OUWB alumnus pays it forward

Laura Ortiz, M.D., OUWB ’15, says attending OUWB was the best decision she ever made — and wants those who follow in her footsteps to feel the same.

As a result, she continually gives back to her alma mater and her new position at OUWB is a great example: Ortiz has been named assistant dean, Clinical Advising.

Working with two other deans from Student Affairs and Berkley Browne, Ph.D., associate dean, Student Affairs and Career Development, Ortiz will be part of a team serving as expert generalist career advisors for soon-to-be physicians.

“I was thrilled when I saw Dr. Ortiz applied for the role,” says Browne. “I have had the opportunity to serve on various committees with her since she joined the faculty, and I have always been impressed by her ability to balance advocating for students and supporting them with maintaining the integrity of our academic program.”

Ortiz says she is excited at the prospect of helping medical students in a new capacity.

“It can be tricky and sometimes you just need to talk with someone who’s done it before…someone who can tell them if they’re doing the right thing,” says Ortiz.

“I enjoy helping people achieve success.”

‘Best decision’

Ortiz (née Diffenderfer) grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She earned an undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College.

Drawn to medicine as a youngster and with further inspiration from the show “ER,” Ortiz says she had visions of living in Chicago and “saving lives every three minutes.” While at Kalamazoo College, she volunteered in an emergency department and found herself drawn to “the acuity of it.”

She applied and was accepted to several medical schools, including the then-new OUWB. The prospect of being part of the school’s first class made it a hard decision, but several factors tipped the scale in OUWB’s favor.

She liked the smaller class size (at the time, each class consisted of 50 students). She received a good scholarship. And she also knew that she would do her rotations at Beaumont Hospital (now Corewell Health).

She started at OUWB in 2011.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” says Ortiz. “I’m so happy I went to OUWB…I had a great experience and education.”

Ortiz says she feels that way in large part due to the strong support system at the school.

“I really cared about all of my classmates…we are still a really strong group of friends,” she says. “The clinical education I received was fantastic. The faculty were extremely receptive to feedback…they were constantly making things better.”

Providing perspective

In 2015, Ortiz matched in emergency medicine at Indiana University. Including her last year as chief resident, Ortiz was there for three years.

In 2018, she moved back to Michigan and returned to legacy Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, as an emergency medicine physician — a position she retains and loves. (She also is the stroke liaison for the emergency department, and director of faculty development.)

“I love the teaching component…seeing residents grow from first-years to third-years,” she says. “Plus, our department is super big and busy. We see everything and do a lot of different things.”

Also in 2018, Ortiz returned to OUWB. She joined the admissions committee and later, the curriculum committee. That same year she was the first OUWB alumnus appointed clinical faculty. She has served as a PRISM mentor, and co-leads Street Medicine Oakland.

Maintaining a connection to OUWB is important for her.

“I had such good experiences at OUWB and feel like I’ve become a good physician because of them,” she says. “I want other students to have the same kind of experiences.”

In her new role at OUWB, Ortiz will interact one-on-one with M3 and M4 students to provide career advising and residency preparation support. She also will support students by reviewing their residency application personal statements, curriculum vitae, residency program lists, and other application materials.

Additionally, Ortiz will participate in various residency preparation events such as mock residency interviews and other match-related sessions. (She is retaining all of her other roles at Corewell and OUWB.)

“It aligns with everything I like to do,” she says. “I like to give advice and help students navigate their way through medical school.”

Browne says she’s happy to have Ortiz as part of her team.

“I think students will really value having someone on the team who has gone through their specific medical school program,” she says. “Dr. Ortiz will be able to provide perspective on OUWB’s residency match preparation program as someone who experienced it firsthand.”

“And on a personal level, having come to OUWB the year Dr. Ortiz graduated, it’s fun to work with her closely now as a colleague,” adds Browne.