In recent years, several strategies have been employed by colleges and universities to achieve greater faculty diversity. Most of these efforts have focused on increasing the “numbers” of persons from diverse groups on faculties. It is clear that the acquisition of a critical mass of individuals from diverse groups is the important first step in achieving faculty diversity, but of course full faculty diversity requires much more than numbers – a climate of inclusion must be ingrained throughout the institution. An institutional climate in support of faculty diversity is essential for success.
Institutions must match their rhetoric on faculty diversity with action. Research shows that faculty diversity is enhanced by infrastructures in place that support it. And while recruitment of diverse faculty is important, mentoring and support leading to increased satisfaction and professional development are essential.
It is in this context that the Heersink School of Medicine has created The UAB Hispanic and Latin American Faculty Association led by Drs. Marcela Frazier and Fernando Ovalle.






Mission/Vision
The UAB Hispanic and Latin American Faculty Association will foster, promote, and advocate for Hispanic and Latin American faculty while inspiring diversity, equity, and inclusion within the campus and healthcare community.
We will do this by:
- Encouraging communication, networking, mentoring and professional development, as well as serving as a voice for cultural and educational concerns among our faculty
- Serving to improve the recruitment and retention of Hispanic and Latin American faculty, trainees, and medical students and promote engagement within the School of Medicine
- Advocating for the Hispanic and Latin American community to enhance multicultural awareness, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare
Members
Please choose a discipline below to view The UAB Hispanic and Latin American Faculty Association faculty members.
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Cardiothoracic Surgery
Enrique Gongora
Country Connection: Colombia
Email: egongora@uab.edu
Learn MoreErik Orozco Hernandez
Country Connection: Mexico
Email: beluc21@uab.edu
Learn More -
Genetics
Tatiana Marquez-Lago
Email: tmarquez@uab.edu
Learn More -
Immunology
Andre Ballesteros-Tato
Country Connection: Spain
Email: aballest@uab.edu
Learn More -
Medicine
Internal Medicine
Maria Acosta Lara
Country Connection: Mexico
Email: pacosta@uab.edu
Learn MoreTiago Colicchio
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: tiagokc@uab.edu
Learn MoreOrlando Gutierrez
Email: ogutierr@uab.edu
Learn MoreGustavo Heudebert
Country Connection: Peru
Email: gustavo@uab.edu
Learn MoreMaria Oquendo
Email: mariaoquendo@uab.edu
Learn MoreFernando Bril
Country Connection: Argentina
Email: fbril@uabmc.eduJewell Halanych
Montgomery Regional Campus
Country Connection: Mexico
Email: jhalanych@uab.edu
Learn MoreCarlos Estrada
Country Connection: Peru
Email: cestrada@uab.edu
Learn MoreAlonso Heudebert
Email: aheudebert@uabmc.edu
Learn MoreJames Willig
Country Connection: Republica Dominicana
Email: jwillig@uab.edu
Learn MoreSubspecialties
Cardiology
Silvio Papapietro
Country Connection: Chile
Email: spapapietro@uab.edu
Learn MoreJose Tallaj
Country Connection: Dominican Republic
Email: jtallaj@uab.edu
Learn MoreEndocrinology
Carlos Arguello
Email: carguell@uab.edu
Learn MoreFernando Ovalle
Country Connection: Mexico
Email: fovalle@uab.edu
Learn MoreHenry Zelada
Country Connection: Peru
Email: henryzelada@uabmc.edu
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Infectious Diseases
Ricardo Franco
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: rfranco@uab.edu
Learn MoreMartin Rodriguez
Country Connection: Peru
Email: mrodri2@uab.edu
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Nephrology
Eric Wallace
Email: Ericlwallace@uab.edu
Learn MoreOncology
Luciano Costa
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: lcosta@uab.edu
Learn MoreLorena de Idiaquez Bakula
Country Connection: Peru
Email: idiaquez@uab.edu
Learn MoreAntonio diStasi
Country Connection: Italy
Email: adistasi@uab.edu
Learn MoreFrancisco Robert-Vizcarrondo
Country Connection: Puerto Rico
Email: paco@uab.edu
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Preventive Medicine
Isabel Scarinci-Searles
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: scarinci@uab.edu
Learn MoreRheumatology
Angelo Gaffo
Country Connection: Peru
Email: agaffo@uab.edu
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Tropical Medicine
German Henostroza
Country Connection: Peru
Email: germanh@uab.edu
Learn More
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Microbiology
Carlos Orihuela
Email: corihuel@uab.edu
Learn More -
Neurobiology
Lucas Pozzo-Miller
Email: lucaspm@uab.edu
Learn MoreJacques Wadiche
Email: jwadiche@uab.edu
Learn More -
Neurology
Rocio Vazquez do Campo
Email: rociovdc@uab.edu
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Natividad Stover
Country Connection: Spain
Email: npstover@uab.edu
Learn More -
Ophthalmology
Ann Marie Arciniegas-Bernal
Country Connection: Colombia
Email: anama@uab.edu
Learn MoreMarcela Frazier
Country Connection: Colombia
Email: mfrazier@uab.edu
Learn More -
Pathology
Daniel Atherton
Email: datherto@uab.edu
Learn MoreSilvio Litovsky
Country Connection: Argentina
Email: slitovsk@uab.edu
Learn MoreManuel Lora Gonzalez
Country Connection: Dominican Republic
Email: mlora@uab.edu
Learn MoreFrida Rosenblum Donath
Country Connection: Ecuador
Email: frida@uab.edu
Learn MoreJose Lucio Lima
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: joselima@uab.edu
Learn MoreSixto Leal
Country Connection: Cuba
Email: sleal@uab.edu
Learn MoreAndrea Kahn
Country Connection: Argentina
Email: akahn@uabmc.edu
Learn MoreCristina Magi-Galluzzi
Country Connection: Italia
Email: cmagigalluzzi@uabmc.edu
Learn MoreMarisa Marques
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: mmarques@uabmc.edu
Learn MoreDiana Morlote
Country Connection: Cuba
Email: dmorlote@uabmc.edu
Learn MoreCarlos Prieto-Granada
Country Connection: Paraguay
Email: prietogc@uab.edu
Learn MoreDario A. Vitturi
Country Connection: Uruguay
Email: dariovitturi@uabmc.edu
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Pediatrics
Claudia Gaviria Agudelo
Country Connection: Colombia
Email: cgaviria@uab.edu
Learn MoreAdolfo Molina
Country Connection: Cuba
Email: amolina@uab.edu
Learn MoreSubspecialties
Dev Pediatrics
Ada Peralta-Carcelen
Email Address: peralta@uab.edu
Learn MoreJustin Schwartz
Country Connection: Puerto Rico
Email: jcschwa@uab.edu
Learn MorePediatric Hem-Onc
Ana Galtarossa Xavier
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: axavier1@uab.edu
Learn MorePediatric Cardiology
Erika Mendoza Plaut
Country Connection: Venezuela
Email: emend55@uab.edu
Learn MoreCarlo Waldemar
Email: wfcarlo@uab.eduPediatric Endocrinology
Giovanna Beauchamp
Country Connecation: Puerto Rico
Email: drgio@uab.edu
Learn MorePediatric Gastro
Vanessa Cardenas Soto
Email: vanescar@uab.edu
Learn MorePediatric Nephrology
David Askenazi
Email: daskenaz@uab.edu
Learn MoreNeonatology
Waldemar Carlo
Email: wacarlo@uab.edu
Learn MoreAriel Salas
Email: asalas@uab.edu
Learn MorePediatric Neurology
Michael Lopez
Email: mikelope@uab.edu
Learn MorePediatric Pulmonology
Guillermo Beltran-Ale
Country Connection: Peru
Email: gbeltranale@peds.uab.edu
Learn MoreHector Gutierrez
Country Connection: Chile
Email: pulmon@uab.edu
Learn MoreAnis Nourani
Country Connection: Brazil
Email: anourani@peds.uab.edu
Learn MoreIsabel Virella-Lowell
Country Connection: Spain and Portugal
Email: ilowell@uab.edu
Learn More -
Plastic Surgery
Jorge de la Torre
Email: jdlt@uab.edu
Learn More -
Psychiatry
Jesse Tobias Martinez
Email: tobiasjm@uab.edu
Learn MoreRosalinda Roberts
Country Connection: Spain
Email: rcusidor@uab.edu
Learn More -
Radiology
Daniel Goldberg-Zimring
Country Connection: Mexico
Email: dgoldberg@uab.edu
Learn More
Watch Past Zoom Meetings
Please click one of the session topics below to watch the full recording.
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Dr. Pozzo-Miller: Hispanic and Latin American Faculty Association Meeting
Session Leader: Dr. Pozzo-Miller
Dr. Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Ph. D, professor in the Departments of Neurobiology, Neurology, Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, and Psychology, speaks to his experience as a Hispanic/Latin American researcher.
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Telehealth Al Tiro: How COVID-19 Changed Healthcare Delivery Forever
Session Leader: Dr. Eric Wallace
The UAB Hispanic and Latin American Faculty Association meeting for June 2021 included guest speaker, Eric Wallace, M.D.
Dr. Wallace is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nephrology and the Medical Director for Telehealth in the UAB Health System.
During this meeting, he shared:- His background and his mother’s story;
- His experience creating the telehealth network at UAB;
- Some of the data on Hispanics and disparities in telehealth; and
- The attempts to do telehealth outside of the U.S. (specifically, Peru).