Raising Voices: Honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month

AACOM is committed to educating and training more osteopathic physicians who embody the fabric of our nation, not only to address disparities in healthcare, but also to improve the overall health of all people. And we understand that students are our greatest assets and the future of our profession. That’s why, for this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, we reached out to them to tell their stories to add to our own understanding of inclusive healthcare. Over the course of the month, we featured diverse voices from across our colleges of osteopathic medicine through a series of Instagram series of Instagram takeovers and guest essays, which brought to life the important connections between culture and healthcare, and how the two are as inseparable as mind, body and spirit.  

2021 AACOM Arnstein Minority Student Arnstein Minority Student Scholarship recipient and Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine (RowanSOM) student Ethan Zerpa took us on a campus-wide tour, from an arepa-making lesson lesson with second-year student Ana Louisa Torres and her mother, Rosa, to an interview with RowanSOM Dean Thomas Cavalieri, DO, DO, about the school’s commitment to creating a diverse physician workforce. Ethan also chatted about Dominican slang with fourth-year student Darlene Mata Mata and RowanSOM’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Ms. Yvonne Ortiz Ortiz about the “why” behind her role.

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM) student Limayre Mendoza, also an Arnstein Scholarship recipient, is proudly Guatemalan American and advocates for all students learning to speak medical Spanish. Over the course of her takeover, Limayre taught us medical Spanish words of the day, showed us her path to medical school as a mother and student and gave us an inside look at her surgery cases. She also highlighted her OSU-COM peers, faculty and administrators, including OSU-COM Dean Natasha Bray, DO.

Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine student and Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) National Vice President of Communications Arianne M. Serrano discussed her experience as a first-generation medical student, how her family supported her throughout the interview process and how osteopathic medicine resonates with her Panamanian understanding of holistic healthcare.

Through guest essays, University of the Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine student and LMSA Chapter Vice President Jasmine Castillejos reflected on her Peruvian and Filipina heritage and why she gives back to the community that helped her connect to her roots. Alex Pollock and Dr. Monica Rojas shared recommendations for improving the patient-physician relationship for Hispanic patients, resources and advice to address health disparities among the Latino community in Arkansas and what the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine is doing to advance health equity for Hispanic-speaking patients. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia Campus student and LMSA Chapter President Ryan Almodovar also described his experience moving from Miami, Florida, which is majority Hispanic, to Suwanee, Georgia, where Hispanic patients are in the minority, and stressed why cultural understanding is crucial to a physician’s ability to care for diverse patient populations.

It was a privilege to share these voices, but we must do more. Hispanic or Latino Americans account for 18.9 percent of our country’s population. Yet, Hispanic/Latino students made up only 11 percent of osteopathic medical school applicants and 8.1 percent of matriculants in 2021, while only six percent of physicians currently identify as Latino. The theme of this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month was Building Prosperous and Healthy Communities. To ensure that all communities can find prosperity and health, we must be more intentional in recruiting and retaining Hispanic medical students to become tomorrow’s physicians.

Robert A. Cain, DO
AACOM President and CEO