During National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, attention is being drawn to the contributions of Hispanic professionals in healthcare. This observance highlights the achievements of several notable doctors and nurses who have influenced modern medicine.
Dr. Severo Ochoa, a Spanish biochemist and physician, became the first Hispanic American to win the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1959. His research has contributed to advances in understanding human genetic code and laid groundwork for developments such as mRNA vaccines.
Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trías was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City. Despite facing discrimination due to her heritage, she graduated from Universidad de Puerto Rico and opened the first care center for newborns in Puerto Rico, leading to a significant drop in infant mortality rates there. She later led the pediatric unit at Lincoln Hospital in New York City, focusing on underserved populations. Dr. Rodriguez Trías also advocated for women’s health and brought national attention to HIV/AIDS among mothers and babies. In 1993, she became the first Hispanic president of the American Public Health Association.
Dr. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde was a Panamanian American nurse who worked to increase Hispanic representation among nurses, particularly in San Antonio’s largely Hispanic community. She served as Dean of Nursing at New York University and Professor Emeritus at SUNY’s School of Nursing. Dr. Murillo-Rohde founded the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) and was recognized as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.
Dr. Carlos Canseco González was a Mexican physician specializing in allergology who taught Mexico’s first allergology course and helped build Monterrey’s first Children’s Hospital. He collaborated with Albert Sabin on developing an aerosol polio vaccine as part of global efforts against polio.
Dr. Nora Volkow is a Mexican psychiatrist serving as director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Her research established that drug addiction is a brain disorder and contributed to understanding ADHD, aging, and obesity neurobiology.
The observance underscores that Hispanics remain underrepresented within medical professions and are less likely than other groups to seek medical care due to language barriers, cultural factors, and lack of insurance coverage.
“During National Hispanic Heritage Month, it is important to spotlight Hispanics in the medical profession, because they are a largely under-represented minority in this field,” according to organizers.
