Carlos Juan Finlay, MD (1833-1915)
Carolos Juan Finlay, MD solved the yellow fever mystery by noticing intriguing correlations between yellow fever epidemics and increases in the mosquito population.
National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
José Celso Barbosa, MD (1857-1921)
José Celso Barbosa graduated with honors from the University of Michigan as the first Puerto Rican to receive a medical degree in the United States.
U-M Medical School 1880 Class Album, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
Severo Ochoa, MD (1905-1993)
Severo Ochoabecame the first Hispanic American to win the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
Wikimedia Commons
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
Ildaura Murillo-Rohde, PhD, RN (1920-2010)
Ildaura Murillo-Rohde was dubbed “The Hispanic whirlwind” for her work as a powerhouse advocate, nurse, therapist, and educator. One of her greatest achievements was creating the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) in 1975.
National Association of Hispanic Nurses
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
Helen Rodríguez-Trías, MD (1929-2001)
Helen Rodriguez-Trias, MD was an activist and pioneering public health leader who cared for low-income children in the South Bronx in New York City, established appropriate treatment for HIV and/or AIDS patients in New York state, and promoted women’s health around the world. She became the first Latina to preside over the American Public Health Association, where she used her position to promote health equity and women’s rights.
National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
Julio Frenk, MD (1953-)
Julio Frenk served as Mexico’s Minister of Health in the early 2000s. In that position, he expanded health care to more than 55 million previously uninsured people. Frenk also served as dean of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2009 to 2015.
University of Miami
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
Jane Delgado, PhD (1953-)
Jane Delgado worked at promoting minority health at the Department of Health and Human Services. There, she made key contributions to the first U.S. effort to plumb health disparities, the landmark 1985 Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health. That same year, Delgado took the helm of the organization that would become the NAHH.
Robin Weinstein/SUNY New Paltz
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Antonia Novello, MD (1944-)
When Antonia Novello became U.S. surgeon general in 1990, her name was etched in two history books: one for Hispanic people and one for women.
She has been widely lauded for her work battling health inequities among the poor and minority groups.
National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
Nora Volkow, MD (1956-)
For decades, drug abuse was typically seen as a sign of personal weakness. But addiction is now understood as a brain disease, thanks largely to Nora Volkow’s creativity inside the laboratory and her powerful messaging outside of it.
Nora Volkow, MD , a prolific researcher published more than 780 peer-reviewed papers, and has led the National Institute on Drug Abuse since 2003.
National Institute of Drug Addiction, National Institutes of Health
Article and photo credit: https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/celebrating-10-hispanic-pioneers-medicine
Serena Auñón-Chancellor, MD (1976-)
Serena Auñón-Chancellor, is the first Hispanic physician to travel to space, and spent six months in 2018 conducting research aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Her work there included conducting experiments related to Parkinson’s disease and cancer.
NASA/Expedition 56 Crew
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