Natasha Salmen was raised in the small Appalachian town of Columbiana, Ohio. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Youngstown State University, where she also completed the Eastern Ohio Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Scholars Program, an initiative focused on expanding healthcare access in underserved communities. Currently a medical student at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Natasha is deeply committed to improving access to medical education for students from rural and underrepresented backgrounds. She continues to collaborate with AHEC, organizing annual field trips that introduce rural high schoolers to careers in medicine through hands-on experiences like ultrasound demonstrations, gross anatomy labs, and medical interviewing workshops. Natasha plans to return to her hometown to provide dermatologic care and help bridge the gap in specialty access in rural Appalachia. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, reading, exploring new coffee shops, traveling with her family, and spending time with her two cats, Pumpkin and Cleo.