Dozens of physicians and medical students at UC Irvine School of Medicine took part in Latino Physician Day Tuesday, joining a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the lack of Latinos in medicine.
“Here in our state of California, approximately 40% of the population is Latino or identifies that way,” said Dr. Jose Mayorga, executive director for UCI Health Family Health Centers. “And only 6% of physicians identify as Latino.”
That disparity is expected to grow even bigger when California’s Latino population is projected to grow to 50% by the year 2050. That lack of representation contributes to significant health care barriers, inequalities and poorer outcomes in the Latino/Hispanic population, according to doctors…