Preventive Medicine Residency Shapes Wisconsin’s Health Care Leaders

Meet Dr. Maria Mora Pinzon
Updated Sep 3, 2025
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The Wisconsin Partnership Program has provided vital support to establish public health training pathways like the Preventive Medicine Residency Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The program trains physician leaders in public health and preventive medicine with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention in communities and health systems. Its graduates, like Maria Mora Pinzon, MD, MS, FACPM, are well-prepared for careers in health systems, government agencies or community-based health organizations.

In this Q & A, we learn how Dr. Mora Pinzon, a 2017 graduate of the residency program and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine’s division of geriatrics and gerontology, is leveraging her training to advance her health services research in dementia care, with a particular focus on improving access to Alzheimer’s and related dementia services for Latino communities.

Maria Mora Pinzon
Maria Mora Pinzon

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.

Further, the residency program fostered my capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams and navigate complex systems by understanding diverse perspectives.

  • Mora Pinzon

What was the most unexpected skill you gained through the residency program that continues to influence your work today?

Beyond core public health competencies, my residency unexpectedly equipped me with the ability to effectively communicate complex health information to diverse communities using social media and digital platforms. This skill has become invaluable in disseminating my research findings and engaging new partners and collaborators. Further, the residency program fostered my capacity to lead multidisciplinary teams and navigate complex systems by understanding diverse perspectives – skills I rely on daily to approach multifaceted public health challenges.

How are you using your preventive medicine training to tackle emerging public health challenges in your current work?

My training in preventive medicine provides a powerful lens through which I approach the growing public health challenge of dementia. My current work is deeply rooted in the understanding that we’re not powerless against this condition. The evidence suggesting that up to 50 percent of dementia cases could be prevented through lifestyle and risk factor modification is incredibly motivating. This involves not only direct work with individuals to adopt healthier habits related to diet, exercise, cognitive engagement and vascular health, but also developing and implementing broader programs aimed at promoting brain health across communities.

How do you see preventive medicine shaping the future of health?

Preventive medicine physicians will be pivotal in shaping a healthier future for Wisconsin by tackling multiple interconnected areas. Beyond promoting access and healthy lifestyles, we are equipped to drive improvements in care coordination, reduce health care costs through proactive interventions, and ultimately empower individuals to achieve their best possible lives. This includes initiatives focused on early detection, culturally tailored programs like Pisando Fuerte for falls prevention in Hispanic/Latino seniors, and strategies to improve dementia care in underserved communities. By addressing the root causes of illness and fostering comprehensive well-being, we aim for a healthier, more equitable and cost-effective health care landscape across Wisconsin.

Read more about how Dr. Mora Pinzon is addressing the health needs of Wisconsin’s Latino community


Photo by Clint Thayer, UW Department of Medicine