Healthcare does not begin or end in the clinic. It is shaped by the policies, funding decisions, and advocacy efforts that determine who can access care in the first place.

In this episode of LMSA Pulso, we are joined by LMSA National leaders, Cristhian Gutierrez Huerta and Lizbeth Alvarez, to discuss how student physicians can help shape the systems that influence patient health long before an appointment.

Together, they share how LMSA’s national advocacy efforts translate into action, from engaging legislators and developing policy priorities to amplifying the voices of future physicians working to advance equitable healthcare.

This conversation explores why advocacy is an essential skill in medical training, how policy decisions affect both patients and the physician workforce, and how organized student leadership can drive meaningful, community-centered change.

Because caring for patients also means advocating for the systems that shape their health.

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 Jhanhar, 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

In the debut episode of LMSA Pulso, we begin at the foundation — exploring who we are, why we exist, and the movement behind the Latino Medical Student Association.

LMSA's Vice President of Operations, Christopher Hernandez Salinas, sits down with LMSA National President Cristhian Gutierrez Huerta to discuss the mission, the barriers facing Latino learners across the medical education pipeline, and the leadership journeys that drive their commitment to equity and representation in healthcare.

Together, they reflect on the urgency of diversifying the physician workforce, the power of community-centered leadership, and the vision for this podcast as a platform to uplift voices, share stories, and foster meaningful change.

Whether you’re a student, educator, clinician, or community member, this conversation offers an inside look at the purpose and people shaping LMSA National.

This episode marks the beginning of a series dedicated to storytelling, advocacy, and collective progress in medicine.

Topics covered include: medical education, Latino representation in healthcare, health equity, mentorship, leadership, diversity in medicine, and physician workforce development.