Dr. Michael Patrick Silva
Hometown
Santa Clarita, CA (suburb of Los Angeles, CA)
Alma mater
University of Southern California (undergraduate and medical school), California State University-Northridge (post-baccalaureate)
How you would like to impact your community in your career
I would like to promote non-stigmatizing views of mental illness and improve representation in medicine for historically marginalized communities
One way that you like to spend your free time/recharge
Spending time with my chihuahua mix Kylo, who is 9 years old but looks and acts like a puppy .
Can you share the moment that you decided to pursue a career in medicine?
It is honestly a bit of a weird story. I was lying down in bed one night when I was in high school, I was about 15 years old and was really thinking hard about what I should do with my life. It literally came to me out of nowhere: I should be a doctor. It felt like some type of message, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. Maybe it was the mix of science and compassion, I thought initially. I spent years trying to figure it out, and what I realized later is that I wanted to seek the deepest possible way that I could positively influence other peoples’ existence. In my view, being a doctor would position me in the most powerful way to positively impact both the body and psyche of other human beings. Deep down, that is what I wanted to do as a young 15-year-old teen dreaming and pondering my future.
What do you believe is the importance of representation in medicine and how has your identity impacted your work?
Current research shows several significant benefits from racial and linguistic concordance between providers and patients. Clinical outcomes are invariably improved with linguistic concordance between patients and providers, and many years of research demonstrates this. Recent studies have shown that the healthcare system and minoritized populations reap myriad benefits from having racially-concordant providers: improved care-seeking behaviors from patients, improved patient satisfaction (providers receive higher Press-Ganey scores!), decreased emergency department and hospital re-admission rates after discharge, reduced overall healthcare expenditures, amongst several other benefits! Improving representation in medicine is 1.) evidence-based, 2.) saves money, and 3.) helps us all take care of patients better. I want EVERYONE to know this.
I am a proud Chicano and Mexican American male, and I hope to inspire Latine people as well as other BIPOC individuals to join the field of medicine and the field of psychiatry. My own life experiences as well as my empathy, compassion, and sense of morality compel me to advocate for others. In addition to serving the Latine community and other BIPOC communities, I proudly offer a safe space to LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, veterans who have served in the military, unhoused people, and many others.
What is the greatest piece of advice you would like to give to those interested in pursuing medicine?
Never give up. There were many times where I almost did (and my path was anything but linear!), but my mom would tell me “We’re not giver-uppers.” She was a single mom with 3 kids, and we were a middle-class 2nd generation Mexican American family. Life was not without stress for my mom, but I never saw her give up at anything- and neither did I. It’s a long path, you’re likely to experience setbacks- don’t give up, maintain your center, take a deep breath, and move forward even in the storm. Grit is everything, and the water over the stone will eventually chip away at it- no matter how dense the stone may be.
Lessly Torres
Hometown
Rialto, California
Alma mater
California State University, Los Angeles
How you would like to impact your community in your career
My goal is to impact my community by serving not only as a physician, but also as a representative, advocate, and mentor for my community. As a future dual board-certified psychiatrist and family medicine doctor, I aspire to deliver culturally sensitive care to underserved families, empowering them to build healthy home environments and prevent chronic disease.
One way that you like to spend your free time/recharge
Dancing Zapateado
Can you share the moment that you decided to pursue a career in medicine?
When I was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy as a child, my mother was told there were few options for follow-up care because of my immigration status. Watching her fight to advocate for me, while also witnessing other families’ frustrations in the clinic, opened my eyes to the barriers my community faces in accessing care. That moment sparked my determination to become a physician who could stand in the gap as both a healer and an advocate.
What do you believe is the importance of representation in medicine and how has your identity impacted your work?
Representation allows patients to feel seen, understood, and empowered in spaces where they are often marginalized. As a Latina Spanish-speaking medical student, my identity has allowed me to connect deeply with patients, provide culturally sensitive education, and reduce language barriers that once burdened my own family. My lived experiences as an immigrant and first-generation student have fueled my commitment to creating trust and hope in underserved communities.
What is the greatest piece of advice you would like to give to those interested in pursuing medicine?
My greatest advice is to embrace your story and use it as your strength. The obstacles you face whether financial, cultural, or systemic, can become the very reasons you are the physician your community needs. Remember that your voice matters and, as my mother taught me, “calladitos no nos vemos más bonitos” our power lies in speaking up and making change.
