A Celebration of National Latino Physician Day

Since 2023, National Latino Physician Day (NLPD) has been held annually to celebrate Latino and Latina physicians who represent 6% of the medical workforce in the United States. This year’s USC NLPD celebration will coincide with an alumni reunion of KSOM’s Medical Counseling, Organizing, and Recruiting (Med-COR) program, which for 55 years has encouraged and motivated students from our community to commit themselves to careers in health.

The celebration will also mark the launch of a new partnership between the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health with the National Hispanic Medical Association, made possible by USC’s new Capital Campus in Washington, DC. Don’t miss this unforgettable community celebration!

This in-person event, “A Celebration of National Latino Physician Day,” will take place on Saturday, September 27, at 11:00 am PDT.

The event is hosted by the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, Keck School of Medicine of USC, National Hispanic Medical Association, KSOM’s Medical Counseling, Organizing, and Recruiting (Med-COR), KSOM's Office of Student Engagement and Cultural Affairs (OSECA), and Latino Medical Students Association.

Please join us on Saturday, September 27, at 11:00 am PDT.

Room details will be provided upon registration.

Event sponsors

Los Angeles County Medical Association

Dr. Ed Mena

Event co-presenters

KSOM Latine Physician Assistant Student Association

KSOM Physician Assistant Pathway Program

KSOM Salemi Collegium Alumni Association

La Comunidad Inclusion Resource Group

NHMA Southern California Chapter

USC Latino Alumni Association

USC Latino Students in Medicine

USC Neighborhood Academic Initiative

USC Street Medicine

Program at-a-glance

10:30  Arrival and Registration

11:15  Welcome from Dr. Joyce Richey and Dean Carolyn Meltzer

11:30  Networking

12:05  Student Story

12:10  Keynote Address by Dr. Diana Ramos

12:30  Student Story

12:40  Pathways Panel Moderated by Paloma Chavez, Daphnee, Rodriguez, and Dr. Linda Mirdamadi

1:20    Remarks by NHMA Interim President and Board Chair Dr. Gil Burgos

1:30    Signing of KSOM-IIGH-NHMA Partnership Agreement

1:40    Conclusion and Networking

USC administers its programs consistent with its Notice of Non-Discrimination. USC prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited characteristic in its educational or otherwise federally-funded programs and activities, and in employment (including application for employment) and admissions.

Dean Carolyn Meltzer, MD, began her appointment as the Dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and the John and May Hooval Dean’s Chair in Medicine, on March 1, 2022. Meltzer oversees the operations and academic affairs of the Keck School of Medicine, which is the home to 26 basic and clinical academic programs and 16 major research institutes. She serves as the academic leader of the Keck School faculty and staff, who perform biomedical research and clinical care, and train medical students, graduate students, postdoctoral trainees and undergraduates. Meltzer is an expert in neuroradiology and nuclear medicine and has conducted research to understand the brain’s structure and function during normal aging, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and psychiatric disorders in later life. Meltzer was recruited from Emory University where she served as the William P. Timmie Professor and Chair, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences at Emory University for 15 years.

Sofia Gruskin, JD, MIA, directs the USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health (IIGH). She is USC Distinguished Professor of Population, Public Health Sciences & Law, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Chief of the Disease Prevention, Policy and Global Health Division at the Keck School of Medicine, and Professor of Law and Preventive Medicine at the Gould School of Law. She has published extensively, including several books, training manuals and edited journal volumes, and more than 200 articles and chapters.

Linda Mirdamadi, MD, is an Internist and former partner with the Southern California Permanente Medical Group with over 20 years of clinical and executive leadership experience. She is proud to serve the diverse communities of Los Angeles with expertise in wellness, obesity and chronic disease prevention. She is an active member of her community, serving and advising local elected officials, and was honored to co-chair Governor Jerry Brown’s task force, “Let’s Get Healthy California,” in which she led a team to develop strategies to improve health care delivery for high- risk Californians. Currently, she is an adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and enjoys mentoring students as the faculty advisor for the Latino Medical Student Association. Mirdamadi is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) and chairs the National Policy and Advocacy Committee. As both a NHMA and National Hispanic Health Foundation Leadership (NHHF) Fellow, Mirdamadi advocates at the county, state and federal level to advance legislation that improves health outcomes in our Hispanic and other underrepresented communities.

Dr. Diana E. Ramos, MD, MPH, MBA, is a distinguished public health leader dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of all communities. As California’s Doctor, she is the leading spokesperson on the most pressing public health issues of the time within the State of California. With a steadfast commitment to addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences, mental health, and maternal mortality and morbidity, Dr. Ramos has been a driving force in shaping policies and programs that make a lasting impact. Her mission is simple: to advance the health and wellbeing of all Californians.

Before her historic appointment as California’s first Latina Surgeon General, Dr. Ramos served as the Assistant Deputy Director of Chronic Disease Prevention at the California Department of Public Health, spearheading statewide initiatives to improve community health. Her leadership has extended across local, state, and national platforms, from serving as Director for Reproductive Health in Los Angeles County to holding key positions with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association Foundation, Women’s Preventive Service Initiative, and the National Hispanic Medical Association.

Over the past three decades, Dr. Ramos has provided compassionate, high-quality reproductive care to thousands of Californians as an Obstetrician Gynecologist at Southern California Kaiser Permanente. Beyond clinical care, she is a prolific contributor to medical and public health literature and a sought-after speaker, delivering lectures in both English and Spanish on local, national, and international stages.

Dr. Ramos’ academic achievements are equally impressive. She earned her medical degree from the Keck School of Medicine at USC and serves as an adjunct Associate Professor. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. She further enhanced her expertise with a Master of Public Health from UCLA and a Master of Business Administration from UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business.

Gilbert Burgos, MD, MPH, Dr Gilbert Burgos is the Interim President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA). During this transition he is assuming leadership of this 30 plus year-old organization for which he has served as a member for over 20 years.

Dr. Gilbert Burgos is the Executive Director of Medical Affairs for Elderplan/Home First, a Special Needs Managed Care Organization in New York State (NY). Most recently, he was the Executive Director and Chief Medical Director for Nassau Queens PPS where he worked with the NY Department of Health and three major health systems in New York City to implement the DSRIP (Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment) program, a major state initiative to restructure how Medicaid recipients receive health care in NY.

Dr. Burgos is board certified in Internal Medicine and is also a Certified Physician Executive through the American Association of Physician Leaders. He has over twenty years of experience as a senior executive with physician groups, hospitals and health plans. Previous positions include Executive Director of Medical Management with Advantage Care Physicians (ACP) in NY, Executive Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer for Preferred Health Partners (PHP) in NY, Senior Vice-President and Chief Medical Officer of Mercy Memorial Hospital System in Michigan, and Chief Medical Officer for Care Choices Health Plan, part of Trinity Health System in Michigan.

He obtained his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Montefiore Medical Center. In addition, he acquired a master’s in public health from Harvard University’s School of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Management.

Additional speakers will be joining us live!