Always a Flyer.Â
The University of Dayton athletics communication department is writing feature stories on former Flyer student-athletes. If you or someone you know is an alumni and competed for a Flyer varsity team, please emailÂ
formerflyers@udayton.edu with the person's name, sport played and current professional position.Â
This Flyer alum feature is on Dr. Nathaniel Lundy, former UD baseball player and current resident physician
. Read below on his experiences as a Dayton Flyer, and how his current role is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Formative. That's how Dr. Nathaniel (Nate) Lundy describes his time at University of Dayton and how it's led him to his current role as a resident physician in the department of anesthesiology at Michigan Medicine (University of Michigan hospital).
He met his wife Lori at UD, was part of the Flyer baseball team that won the 2012 Atlantic 10 Championship, making the program's first-ever NCAA appearance, and he graduated in May 2015 after studying medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry.
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He was a three-time UD All-Academic Team member, made up of those student-athletes with the highest GPAs on their respective teams. He was also the recipient of the 4.0 GPA Flyer Award multiple times.
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"I feel like I grew immensely as a Catholic, a student-athlete, and a person," Dr. Lundy said. "I learned what it truly means to learn, lead, and serve, whether it is in your family, your workplace, or your community."
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Originally from Silver Lake, Ohio, Dr. Lundy has taken his servant leadership from UD, to The Ohio State University, and now University of Michigan.
He took some time out of his busy schedule, as all healthcare workers are still battling COVID-19, to talk about some of his favorite memories at Dayton and what his time as a Flyer meant to him.
What is your favorite baseball memory at UD?
Definitely the dogpile on the mound at Fordham University my freshman year right after we won the Atlantic 10 Championship and Tournament. Winning that title led us to make UD's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance where we competed against Texas A&M and TCU in College Station, Texas.
What is your favorite overall memory at UD?
My favorite memory at UD is when I met my incredible wife, Lori, outside Marycrest in the spring of 2012. We got married at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at UD in July 2016.
Tell us about your journey to UD, your experience during, and the steps you took to get to where you are now.
When I began looking at colleges, I knew I needed to strike a challenging balance in order to fulfill my dream to both play Division I baseball and get into medical school and become a physician. I also wanted to find a college where I could grow in my Catholic faith. I attended a second-look weekend event at UD during the spring of my senior year and it simply felt like home!
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I reached out to the baseball coach that summer and during my freshman year I ultimately secured a roster spot on the team as a walk-on catcher. Throughout my time at Dayton, I was blessed with numerous opportunities. It was such a gift to learn from incredible professors, do research, play a sport, and make lifelong friends all while growing closer to God. It was the well-rounded experience I had at Dayton that helped me prepare for medical school at The Ohio State University.
While at OSUCOM, I fell in love with the specialty of anesthesiology. It is an exciting field full of acute pathophysiology, rapid-acting pharmacology, and life-saving procedures.
Anesthesiologists work diligently to make sure surgeries, diagnostic procedures, and intensive care units run smoothly. I majored in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry at UD, so getting to see medications take effect in a matter of seconds is something I really find fulfilling. While interviewing for anesthesiology residency, I really fell in love with the program at the University of Michigan, and in the summer of 2019 my wife Lori and I moved from Columbus, Ohio to Ann Arbor, Mich. to embark on this four-year journey.Â
Talk about how your work has been impacted by COVID-19 and what it's like working in healthcare right now.Â
These past few months have been a whirlwind during this COVID-19 pandemic. Michigan, as a state, has had a lot of cases, with the southeastern region and Detroit being hit particularly hard. At Michigan Medicine, elective surgeries and procedures were cancelled, visitor policies were changed, and a number of our ICUs converted to become "COVID" units.
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The Department of Anesthesiology really took on a significant leadership role during the pandemic, deploying faculty, fellows, and residents to staff the numerous intensive care units as well as the ED and the wards. Working in these ICUs to care for COVID patients has been both challenging and fulfilling. Perhaps one of the most difficult parts of this pandemic has been that visitors had to be restricted to help slow the spread of COVID, which means family and friends of these patients are not able to be at the bedside while their loved ones are admitted. Instead, we call patient families daily with updates and to answer any questions. As you might imagine, some of these conversations are difficult while others are positive, depending on the clinical status of the patient.
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Members of our front line that are extremely deserving of additional gratitude are the nurses, techs, respiratory therapists, and environmental service workers who are working tirelessly and risking their own health and well-being constantly. I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this outstanding department and a part of Michigan Medicine.Â
How has your experience as a student-athlete prepared you for your current career?
Collegiate sports demand a delicate balance from student-athletes. Time management, discipline, and perseverance are absolutely crucial in order to achieve success in the classroom as well as on the field. These skills were a huge benefit during the rigors of medical school as well as now during residency. I am incredibly thankful and proUD to be a Dayton Flyer!Â
GO FLYERS!
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