This heightened my interest in social justice and motivated me to work with vulnerable communities like mine. Soon after immigrating, I was struck by the profound economic and social inequalities for communities of color, especially as it pertained to the American health care system. Why Harbor?: I am originally from Bogotá, Colombia and moved to Miami, FL at the age of twelve with my Mom and sister, where I grew up among Cuban coffee, Spanglish and lots of dancing. Interests/Hobbies: food, eating food, cooking food, taking pictures of food, posting pictures of food, music, traveling, bouldering, board games, video games, muay thai, binging Netflix and anime, going on new adventuresĬelebrity Crush: Benedict Cumberbatch, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Paul NewmanīS: Neurosciences and International Studies, University of Miamiĭestination: UCLA Gender Health primary care physician Who/What Inspires you: my family, my friends, and my patients who teach me to become a better physician Family medicine was the perfect fit for me as it allowed me to be out on the field with patients from the most diverse backgrounds and age groups, and it is an absolute honor for me to serve those most in need and to train at a place like Harbor-UCLA with amazing like-minded physicians. I believe that to be the most effective and influential healthcare professional, one must start with a bottom up approach, working with individual patients face to face, and in turn using what I learn to formulate a top down solution that could affect and benefit the most number of patients who are most in need. Despite loving the work I did, I realized I missed the patient interaction and clinical aspect of healthcare. I took part in numerous research projects on topics ranging from improving cervical cancer screenings to battling childhood obesity in inner cities and eventually spent a year in Seoul, Korea on a Fulbright grant where I studied the cultural and social effects on suicide among women. My interests in healthcare include health policy, health education, social justice, academic medicine and global health. In graduate school, my interest very quickly turned into passion, as I loved how public health had the ability to change the lives of those most in need by utilizing many different fields, including medicine, public policy, sociology, economics and even environmental science. Originally a violin performance major turned philosophy major, I quickly realized the lack of practical application my major held, and after pondering my path in life, I learned about public health and immediately developed a strong interest in it. My path to medicine is as diverse as the patient population here in Los Angeles. Why Harbor?: As a Los Angeles native, I am thrilled to be back home and serving patients in the best city in the world. MD: Oakland University William Beaumont School of MedicineīS: Philosophy, University of California, Los Angelesĭestination: LA County Department of Health Services, Claude Hudson Health Center