Celebrating Latinx/Hispanic History Month

As we head into September and begin Latinx/Hispanic History Month, we go on a journey of reflection and inspiration. This annual national observance provides us with a wonderful opportunity to recognize the invaluable contributions of Latinx health care workers at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, celebrate their achievements, and work to create a culture of inclusivity and health equity.

This year, the theme of Latinx/Hispanic History Month – celebrated from September 15 through October 15 – is “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together,” a reminder of the importance of creating new environments where everyone’s voice is heard, valued, and empowered.

David Garcia

Pediatric gastroenterologist David Garcia, MD, has worked at Stanford Children’s for four years, having moved to California from Delaware in 2020. “I always had an interest in helping people and always liked science, so I thought medicine was a good fit,” he says. He was also drawn to the medical field because of his experience as a first-generation Mexican American. Growing up, his parents only spoke Spanish, and he saw the communication barriers they faced at doctor appointments, and how difficult it was for his parents and doctors to understand one another.

“Growing up, I saw their seeing struggles with everything from seeing doctors to getting the tire on a car changed,” he says. “It’s not just about being Latino. These things can be barriers for any immigrants.”

At first, Dr. Garcia thought he’d go into general pediatrics, but after meeting certain mentors and discovering that he loved caring for children with complex digestive conditions, he found that gastroenterology (GI) was a good fit. He especially loves making the process easier for families with cultural or language barriers. “I always let people know I speak Spanish, which is especially helpful when using medical terms, and I’m always willing to translate.”

Dr. Garcia is a family man outside of the hospital. While it’s impossible to spend time with his 80-plus cousins, many of whom live in Colorado, he spends lots of time with his daughters. His wife Josephine Urbina, who is also a Mexican American doctor, has a busy career at University of California San Francisco, so they savor family outings to soccer practice and taking day trips to places like Santa Cruz and cities like Los Angeles, “A highlight for us is trying out restaurants — we’re big foodies,” he says.

Dr. Garcia looks forward to when he’ll have time to serve his community. “Eventually, I’d like to start to do mentoring in schools or teach leadership skills to kids, especially kids with similar backgrounds as mine, to be a role model and let them know they can do whatever they want to in this country,” he says. “Sometimes, they’ll have more barriers or hoops to jump through, but if they have the right support and the right outlook, they can do it.”

For Dr. Garcia, celebrating Latinx Heritage month is a great way to highlight how big and complex his culture is. “It’s a good reminder that our country is a big melting pot and that our voices should be heard,” he says. It’s also a good reminder about being open to discovering other people’s ways of life, he says. “Being from Mexico is about different music, different foods, different cultures. I like to learn about everyone — where they are coming from, what they like. Just communicating about these things is one greatest things anyone can do, especially in this day and age when people don’t talk to each other much. It’s about being open.”