The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine
What is your hometown?
Guayaquil, Ecuador
When did you join the University of Iowa faculty?
September 2006
How/when did you become interested in science and medicine?
Early in elementary school I was curious to understand how living organisms function. During high school, my passion for biology and anatomy sparkled and helped me decide to go into medical school.
Why did you pursue a career in internal medicine?
I enjoy the diagnostic challenges and problem solving approach we face in internal medicine. I love working with people and as a clinician, it is a privilege to improve a patient’s quality of life with medical management.
Is there a teacher or mentor who helped shaper you career?
I had excellent teachers and role models during my medical school, residency and fellowship training. However, my father, an internist, shaped my philosophy of clinical excellence, providing compassionate care to patients.
How or why did you choose the University of Iowa?
During my fellowship training, I was contacted by my good friend Mike Voigt. My family and I enjoyed living in the Midwest during my residency and we were considering moving back. During my visit, I was impressed by the University commitment to clinical excellence and the collegial environment within the department.
How does your work help translate new medical discoveries into patient-centered care and education?
I have the privilege to coordinate our gastroenterology and hepatology division visiting professor program, bringing renowned experts and researchers to share their knowledge, enhancing learning in faculty, fellows and residents and improving the care we provide to our patients.
What professional opportunities or advantages does being a faculty member at an academic medical center provide?
The University of Iowa provides a welcoming and collegial environment to develop an academic career, fostering multidisciplinary research and fruitful collaborations with other institutions.
What are your professional interests.
My professional interests are in the area of hepatology, I treat patients with a broad spectrum of liver disorders including chronic hepatitis B and C, alcoholic liver disease, non alcoholic steatohepatitis and liver tumors.
As a transplant hepatologist within our multidisciplinary transplant team, I manage patients with decompensated cirrhosis from their initial evaluation to the liver transplant procedure, postoperative phase and long term follow up care.
I am interested in the metabolic complications of liver disease, particularly related to fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome after liver transplant.
What led to your interest in transplant hepatology?
During my internal medicine residency, I was impressed by the great outcomes and significant improvement in the quality of life of decompensated cirrhotics after liver transplant, most returning to a fully productive life.
How does working in an academic medical center benefit your work?
Hepatology in an intensely collaborative specialty and the University of Iowa provides widespread clinical and surgical expertise leading to a solid team work with surgeons, radiologists and pathologists, essential to provide an outstanding level of care to our complex hepatology patient population.
What are some of your outside interests?
I enjoy outdoor activities with my family, I love music, like to play the guitar and read.
What insight or philosophy guides your professional work?
Provide the best medical care in a compassionate way. Always involving patients in their management.
If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?
I believe everyone deserves adequate health care insurance coverage.
What has been the biggest change in your field since you were a student?
There had been many changes in the field of hepatology. We understand better the pathophysiology and natural history of non alcoholic fatty liver disease. Novel and more efficacious antiviral agents to treat chronic hepatitis B have been developed. By far, liver transplantation revolutionized the management of chronic liver disease with excellent long term outcomes.
What piece of advice do you have for today's students?
Enjoy learning every day and work with passion.
What do you see as the future of medicine?
It is an exciting time in medicine; I believe we will continue to learn more on the molecular basis of several clinical disorders, with further developments in molecular targeted therapies.
How are you engaged with the greater Iowa public?
I am mentoring both medical students and residents within community projects to improve access to medical care of patients living in rural areas of Iowa. I am also actively involved in the College of Medicine Diversity Committee to promote and foster a multicultural environment in our Institution.