Our Mission & Purpose
The Medical Organization for Latino Advancement (MOLA) is a non-profit association of Latino, Hispanic, and Spanish Speaking (LHS+) physicians and health professionals working for career advancement, linguistic and cultural competency, personal wellness, and health equity for the good of the entire LHS+ community.
Did you know that in the past 30 years, the number of Hispanic/Latino U.S. physicians per 100,000 people has declined by 22%? This means that while the general Latino/a/e/x, Hispanic and Spanish-speaking (LHS+) population grows dramatically, their representation in the medical community is shrinking.
This strain on Latino health professionals and growing need in the community are the inspiration for MOLA to exist and grow. With Chapters in Illinois and Wisconsin, members across the entire territorial United States and Puerto Rico, MOLA links our work with underserved communities to effectively respond to local needs.
“Many local Latino/Hispanic providers have long been searching for a group that represents us, unites us, and helps us advance in our careers, support our students, and improve our local community,” said Dr. Joaquín Estrada, one of the group’s co-founders and colorectal surgeon at Advocate Health Care in Illinois.
For the small percentage of Latinos who do become physicians or health professionals, the road is paved with roadblocks and challenges due to the pressures to navigate the tricky waters of academic advancement, obtaining competitive grant funding, or making their practices financially viable.
“We just don’t have many mentors or examples from our community of how it can be done,” said Dr. Alex Cano, an emergency medicine practitioner and graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Even successful LHS+ physicians and health professionals are often overwhelmed by the responsibility that inevitably comes with being the first in the family to reach seemingly insurmountable milestones—graduating from college, becoming an advanced practitioner, health administrator or doctor, or publishing in academia.
“Being the first and only Latina in the department—or sometimes the entire medical center—can lead to fatigue and unanswered questions,” said Dr. Carla Minutti, an associate professor of pediatric endocrinologist and researcher at Rush University Medical Center.
“We cannot do it alone,” adds MOLA co-founder, emergency physician and Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Pilar Ortega. “It is a great privilege to do what I do as a doctor and to serve my community, but we need to support each other as fellow Latinos in healthcare to increase our impact and numbers.”
From the Founders
We dreamt of engaging the passion and talent of our Latino physician and other health professional members for the improvement of our community’s health and the career advancement and success of more Latinos in health and medicine.
To learn more about membership, get involved in leadership, make a donation, or attend our events, please email [email protected].
Board of Directors
