Mariachi music filled the air in front of the UC Riverside School of Medicine on Saturday, welcoming hundreds of students, physicians, and community members to the school’s fourth annual National Latino Physician Day celebration.
The October 3 event, hosted by the SOM Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, focused on honoring Latino physicians and increasing their numbers to improve quality of care for the U.S. Latino patient population. The free event built on last year’s celebration, which was the largest in the nation with over 400 attendees.
“This is the dream,” said co-founder of the National Latino Physician Day movement Michael Galvez, MD, who attended this year’s event. “We always imagined exactly what's happening today.”
“Today’s celebration is centered on a simple yet powerful theme: 6% is not enough,” said Deborah Deas, MD, MPH, the vice chancellor for health sciences and the Mark and Pam Rubin dean of the School of Medicine, in her welcome remarks. The 6% figure refers to the number of physicians in the U.S. that identify as Latino/a. “Representation in medicine is not just symbolic–it really makes a difference and can strengthen the relationships between physicians and their patients,” Deas said.
Despite their low representation in medical fields, Latinos make up 20.5% of the U.S. population. “That means that somewhere today… there's someone waiting in the waiting room, and they're not going to be able to get a Latino doctor to see them–someone who understands their culture, their language,” said Margarita Loeza, MD, in her keynote address.
As assistant dean of Student Affairs and Admissions at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Loeza said she’s noticed a common trend among Latino students’ applications. “I read the same story over and over: ‘I had to translate for my mom. I had to interpret. I had to read paperwork. I had to talk to the doctor. They didn't understand us. They didn't listen to us,’” Loeza said, identifying the experience as a “collective trauma.” Calling for more diversity in medicine, she said, “We need to really find a way to make a change.”
Keynote speaker Katherine Flores, MD, co-director of the California Health Professions Consortium (CHPC) and Faculty Lead of the UCSF Latino Center of Excellence (LCOE) Aspiring Physicians Program (APP), Fresno, related her personal story of contributing to that change. A farmworker until age 16, Flores eventually attended Stanford University before becoming a physician. “Our communities need us, and that’s our charge,” she said.
The third keynote speaker pointed to data to answer the question: “Why Latino physicians?” David Hayes-Bautista, PhD, director of the Center for Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA School of Medicine, highlighted statistics revealing that Latinos have lower rates of heart disease and cancer and a longer life expectancy compared to other groups. “Representation data matters. This is why Latino physicians matter,” Hayes-Bautista said. He stressed that the media often presents Latino health and lifestyles in a negative light, but that the data shows otherwise. “That is why we need a voice, that is why we need a narrative for healthcare,” he said.
Following the keynote addresses, Galvez introduced the physician share-out portion of the event, giving physicians in the room the opportunity to briefly tell their own stories. Adriana Ramirez, MD, an ophthalmologist at Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center, explained that she faced discouragement while pursuing the competitive field of retina surgery. “I didn't listen to them, and I'm going to encourage you to do the same,” she told the audience. Now, Ramirez said she’s the only Latina in her ophthalmology surgical department. “I used to feel proud to say I was the only one, but now I just feel tired of saying that,” she said. As a physician who uses Spanish daily to help communicate with and reassure patients, “We're needed in every area of medicine,” she said. “Please ask for help when you need it. We can't do this alone.”
The physician share-outs were a favorite part of the event for recent UCLA graduate and potential medical student Layla Ruiz. “It was really great to see everyone getting their spotlight… because that's not something you see every day in the media,” she explained. “As a lot of the physicians shared today, there's no linear path… so for me, it's always about just recentering myself in the community, which will lead me to action.”
“Having these speakers be empowered in the way that they're giving back to the community… it inspires the next generation of physicians, like Layla here, to continue to change healthcare and be that cultural concordant physician that most Latinos hope for,” added Ruiz’s friend Dalia Molina, who recently became a counselor for pre-health students at UCLA.
“We know how important this day is,” said Denise Martinez, MD, associate dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. “It gives me a sense of hope when I see all of these folks excited [about] the fact that we need more Latino physicians.”
Attendees enjoyed a taco lunch accompanied by music and folklorico. A networking session and exposition fair also provided the opportunity to learn more about a variety of programs and groups, including the SOM Pathway Programs, the SOM Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), and the National Hispanic Health Foundation.
The celebration concluded two days of UCR SOM events focused on supporting Latino physicians, beginning with the UC Latino Physician Consortium 2nd Annual Summit on Friday, October 2, 2026. The consortium featured a fireside chat with Carolina Reyes, MD, a maternal fetal medicine specialist, and Secretary Xavier Becerra, the 25th U.S. Secretary of Health and Human services. With the theme "Juntos Por La Salud: Reimagining the Future of Latino Healthcare," the consortium brought together over 150 physicians, medical students, and residents committed to advancing health equity.
