129. Narratives in Cardiology: Celebrating LatinX Representation in Cardiology with Dr. Fidencio Saldana – Massachusetts Chapter

CardioNerds (Amit Goyal and Daniel Ambinder), Dr. Pablo Sanchez (CardioNerds Ambassador, Stanford University Medical Center), Dr. Maria Pabon (CardioNerds Ambassador, Brigham and Women’s Hospital), and Karen Malacon (Student doctor and LMSA co-chair at Stanford University Medical Center) join Dean for Students at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Fidencio Saldana, for an important discussion about Latinx representation in cardiology. We established the multifaceted benefits of diversity in healthcare, including improving access, cultural competency, and quality of care delivered. We also talked about the need to increase the number of underrepresented minority students in medicine in addition to the importance of removing barriers to improve education. By providing appropriate resources as well as early mentorship and exposure to the medical field, we can address the “leaky pipeline,” or as Dr. Saldana reframed it, “the clogged pipeline.” Then, we dove into Dr. Saldana’s experiences in medical school, the barriers he overcame, and how his parents’ hard work and generosity motivated him to become the cardiologist he is now. This event hosted the ACC Massachusetts Chapter. Stay tuned for a message by chapter Governor Dr. Malissa Wood.

The PA-ACC & CardioNerds Narratives in Cardiology is a multimedia educational series jointly developed by the Pennsylvania Chapter ACC, the ACC Fellows in Training Section, and the CardioNerds Platform with the goal to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in cardiology. In this series, we host inspiring faculty and fellows from various ACC chapters to discuss their areas of expertise and their individual narratives. Join us for these captivating conversations as we celebrate our differences and share our joy for practicing cardiovascular medicine. We thank our project mentors Dr. Katie Berlacher and Dr. Nosheen Reza.

Audio editing by CardioNerds Academy Intern, Dr. Gurleen Kaur.

Originally published in cardionerds.com