Fifth Annual National Latino Physician Day: Necesitamos Más

As the UC Irvine School of Medicine celebrated the fifth annual National Latino Physician Day, the message was clear: Necesitamos más — we need more.

The stories shared for National Latino Physician Day on Oct. 1, 2026, were varied but familiar, starting with second-year medical students Valeria Leon and Leslie Portillo, co-chairs of the UC Irvine Latino Medical Student Association.

“Sometimes, the distance between a patient and care is made up of language, culture and trust,” said Leon, talking about the fear she has seen in some of her own Peruvian family members as they navigate the healthcare system. “The same community that taught me so much about how to care for others does not receive the care that it deserves.”

Portillo agreed, recalling how she acted as a translator and advocate when her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. “So many of us have our own stories,” Portillo said. “Representation matters because it helps assure our community that their voices are heard.”

Five years after the launch of NLPD, the numbers remain the same. Latino physicians make up 6% of the physician workforce, even though Latinos comprise about 19% of the U.S. population and over 40% of the population in California.

“Founded on Oct. 1, 2022, NLPD was born out of a critical mission to champion representation, inspire the next generation of physicians and close the healthcare gap for our communities,” said Ursula Worsham, EdD, assistant dean and diversity officer for the UC Irvine Office of Belonging, Equity and Empowerment.

Speaking to the crowd gathered outside the UC Irvine Medical Education Building, Worsham introduced Leon and Portillo, both members of UC Irvine’s Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC), as the first of six speakers.

“Today, you’ll hear from medical students, physicians and future physicians,” said Worsham, “and it is our hope that you will make connections, get involved and leave inspired to pursue your own pathway to medicine.”

Celebrating Future Physicians

The next speaker, also a PRIME-LC student, similarly talked about her family. “I think you might find a piece of yourselves in my story,” said neuroscience MD/PhD candidate Bianca Leonard, introducing herself as a proud Honduran American named after her grandmother.

“She was incredibly accomplished despite the many adversities that she faced,” said Leonard. “Nobody taught her to read or write, and despite that, she became a leader in her community. She was also a healer.”

Leonard talked about honoring their family history by increasing representation. “Many of you have similar legends in your lives that guide you,” she said. “Be proud of how far you have come, because I know your ancestors are.”

Leonard then introduced Michelle Avila, an undergraduate at UC Irvine studying developmental and cell biology and president of Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine (CCM). Echoing Leon and Portillo, she talked about helping her father navigate his type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

“For my immigrant parents, seeking healthcare carried fears about immigration, our family’s safety and whether they would be understood,” said Avila, who was diagnosed herself with pre-diabetes in college. “My questions about diabetes led me into metabolic research.”

Avila also talked about her struggles as a first-generation college student, and how the UC PRIME Pre-Health Pathways Program (UC3P) provided support. Through the CCM student group, she hopes to help others similarly navigate their pre-med journey.

“Increasing Latino representation in medicine means supporting students long before they put on a white coat,” said Avila. “My journey started with wanting to help my father, and today I carry that purpose into the communities I serve and the students I support. One day, I hope to stand here as a Latina physician.”

The Weight of the White Coat

The speakers gave hope to Glenda Flores, PhD, an associate professor of Chicano/Latino Studies at UC Irvine and author of the book, The Weight of the White Coat. “I’m so inspired by hearing all these vulnerable stories,” said Flores, who went on to share the motivation for writing her book.

It started in 2010, with Flores exploring the top 10 occupations for college-educated Latinas. Teaching was at the top of the list; doctor was at the bottom, at less than 1%. For men, it was a bit higher, at 2%. As someone who had served as an interpreter for her mother during doctor's visits, Flores set out to write about the diverse experiences of Latina/o physicians.

“You’re going to have a hard time finding them,” she was told, but the power of community networks and snowball sampling prevailed. “Over the years,” she says, “it has been so inspiring to interview a doctor who then says, ‘Here’s another person you can interview!’”

In 2025, Flores published her book, sharing these physicians’ stories and offering a roadmap for students who want to follow in their footsteps. Five aspiring students at the event won a raffle and received their own free copy.

Flores also stressed the need to help first-generation students navigate the pre-health pathway, something she realized when serving as director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Chicano Latino Studies.

“If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email,” she said. “Our department teaches a lot of classes and collaborates with the School of Medicine, and we’re here to help students reach their end goals.”

Necesitamos Más: We Need More

The final speaker of the day was Valery Vilchez Parra, MD, an assistant professor of surgery and co-director of PRIME-LC.

“What this day means to me is ‘Si se puede,’” said Vilchez Parra, who was born and raised in Venezuela and came to the United States after graduating valedictorian of her medical school class at Universidad Del Zulia.

“I tell my students… I see them in what I was about 10 years ago,” said Vilchez Parra. Highlighting expected shortages in the physician workforce over the next decade, she encouraged undergraduates in the audience to pursue their dreams. “I’m so proud to see really young faces, people [who] want to come to medicine or other healthcare specialties.”

She concluded by reiterating the motto printed on the back of every 2026 NLPD T-shirt: Necesitamos más.

“Understand that we need more,” she said. “‘Necesitamos más’ is also a celebration to be hopeful about what we can push for as Latinos in the United States.”

The celebration left the crowd motivated to move beyond 6% representation. By the 10th annual NLPD in 2031, these future physicians hope to be providing culturally sensitive care, honoring their families and strengthening entire communities.

The National Latino Physician Day event was coordinated by leaders from the UC Irvine School of Medicine and UCI Health Medical Center in partnership with the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC), UC Irvine School of Medicine Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), UC PRIME Pre-Health Pathways Program (UC3P), UCI-OC Alliance, UC Irvine Latinx Resource Center, and Chicanos Latinos for Community Medicine (CCM).

— Shani Murray