Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As a Hispanic female attending in the division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology at the University of New Mexico I have always felt very supported by my co-workers and colleagues in my professional and personal endeavors.  This was especially the case during the last minute  adoption of our beautiful baby girl.  My entire team jumped in to help cover patients and clinics so I could be home on maternity leave with our newborn.  Being an adoptive mother has provided me with a unique perspective of what it means to be a parent to care for children with all different backgrounds and family histories, like ours.  We all have different journeys and different stories and it is our responsibility as pediatricians to help support our families no matter what they look like. This is a priority for the department of pediatrics and I can attest that this is something that we do well!  My daughter is cared for my one of our amazing pediatricians and my family feels very supported by our UNM medical team!

As a Vietnamese female who grew up in New Mexico, I am proud of my roots.  I am a first generation college graduate and truly appreciate the opportunities that my parents worked so hard to provide for me.  As I have grown, I have also seen how much New Mexico has grown.  I was so humbled to have been accepted into UNM School of Medicine and thrilled to continue to my training in Pediatrics in New Mexico.  I love serving the children of New Mexico, especially those in low socioeconomic status because it roots me to my foundation.  The Department of Pediatrics has always empowered me to be proud of the values my family has instilled in me.  We have a very diverse patient population and our backgrounds help us make connections with our patients, providing the best care we can.

I am a native New Mexican and Hispanic woman, who was raised in rural Northern New Mexico.  Growing up on my family’s small ranch taught me discipline, resilience and a strong work ethic.  I learned the importance of helping your “neighbor” regardless of circumstance, because this is how a small community perseveres when there are limited resources.  However, it also provided me insight into the challenges rural communities face when accessing health care.  This motivated me to pursue medical school here at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and then my Pediatric Residency at Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital.  Now as a Pediatric Hospitalist, it is my commitment to ensure all of our families receive high quality care when they are admitted and that they have what is needed when returning home, particularly a primary care provider to help them navigate the health care system in our state.  As a leader in medical education, I am committed to training our Pediatric residents, mentoring medical students in their pursuit of Pediatric Residencies and supporting our Graduate Medical Education leaders as they lead their programs.  I delight in being able to share my experiences, practices and knowledge with learners and education leaders to elevate their opportunities, help them network, develop their confidence and ultimately become more successful in their roles; altogether, this translates into developing better physicians for the future.  I am proud to be part of the Department of Pediatrics because of its commitment to the recruitment of diverse learners and faculty, provisions of excellent training opportunities and service to our diverse communities here at UNMH and in outreach clinics around the state of New Mexico.    

At the beginning of a stretch of days on the inpatient wards I tell my learners, “All children have a right to scientifically excellent, culturally sensitive and equitable care.” It is my goal to use this phrase as a north star in all the work that I do, including DEI. I hope to help advance the health and healthcare of ALL of New Mexico’s children by recruiting, training and retaining a purposefully diverse body of staff, learners, clinicians, researchers and faculty who are equipped with skills to make our administrative, learning, research and clinical environments inclusive and equitable.