Please describe your current work and research.
I address the critical need for access to high-quality health care for older adults, particularly those living with memory challenges such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. I am deeply committed to understanding and addressing the multifaceted barriers – be they geographical, economic, informational, or cultural – that communities face in accessing care. A cornerstone of my research is community-based participatory research, a collaborative approach that ensures our interventions are not only scientifically sound but also deeply rooted in and responsive to the needs and values of the communities we serve. Ultimately, my goal is to contribute to a landscape where older adults facing memory challenges receive the timely and culturally sensitive support they deserve.
Describe your background and what drew you to pursue training in preventive medicine.
My journey in medicine began with my medical degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela. Driven by a desire to expand my horizons and pursue research, I came to the United States to complete my residency and a master’s in clinical research at Rush University.
Interestingly, my initial clinical training was in general surgery. It was during my intern year that I experienced a pivotal shift in perspective. I vividly recall seeing numerous individuals admitted to the hospital for reasons that struck me as profoundly preventable – from the tragic consequences of violence like gunshot wounds, about which I realized I had no insight into systemic prevention efforts, to frequent readmissions for complications that seemed directly linked to social determinants of health, such as patients unable to manage wound care due to work obligations.
These experiences left me feeling that my clinical training alone wasn’t equipping me with the necessary tools to address the root causes of these health issues and ensure equitable access to proper care. I felt a strong pull towards ‘big picture’ thinking – a desire to proactively promote health and prevent illness on a broader scale. Preventive medicine and public health offered me that crucial opportunity to move beyond individual-level treatment and engage in strategies that could impact entire communities and populations.
The Wisconsin Partnership Program is proud to support the Preventive Medicine Residency through a strategic education grant. Are there other ways that WPP funding has impacted your career development?
Beyond its vital support of the Preventive Medicine Residency, WPP funding has been instrumental in my career development by directly enabling key projects. For instance, a WPP grant supported my social media campaign to disseminate accurate COVID-19 information to communities of color in Wisconsin.
More recently, WPP funding through a New Investigator Grant is crucial for my current work understanding and improving Latino participation in Alzheimer’s registries. This direct project support has been invaluable for advancing my research, fostering crucial community collaborations, and providing essential resources that have significantly accelerated my professional growth. WPP’s broader impact on workforce development and public health infrastructure across Wisconsin creates a supportive ecosystem for professionals like me to thrive.