CBC Hispanic Heritage Alumni Spotlight: Jose Rios, Biochemistry/Molecular and Cellular Biology, Class of 2028
"Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! My name is Jose Rios, I'm currently in California with my wife Madison and 10-month-old daughter Elianac where I'm a third-year Anesthesiology Resident at Stanford. I graduated from UofA in 2018 with a B.S. in Biochemistry/Molecular and Cellular Biology.
As a first-generation college student and son of Mexican immigrants, my first exposure to medicine was accompanying my grandmother to her doctor's appointments to help translate. Seeing the joy in her eyes when we were lucky enough to be seen by a Spanish-speaking doctor ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in medicine to serve our Hispanic community.
During my time in Tucson, the UBRP program introduced me to research by funding my work with Dr. Victor J. Hruby on the development of receptor specific ligands. This experience ignited my passion for research which I continued during medical school at the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine where I explored the pathophysiology of muscular dystrophy.
As a resident at Stanford, my research is now focused on uncovering health disparities in cardiac surgery. More specifically, I'm working to uncover the systemic issues associated with poor medical outcomes in our Hispanic community. Although 19% of the U.S. population is Latino, only 6% of physicians identify as Latino and this is not enough to serve our community needs. October 1st is National Latino Physician Day, and I'm excited to celebrate and bring awareness to this healthcare crisis!"
