Heroes on the Front Lines

Vanessa Franco, M.D., Ph.D. — an emergency medicine and sports medicine physician at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica — did her residency at UCLA. “COVID has forced us to adapt quickly to what seems like an ever-changing world,” she says. “Having watched Frozen 2 with my kids numerous times, I try to live by Anna’s mantra and just ‘do the next right thing.’”

Natasha Wheaton, M.D. — an associate clinical professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center — is the mother of two boys, 4 and 6, and actually made it through a mild case of COVID-19. “Though this has been an incredibly challenging time for all,” she says, “I feel truly privileged to be a physician and honored to be able to serve our community.”

“Now more than ever, in a world of confusion and uncertainty, I strive to be a force for good in my practice and for my patients,” says Kevin Consuegra, an R.N. in the emergency department at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “All of my family is on the East Coast in the midst of this pandemic. I hope the care I provide has a ripple effect that is felt by my family over there.”

Dr. Natasha Wheaton outside Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, holding a drawing from a grateful patient.