About Kennedy

Aspiring physician Kennedy Newell is a graduate of The Ohio State University Honors and Scholars Program. Originally from Celina, Ohio, her undergraduate major was completed in the department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences with a minor in Integrative Approaches to Health and Wellness through The Ohio State University College of Medicine. She is currently a member of the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences MedStart 2023 MD Early Assurance cohort where she is pursuing a career as a Physician with interest in Oncology Rehabilitation or Interventional Pain Management. Kennedy was previously an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering in the Microsystems and NanoSystems Engineering Biology Laboratory as they worked on the development of Electroceutical Wound Healing Bandages under the principal investigator Dr. Shaurya Prakash. Their ultimate goal was to develop a wound dressing that will inhibit biofilm infection and improve patient wound healing outcomes.

Kennedy is also passionate about supporting programs that raise awareness and funding for pediatric cancer research.  In the past, Kennedy has served as a member of the Nationwide Children’s Children Champion Fundraising Team for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon to raise much-needed funds for pediatric cancer research.  On The Ohio State University campus, she volunteered her time as a BuckeyeThon Miracle Maker and as Sleeping Beauty for A Moment of Magic to continue her fundraising efforts and assistance to children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Kennedy was also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and a previous member of the 2020 R-Lead program.

In March of 2021, Kennedy joined OhioHealth’s Riverside Methodist Hospital Patient Support Assistant team as a night shift inpatient AHA BLS Certified Medical-Surgical PSA. Previously, she served as a volunteer hospital floor nurse aide for the Grand Lake Health System, worked as an Emergency Department Covid-19 Medical Assistant Screener, worked as a Red Cross Certified Lifeguard with first aid, CPR, and AED certification, and served as a Student Athletic Trainer.  She has also earned her Wilderness First Responder certification while attending the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine Immersive Pre-Health Emergency and Wilderness Medicine Program during the 2021 summer break. This particular program allowed her to work with leaders in the field of Emergency and Wilderness Medicine while completing hands-on laboratory and real-life rescue simulation work at both the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado as well as in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains west of Golden, Colorado. These rescue simulations and labs covered cardiac anatomy dissection, spinal immobilization, splinting labs, wound care, head trauma, shock, heatstroke and heat-related illnesses, hypothermia and cold injuries, pediatric-specific wilderness injuries, abdominal and respiratory rescue issues, bites and stings, general survival skills, and the effects of altitude in medical emergencies.

Kennedy was a member of the 2019 Ohio University Heritage College of Medicine and OhioHealth Dublin Medical Academy Cohort for aspiring health professionals where she was instructed in and exposed to areas of medicine such as anatomy labs, phlebotomy, suturing, casting, care flight, emergency medicine, robotic surgery, ultrasound, intubation, endoscopy, x-ray, and general clinical skills.  Kennedy has continued to work with the Heritage College of Medicine through their Undergraduate PreDOC Program for aspiring physicians and was a member of the 2021 Vanderbilt Biomedical Research Virtual Summer Science Academy. In her free time, Kennedy spends time with her two Italian Greyhounds, Willow and Wisteria, plays the piano, runs, and enjoys snow skiing and jet skiing. Kennedy is also an avid reader, and her favorite books are The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom and Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, MD, MPH.