Daniela is a Duke Primary Care Physician and Consulting Associate in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, where she teaches medical students and focuses on LGBTQ health. Daniela completed her medical degree at Harvard University and her Family Medicine training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. After residency, she worked at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as an Assistant Clinical Professor. As faculty, she worked with the UCLA Gender Health Program and helped develop a curriculum for medical students to provide high quality care for diverse patients. She is passionate about reducing health disparities and social inequality for vulnerable populations.
She is originally from Bogotá, Colombia and migrated to Miami, FL at the age of twelve with her mom and sibling. Soon after immigrating, Daniela was introduced to the American health care system as she began interpreting at doctor's appointments for her chronically ill grandmother. During these visits, she was struck by the profound disparities in health care for those with limited English proficiency. Meanwhile, Daniela was noticing how difficult life could be for immigrant families, like her own, who were having trouble finding jobs and making ends meet, which inspired her career goals. Her focus throughout her career has been on community-based research and advocacy, working with farmworkers, domestic workers, and ex-incarcerated individuals. Daniela has an interest in policy, and as a Rappaport Fellow she worked at the Massachusetts State House developing a strategic plan to meet the legal needs of immigrant youth. She is a 2015 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow. Daniela intends to use her medical and policy training to advocate for marginalized communities as a primary care physician.
