My work ties together language education, public health, and mentoring:

• My study focuses on the fields of Medical Spanish, Health Advocacy, Public Health Practice, and Health Education and Communication.

• I direct and teach several Medical Spanish courses—some of them mandatory—within the Vida program at the California University of Science and Medicine.

• I also serve as an Instructor and Certified Rater for the Physician Oral Language Observation Matrix (POLOM) at the Center for Clinician Multilingualism.

• Some of my last peer-reviewed publications include: Addressing Linguistic Gaps in Gender-Affirming Healthcare for Spanish-Speaking LGBTQ+ Patients, Ethical Risks and Structural Implications of AI-Mediated Medical Interpreting and Advancing Health Equity Through Language-Concordant Medical Training.

• Additional important articles I worked on recently include: Integrating Gender-Affirming Care in a Medical Spanish Endocrine System Curriculum, and A Case Study of the Impact of Language Concordance on Patient Care, Satisfaction, and Comfort with Sharing Sensitive Information During Medical Care.

• I am pursuing a second doctorate in Public Health at Claremont Graduate University.

News!

• I have been awarded the Outstanding Service and Leadership Award, Emerging Professional Category, by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

• I have been awarded the Henrik L. Blum Award for Excellence in Health Planning and the Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) Public Health Spotlight Award by the American Public Health Association.

• I am featured in Región de Murcia Universal, a book published by Acción Exterior Región de Murcia, which includes a chapter dedicated to my biography.

• I am a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) in active standing, with certification valid through October 2030.

• I have recently published a medical Spanish textbook, Hablamos Vida, designed to equip future physicians with linguistic and cultural competence for patient care.

• I have been awarded NHMA Allied Healthcare Professional of the Year by the National Hispanic Medical Association

• I have been interviewed byScientific American to discuss cultural competency in healthcare and its impact on patient outcomes.

• I am the Latina Executive of the Year 2025 by the NLWBA.

• I am a 2025 Latina Advocate by Senator Eloise Gomez Reyes and HOPE.

• I am a 2024 Latinicima awardee by the Hispanic Coalition of Small Businesses.

• I am a 2024 Fellow in LIDEReS in Research (LHS+ Identity, Development, Empowerment, and Resources Seminar in Research). NIH and Latino Medical Student Association.

• I have been awarded a Global Health Fellowship at Claremont Graduate University for four years during 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.

• I have been awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award for advancing the Mission of the California University of Science and Medicine.