- Home
- About IAFP
- Membership
- Education
- Resources
- Advocacy
- Foundation
Elba M. Villavincencio, MD - 2015 IAFP Family Physician of the YearIn her own wordsBelow is the speech delivered by Dr. Villavincencio at the IAFP Awards Banquet on Friday, October 9. I got my MD degree in Ecuador. I loved my clinical and surgical rotations, and Anesthesia was what best connected both areas for me. After many years practicing, I moved to Colombia for my spouse’s job promotion, but in order to continue with my specialty, I had to first work one year as a primary care physician in rural areas. My assignment ended up being a small medical office in the outskirts of the capital, which doesn’t sound too bad until you find out that nobody else wants to be there. Rumors had it that nobody lasted more than 3 months there. The level of crime, poverty and violence scared even the local physicians, but I had no choice. If I stayed there six months, I would become eligible to move to a safer location, so I started working there despite my fears. Every day a special shuttle picked up and dropped off the medical team to and from the office. "Do not even think about wandering around" we were strongly advised. Violence, drug trafficking, cartel-backed militant groups, poverty and serious health conditions were part of the daily life of that population. Through my daily interactions, I started getting to know all the families and their stories. Some of them began inviting me to their homes for dinner as a gesture of gratitude for my services. I cared of them regardless of the fate they were dealt when they were born there. Years after, life brought me to US. I always remember that part of my life when I care for immigrant families. I felt the same fear, the shame, the frustration. I understand them and I try to make them comfortable as possible. I see and I enjoy their smile when I switch from English to Spanish, or “spanglish” whatever make them feel better. Changes and challenges are difficult and painful. I have been in those shoes, and I know how tight they can be. The first month of my residency I was assigned to inpatient service. NYU Lutheran being a trauma hospital is a very busy one. One of my patients, let’s call him Mr. Smith, was a very sick old gentleman. He had all the possible chronic conditions and complications that someone can have. I was very diligently chasing cardiologist, pulmonologists, infectious disease specialist, nephrologists. We all tried very hard. That was a nice teamwork, I thought. Sometimes we pretend to be the great team, but forget the main player: our patient. I remember Patch Adams movie: “ if we are going to treat a disease, then let’s treat one of the worst diseases of all: indifference… when you treat a disease sometimes you win or lose, but when you treat a patient, you always win.“ I am honored to be the family physician of the year. I am blessed with my family: My husband and my kids that keep up with my late nights, my closing chart times, and on call weekends. They are always there and they are my motivation. I am blessed with my patients, my colleagues, especially with Dr. Deeba Massood who has been some sort of guardian angel in my practice. I am thankful with NorthShore, the institution that trusts me and allows me to succeed under its umbrella and share with me the basic principle: better life and better care for our patients. |