Natalie Bonthius

Emergency Medicine Resident Physician and entrepreneurial founder with a specialized focus in wilderness and austere medicine. Personable and focused with a passion for creating strong rapport with patients and other healthcare professionals in the clinical, educational, and business settings. Strong record turning innovative ideas into tangible results.

• Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) Candidate
• Advanced Wilderness and Expedition Provider (AWEP)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
• Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
• CPR/BLS
• Unrestricted California Medical License, 2023- present

• Wilderness Medical Society
• American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP)
• Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA)

• University of Central Florida College of Medicine, UCF COM Institutional Scholarship, 2017 - 2021
• Wartburg College, National Merit Finalist, 05/2013
• Wartburg College, Iowa Governor Scholar, 05/2013
• Wartburg College, Dean’s Honor Cords Recipient, 05/2017
• Wartburg College, Dean’s List, 05/2014 - 05/2017
• Wartburg College, Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Track & Field Team, 05/2014 & 2015
• Wartburg College, Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Cross Country Team, 12/2014 & 2015
• Wartburg College, Summa Cum Laude, 05/2017

• The effect of moderate and vigorous exercise on human cognition, Wartburg College 2016 Research, Internship, and Creative Endeavor (RICE) Day, Waverly, IA, 04/07/2016
• Longitudinal assessment of cardiomyocyte development in growth restricted mice, University of Iowa Stead Family Department of Pediatric Research Day, Iowa City, 04/2017
• Paradoxical undressing in hypothermia: A literature review, University of Central Florida College of Medicine 2019 Focused Inquiry & Research Experience (FIRE) Conference, Orlando, FL, 02/21/2019
• Hypothermia: You aren’t dead until you’re warm and dead, International Association for Search and Rescue Exposition, Tucson, AZ, 02/2024
• When to call it: Termination of CPR and AED use in remote rescue, International Association for Search and Rescue Exposition, Tucson, AZ, 02/2024
• New WFA/WFR/EMS training modalities for busy search and rescue teams, International Association for Search and Rescue Exposition, Tucson, AZ, 02/2024
• Neonatal growth restriction slows cardiomyocyte development and reduces adult heart size, The Anatomical Record, 301, 8, 1398-1404, https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.23851
• Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarctions and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) syndrome, MedLink-Neurology, 20, http://www.medlink.com/
• Congenital lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection, MedLink-Neurology, 21, http://www.medlink.com/
• Neonatal herpes encephalitis, MedLink-Neurology, 22, http://www.medlink.com
• Congenital cocaine syndrome, MedLink-Neurology, 23, http://www.medlink.com

• Paradoxical undressing in hypothermia: A literature review, Focused Inquiry & Research Experience (FIRE) Research Project, 07/2018, 02/2019, Eric Weiss, MD (Stanford University College of Medicine), Dr. Marco Barusco, MD (University of Central Florida COM), I conducted a literature review, helped write a review article, and presented a poster. This literature review investigated paradoxical undressing, which is the act of undressing despite low ambient body temperatures and appears to be the final act prior to death in up to 75% of fatal hypothermia cases. Why paradoxical undressing occurs is not clearly understood. This literature review discusses the most widely accepted theories behind this phenomenon and discusses interesting cases that involved paradoxical undressing.
• The effect of moderate and vigorous exercise on human cognition, Senior Research Project, 12/2014, 04/2016, Dr. Edward Westen, PhD (Wartburg College), I designed an independent research project, conducted literature reviews, conducted & analyzed the research, wrote a thesis paper, and presented a scientific poster. This study assessed the short-term effects of exercise on human cognition. I tested the effects of moderate and vigorous exercise on two types of cognition: a low-order reaction time and a higher-order matching test. The results demonstrated that vigorous exercise has a substantial negative impact on higher-order thinking in the short-term. It has no effect on lower-order reaction time.
• Longitudinal assessment of cardiomyocyte development in growth restricted mice, Summer Research Project, 06/2014, 08/2014, Dr. Robert Roghair, MD (University of Iowa Division of Neonatology Research Laboratory), I assisted in staining histologic sections, cell counts, and editing the manuscript. Premature delivery is associated with neonatal Growth Restriction (GR), adult hypertension, and reduced adult heart size. Our study assessed the independent effect of neonatal GR on cardiomyocyte development and cardiac structure in mice. Our results found that cardiomyocyte profile area was decreased in GR mice from the onset of GR into adulthood. This was accompanied by a slowing of terminal binucleation and diminished left ventricular stroke volumes. This is the first study showing that neonatal GR reduces cardiomyocyte size through adulthood. Our results have implications for adult cardiac structure and function.

Fellowship in the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) Candidate

Advanced Wilderness and Expedition Provider (AWEP)

Search and Rescue

PADI Open Water Scuba Diving

Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS)

Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)

CPR/BLS