Born in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, Carlos came to the United States at age five with his parents. Living in a poor, multi-ethnic community, he observed a lack of basic health care and a general fear of healthcare providers. It struck him that these impeded immigrants' progress in society.
Curious to learn about health care delivery, Carlos began volunteering in the Emergency Room at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center when he was in high school. The staff allowed him to assist and, watching the trauma team's passion and dedication, he decided to devote his life to medical care and management.
As an undergraduate at the University of Washington, Carlos pursued degrees in bioengineering and biochemistry while working as a Medical Assistant in the Emergency Room at Harborview Medical Center. For his senior bioengineering capstone project, he joined a research lab to develop a novel HIV diagnostic system for the developing world.
Carlos pursued an MD degree at Harvard Medical School, where he was co-chair of the Latino Medical Student Association. In order to pursue his goal of improving health care delivery, he combined his medical degree with an MBA, and conducted quality improvement research at Boston Children's Hospital.
Carlos will complete his residency in anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania.