Changing the “Only” and “First” Narrative Within the Latinx Community

Changing the “Only” and “First” Narrative Within the Latinx Community

Marissa S. Vasquez, Board Member

From a young age, I felt I was one of a kind. I was one of 2 latinas in honors classes in high school at a predominantly latinx community. The first latina to graduate as valedictorian after a 10 year span.

In college, I chose a school based on what I thought I could afford. I was one of a small handful of latinas with a major in biochemistry at a mid size school, UCR. In graduate school at UC Davis, I was part of another small cohort. During my education at UC Davis, my mentors stressed what we needed to do to decrease the disparities and diversify the workforce in medicine.

However, once in medical school I often wondered, “How will I make the finances work?” In residency, I was the first resident to apply and complete an ACGME fellowship in the history of the program. During fellowship training, I was one of the only latinas in the country in a sports medicine fellowship.  Today, I’m the only female physician in our division. I was one of two physicians in my MBA cohort at UCLA.

I believe in taking action when things need to be changed and improved. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work on an endeavor that will help diversify healthcare, build financial acumen and empower the next generation.

In addition to practicing sports medicine at my institution, I’ve been working with my dear friend Dr. Alyx Porter Umphrey to build a nonprofit organization paving the way to ensure diversity, inclusivity, and equity in medicine: www.elevatemed.org.

-Marissa S. Vasquez, MD, MBA

Founded by Dr. Alyx Porter Umphrey and Dr. Greg Umphrey, ElevateMed's mission is to “elevate medicine to an ideal where the physician workforce reflects our population.”