulfilling experience for Rosenmeyer. She had always been interested in the sciences and wondered if she could be a doctor, but having the opportunity to care for her grandfather with her mother’s guidance showed her she had the strength to be a support to others in their time of need.

“That was my initial feeling that wow, I could play this role for other people, too, in my future career,” she says. “I thought, ‘I can do this. I want to be there for that.’”

Rosenmeyer says that coming from a small town and going to a small high school gave her the chance to gain a variety of leadership experiences. Ultimately, this made her want to pursue a medical degree, where she could act as a leader within a health care team. She continued leading in her time at the University of Iowa through activities in the Chi Omega sorority and Dance Marathon.

“Leadership is not just being in charge. It’s picking someone up if they’re having a rough day. It’s helping them out and taking on responsibility,” she says. “I would love to be in that type of role in a health care environment.”

As a member of the Dance Marathon family relations cabinet, part of her role was volunteering with children and families receiving care in the pediatric hematology and oncology unit of UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

“I remember one day, I had been having a not-great day when I went to my volunteer shift,” Rosenmeyer says. “But the child I visited was so happy to see me and to have someone to play with. They made me laugh and smile the whole time. It was crazy—I was the one supposed to be making their day better, and this kid just turned my whole day around.”

She is strongly considering specializing in pediatrics after medical school and plans to practice in Iowa, as she is a part of the college’s Carver Rural Iowa Scholars Program (CRISP).

“When my grandpa had cancer, the closest place to go for chemo was over an hour away,” Rosenmeyer says. “My grandma was unable to drive that far, so my dad had to take a lot of time off work to drive them to his appointments. That just showed me how we have such a need in the state.”

She is interested in finding ways to help rural patients through the social and economic barriers that can delay their health care—such as access to transportation, understanding the health care system, and the ability to take time off work. All of these factors, she says, contribute to our ability to help rural communities thrive.

“It makes me sad to think that we could lose some of the values in these communities,” Rosenmeyer says. “I want to be someone who’s able to alleviate those by practicing in a rural area.”