Patricia Tellez-Giron MD,  Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

Raised in Mexico City, she received her medical degree, with honors, at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). Moved to the United States in 1993 to be with her family and to continue her education, and ever since, she has been working very actively with the Latinx community of Madison, WI.

As many immigrants, she moved without anything and started over from cleaning houses to taking care of senior citizens while she was doing all the steps to becoming a physician in the United States. It took her almost four years to complete all the necessary requirements. She completed the University of Wisconsin Family Medicine Residency program and soon after graduation joined the faculty of same program. Her clinical practice is at the Wingra Clinic where more than 90% of my patients speak only Spanish.

She has been the chair of the Latino Health Council in Madison for the past 18 years and under her leadership, she started several annual community initiatives including an annual Latino Health Fair, the Latino Chronic Disease Community Conference, the Latino Mental Health Community Conference and a Latino Teen Health Bash. She is also the medical director and main presenter of a monthly health education Spanish radio program “Nuestra Salud” at La Movida. This program is now in its 19th season.

She has received multiple awards. Just to list some of the most important:

• The “Wisconsin Family of the Year Award” (UMOS, Governor, Mayor).
• UW Madison Outstanding Women of Color award
• City-County Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award
• The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Faculty and Staff Equity and Diversity Award
• The American Academy of Family Medicine 2016 Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award for Practicing Doctors
• The Wisconsin Medical Society Foundation 2022 Superhero of Medicine Award

“Providing excellent health care to our Latinx Community is one of my main goals. I know I cannot do this alone. To be able to achieve this goal, we need a team of very well prepared and supported Latinx health professionals. MOLA Chicago already has a successful record of providing support and guidance to Latinx professionals. All of this is what inspired me to contribute to begin a chapter of MOLA here in Wisconsin.“