MADERA, Calif. — Despite Latinos making up nearly a fifth of the U.S. population, they represent just 6% of the nation’s physicians — a gap that National Latino Physician Day aims to close.
Observed annually on October 1, National Latino Physician Day is a grassroots movement aimed at raising awareness about the underrepresentation of Latino and Latina physicians in the United States.
Latinos make up approximately 19% of the U.S. population — and nearly 40% in California — but only 6% of physicians nationwide identify as Latino or Latina, according to the organization.
Dr. Michael Galvez, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Valley Children’s Healthcare in California’s Central Valley, is one of the movement’s founders.
“We created this day to raise awareness, to encourage the next generation to join us and to celebrate those who are doing the work,” Galvez said.
He says the push for more Latino physicians goes beyond representation — it’s about improving the health of patients.
“There are significant healthcare barriers, inequalities and poor outcomes for Latino patients,” Galvez said. “And so by having Latinos better represented in medicine, it has been shown to improve communication with language and culture — and having a physician from the same background has been shown to have better outcomes as well.”
Galvez said he was motivated to help launch the initiative after noticing a lack of Latino physicians entering the workforce. National Latino Physician Day was first celebrated in 2022 and has since grown to include annual events and advocacy efforts.
“When physicians are able to speak the language and understand the culture of their patients, there can sometimes be a deeper connection and that can result in better care,” Galvez said.
He added that representation can help patients better understand medication recommendations and treatment plans. Latino patients, for example, experience disproportionately poor outcomes for conditions like diabetes — issues that Latino physicians may be more attuned to addressing.
A formal resolution has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to officially designate October 1 as National Latino and Latina Physician Day.
To learn more, visit the National Latino Physician Day website by clicking here.
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