Who becomes a physician is not just a workforce issue. It is a public health issue.

In this episode of LMSA Pulso, we sit down with LMSA national leaders, Devina Espinoza, Sara Jhanjar, and Dahlia Chavez, to examine how representation, trust, and structural access shape patient outcomes and the future of healthcare.

From navigating medical training as underrepresented and first-generation students to the downstream effects on underserved communities, this conversation connects medical education, policy, and patient care. We discuss how financial and structural barriers influence who enters medicine, why physicians from underrepresented backgrounds are more likely to serve high-need communities, and how culturally and linguistically concordant care can improve patient trust and engagement.

At a time when the U.S. faces a projected physician shortage and persistent inequities in access to training, expanding pathways into medicine is not just about fairness. It is about building a workforce capable of meeting the nation’s health needs.

This is not diversity as an abstract ideal. It is about who receives care, who feels seen in the healthcare system, and how we create a physician workforce that reflects and serves its communities.

We invite you to listen, reflect, and join us in moving camino al cambio — the path toward change.

📚 Studies & Sources Referenced

• Jolly P. et al., JAMA (2008)
  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/182881
• AAMC analysis on economic diversity of U.S. medical students:
  https://www.aamc.org/data-reports/workforce/report/economic-diversity-us-medical-students
• AAMC Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ):
  https://www.aamc.org/data-reports/students-residents/report/matriculating-student-questionnaire-msq
• Physicians from underrepresented backgrounds disproportionately care for underserved populations:
  Marrast LM et al., JAMA Internal Medicine (2014)
  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/1784458
• Xierali IM, Nivet MA. J Health Care Poor Underserved (2018)
  https://muse.jhu.edu/article/689662
• Language and cultural concordance improve communication and care engagement:
  Saha S. et al., J Natl Med Assoc (2008)
  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2608387/
• Flores G., New England Journal of Medicine (2006)
  https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp058316
• Projected U.S. physician shortage:
  AAMC Workforce Projections (2021–2036)
  https://www.aamc.org/data-reports/workforce/report/physician-supply-and-demand-projections
• Graduate medical education funding constraints (Balanced Budget Act of 1997) overview:
  https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2015
• MedPAC reports on GME financing:
  https://www.medpac.gov