This week we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with another physician spotlight. We will finish celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Town Hall Crucial Conversation on October 20th at 12:00 p.m. which will be livestreamed on Facebook and Bridge. The Town Hall will feature a panel of Hispanic leaders and team members sharing their experiences and stories. Be sure to tune in!  

 

It is an honor for me to be part of the Hispanic Heritage month. I was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. I grew up speaking two languages, Spanish that we call Castilian and Catalan that is spoken in the Catalonia region. At age 7, I started learning French at school. It was not until my late teens that I began being interested in English. I had an opportunity to come to the US when I was 20 years old to be a YMCA camp counselor in Southern California. It was then when I realized all of the mixed Hispanic cultures from so many of the Spanish speaking countries mainly Mexico, Central America and South America, with different traditions and culinary experiences, which were fascinating to me. One of my biggest surprises was how different food was compared Spain.

 

I did my medical residency in New York City and I really felt at home there, many of my friends were from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean which was completely different from the culture of the countries south of the Border. Even the use of the language is different. I also tried to learn Latin dancing; especially Salsa, which I love.

 

With time, since I have patients from all of the Hispanic countries, I even can tell what their country of origin is by their accent. I have to say that I feel very connected to them and their needs.

 

I feel very proud to be a part of this rich heritage and be able to spread it to the world.