Purpose in practice: Caring for patients and the future of medicine with uncommon compassion

ORLANDO, Fla. - Whole-person care begins with people who see medicine as more than a job — but as a calling to care for others. As Central Florida grows and the nation faces a physician shortage, families need reliable access to doctors who look beyond a diagnosis to care for the person behind it.

That commitment comes to life through Dr. Nathalie McKenzie, a gynecologic oncologist, cancer survivor and physician leader at AdventHealth whose work is helping ensure patients across the region receive care for the body, mind and spirit now and for generations to come.

“Medicine allows me to bring science and service together in a really meaningful way,” said Dr. McKenzie. “It helps me care for patients with both expertise and compassion.”

Once headed for a career on Wall Street, Dr. McKenzie chose medicine instead—a calling later deepened by her own breast cancer diagnosis at age 30.

“It was scary being diagnosed with a pretty aggressive cancer at such a young age,” she said. “But with great physicians and an amazing team surrounding me, I was able to tackle it head on. That experience stayed with me, and I bring it into the care I provide my patients.”

Today, Dr. McKenzie walks alongside patients through every phase of their cancer journey—from surgery and treatment decisions to chemotherapy, recovery and survivorship. Through the HEAL program, she also focuses on the long-term physical, emotional and spiritual challenges patients may face after treatment ends, reinforcing that healing doesn’t stop when cancer does.

“For me, whole-person care is thinking through all the dynamics that impact someone’s wellness,” she said. “It’s about helping patients live fully, not just survive.”

That same philosophy extends beyond her own patients to the future of health care itself. She brings the same compassion to her patients to shaping the next generation of physicians.

AdventHealth is addressing the physician shortage through the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program. Through the program, Dr. McKenzie helps train future physicians to lead with empathy, resilience and mission.

“GME is where skill meets heart,” she said. “We don’t just teach procedures. We teach how to sit with a patient through hard news, how to navigate uncertainty with compassion and how to hold onto hope when the path seems difficult.”

As the need for physicians grows, AdventHealth is expanding its residency and fellowship programs to help strengthen the workforce and improve access to care.

Today, AdventHealth’s Graduate Medical Education program includes:

• 40 accredited residency and fellowship programs statewide
• Specialties include emergency medicine, pediatrics, surgery, cardiology and women’s health
• Academic partnerships with Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Florida State University and Nova Southeastern University

Looking ahead:

• AdventHealth plans to expand to 48 accredited programs by the end of 2027
• New specialties include anesthesiology, neurology, neonatology, interventional cardiology and advanced heart failure and transplant medicine

“When you train physicians to care for the whole person, you’re not just shaping better doctors, you’re strengthening entire communities,” Dr. McKenzie said. “That’s how we honor our purpose and the trust patients place in us.”

As Doctors Day is observed, Dr. McKenzie’s story reflects a broader commitment across AdventHealth to invest in physicians who lead with purpose— helping ensure Central Florida continues to have access to exceptional care. Because when physicians are trained to care for the whole person, entire communities grow stronger.

Physicians and medical trainees interested in shaping the future of whole-person care can explore AdventHealth’s Graduate Medical Education residency and fellowship programs.

You can also explore more stories from our Purpose in Practice series here.