Keeping Our Communities Safe

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a collaboration of UCSF and local community based organizations created a testing event in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, Sanando Juntos Fruitvale, to offer free COVID-19 tests.

Leadership

Alicia Fernandez, director of the LCOE, is the recipient of the Community Healer award from the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), and Distinguished Professor of Health Equity Award by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Community Engagement

The LCOE Street Team has partnered with the Latino Task Force in the Mission District of San Francisco to provide trustworthy COVID-19 health education, resources, and PPE to those waiting in food distribution lines.

Education

Our programs aim to achieve our mission of improving the health and healthcare of California through the development of diverse physician leaders and through research, education and advocacy. The programs provide support and mentorship to students and physicians at all stages of their medical careers.

The new UCSF Latinx Center of Excellence will enhance our ongoing efforts to increase diversity and heighten awareness of research that can impact the health of underserved populations.

Dr. Talmadge E. King

Dean of the UCSF School of Medicine

While the Latinx population is the fastest-growing population in California, we have a shortfall of almost 55,000 Latinx physicians to serve this population.

At the current Latinx rate of medical school graduation, it will take about 500 years to close that gap (UCLA, 2015).

We must build a physician workforce that meets these needs and provides culturally and linguistically appropriate levels of healthcare to California’s Latinx population.

At the University of California, San Francisco, Latinx Center of Excellence (LCOE), our goal is to increase the number of Latinx physicians, as well as physicians from other under-represented minority (URM) communities, through programs that support students and physicians at every stage of their careers.

Roberto Vargas on COVID-19- Spanish

Alejandra Rincon on COVID-19- Spanish

The LCOE is supported in part by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.