Member Spotlight

Mauricio La Rosa, MD

Institution: Access Physicians - Telemedicine

Medical School: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia

Residency: Pennsylvania Hospital

Fellowship Training Institution: University of Texas Medical Branch

Was there a mentor(s) who inspired you? I became the MFM I am now only because I had great mentors around that helped shape my career. During residency, Drs. Corrina Oxford and. Jack Ludmir both had an enormous impact on my path. Dr. Oxford had a passion for taking care of women with high risk pregnancies, and I was inspired by her brilliance and her effortless outstanding patient care. Dr. Ludmir taught me the importance of detecting inequality in healthcare, and of advocating for vulnerable populations.

During my fellowship, I was fortunate to have Drs. George Saade, Luis Pacheco, Gayle Olson, and Maged Costantine as my mentors. 

How did the diversity (or lack of diversity) in your medical educators shape your training?  The diversity within my mentors was enriching, in that I was able to see different world views, backgrounds, and goals represented. It has also strengthened my passion for equality and women’s rights in the United States and in Peru. 

How has your cultural background shaped you as an MFM? During medical school in Peru, I was able to see the gaps and injustice that women had to go through when it came to maternal and women´s heath at a public hospital in a developing country. I am determined to contribute to improving quality of care in Peru. Those patients were my inspiration to take the journey of becoming an MFM.

Being a Latino MFM has been a strength when taking care of the underserved communities around the country. Latinx immigrants comprised a large part of the underserved community that we cared for. Being able to communicate with patients in their first language helped make patients feel more comfortable.

Tell us about one of your most memorable patient encounters. A couple of months ago, I received an urgent call to evaluate a patient in rural Texas. She was critically ill in the ICU. There are no MFM clinics close to that area and she couldn´t be transferred. Luckily, this is a hospital where our practice covers outpatient and inpatient MFM by telemedicine. I was able to login to the system and in less than 3 minutes, I was at the patient’s bedside. With a multidisciplinary team we were able to provide excellent care to this patient and prevent a maternal death. Days after mechanical ventilation and critical care management, we were extremely happy to see that patient carrying her baby.

Tell us about an MFM colleague who has been an important part of your MFM career. I am very lucky to work with an amazing colleague and great friend, Dr. Sina Haeri. In addition to learning from him, he is always looking after my personal and professional development.

If you had to live one day in your life over and over (think Groundhog Day 1993 Movie), which would you pick? The birth of my two kids. Being in that room with Camille, my wife, and looking at our newborns have been the best days in my life.

From my professional life, the day that I graduated from ObGyn residency and, as the only foreign graduate of the program, I received the teaching award from the UPenn students.

I’m excited to wake up every day and practice Maternal-Fetal Medicine because…I truly believe I am impacting my patient´s lives. 

If I could solve one problem in MFM it would be…The disparities on maternal morbidity and mortality. 

The best day I ever had as an MFM was…Everyday that I can positively impact a patient´s life. 

I might be the only MFM who…is taking care of patients in rural Texas and in Peru on the same day.