The UCR School of Medicine hosted the 41st annual Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)-West Regional Conference on February 8, 2025. About 700 people attended, making it the largest West Regional Conference for LMSA according to Jennifer Pinal, the co-vice president of conference of LMSA West.
The conference was an opportunity for undergraduate and medical students alike to hear from guest speakers and gain insight on what it means to be successful in medicine. The theme of the conference, “Cultivando Comunidad” (cultivating community), aimed to inspire attendees to plant seeds of justice in healthcare to shape a growing community of physicians, advocates, and leaders.
“This year’s theme is more than a statement; it is a call to action to commit ourselves to stand in solidarity with our communities, fighting for equity and ensuring that healthcare serves as a tool for justice rather than oppression,” said LMSA West Co-Director Samantha Garcia, one of the opening speakers. “Together, we will ensure that these seeds grow into a future where our communities receive the care, dignity, and representation they deserve.”
The conference featured keynote speaker David Acosta, MD, chief diversity and inclusion officer at the Association of American Medical Colleges. His speech highlighted the importance of representation and diversity in healthcare, since many patients seek physicians who have similar backgrounds and speak the same language.
“You are the future, you are hope, and we will overcome this,” said Acosta, referring to the struggles of Latinos in healthcare as well as the recent political movement against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. "We’ve been here before," he added.
Once the keynote concluded, participants could attend around 40 workshops led by diverse medical students, faculty, and speakers. In one, the “Mini MMI Overview,” nine medical students gave a presentation on achieving a successful multiple mini interview (MMI). They also asked attendees practice questions and provided them with feedback on their answers.
“Seeing so many students excited about a career in medicine is always inspiring, but particularly with Latino students, I am always moved seeing firsthand the importance of representation,” said Natalie Garcia Perez, a fourth-year UCR medical student who assisted in the MMI workshop. “I didn’t know any Latinx doctors until I was in medical school so I hope to be able to show other students the possibilities and inspire in them the confidence to pursue a career in a space that demands much more Latinx presence.”
Other workshops included techniques for writing personal statements and overcoming the feeling of self doubt known as imposter phenomenon. In addition, a research symposium gave undergraduates and medical students the opportunity to present their research while over 50 exhibitors, including medical school admission offices, tabled and answered students' questions.
“Being able to get that inside information from heads of admissions from various medical schools will really help me out as applications approach,” said second-year UCR student Gabriela Piña. “Also, being able to talk to medical students who have been in my place who have gone through the process was extremely insightful as they gave me great advice and encouragement,” she added.
The conference concluded with an awards ceremony for students and faculty, followed by a speech by Margarita Loeza, MD, MPH, the assistant dean of student affairs and admissions at the College of Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. She shared her experience of being born with a medical condition that required her to visit the hospital frequently. While there, she helped translate between Spanish-speaking patients and English-speaking staff.
“I would see (the hospital staff) rounding and they couldn’t talk to the kids (in their language). I would start interpreting for kids in the other beds; I knew what surgeries they all had,” recalled Loeza, who also spoke about her journey as a medical student. “It’s been a lot of fun work, a lot of advocacy, just trying to get people to understand the importance of Latino doctors, the importance of being bicultural and bilingual," she added.
