UCLA celebrates 3 medical graduates who overcame extraordinary odds to be called ‘doctor’

Some 200 students in the Class of 2018 will receive their medical diplomas on June 1 during the Hippocratic Oath Ceremony for theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.Earning an M.D. requires unwavering focus and the stamina to survive grueling hours and demanding classes. It ’s a tough journey for any student, but the following graduates overcame additional hurdles to achieve their dream of becoming a doctor. Each of them is enrolled in UCLA’sPRIME, a five-year program whose goal is to develop medical leaders dedicated to improving the lives of underserved patients. The program requires medical graduates to also earn a master ’s in public policy, public health or business administration.UCLAJoseph TorresWhenJoseph Torres was 8, he and his brother walked for three days across the hot Mexican desert to enter the United States without immigration documents. Growing up in Covina, he never saw a doctor or dentist and lived under constant fear of deportation. In 2010, the former DACA recipient married and became a legal resident, allowing him to attend UCLA for college and medical school. Now a U.S. citizen and the father of two young boys, Torres, 34, intends  to use his firsthand experience and his master’s in public policy to help change the laws that restrict undocumented residents’ access to health care and education. For now, that means pursuing a residency in internal medicine at Olive View–UCLA Medical Center and using his policy expertise to advocate for u...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news