UCLA aims to fill gap in number of Latino physicians serving disadvantaged communities

When he was 7 years old, Guillermo Padilla landed in the hospital with appendicitis. While a frightening experience for any child, it was even more so for the young boy who spoke little English. His parents — Mexican immigrants who were determined that their son learn Spanish first — had to translate for him. That made an indelible impression on the youngster.“Being scared and not knowing much of the language made me realize after the fact that I wanted to be one of those doctors who were both comforting and able to save lives,” he says. Later, during his teen years, Padilla witnessed extended family members being too afraid to seek health care for f ear of deportation or high health care costs. Those experiences, he says, further fueled his ambition to become a primary-care physician and serve underrepresented minorities, particularly in predominantly Spanish-speaking Latino communities.Yet, even with his clear ambition, the road to medical school wasn ’t easy for him. After two failed attempts to get high scores on the MCAT and lackluster grades in college because of time spent in volunteer activities, including working in a student-run health clinic, Padilla gave up his dream of medical school to work in a bakery his father managed.But two programs and advice from a mentor helped get him back on track. He enrolled inUCLA ’s Program in Medical Education (PRIME), a five-year course of study leading to joint M.D. and master ’s degrees that aims to train students...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news