Today we’d like to introduce you to Moises Hernandez M.D.
Hi Moises, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico where I started to develop a keen interest in Science and Medicine. In large part, growing up with a family of doctors inspired me to pursue a career in medicine and after graduating from high school at the age of 18, I decided to apply to medical school. Throughout my years in medical school, I began to develop the fundamentals of medicine and started to explore what type of doctor I wanted to become. In 2014, starting my clinical years in med school, I decided to apply to the U.S. where I got an offer at UC San Diego Health to undergo several rotations in different surgical specialties. After three months of working in different surgical departments, I returned to Guadalajara to complete Medical School and graduate. The experience was phenomenal because I got to work alongside the best surgeons in the United States.
I fell in love with Cardiothoracic Surgery and decided I wanted to become a Heart Surgeon. After graduating, I reached out to UC San Diego to see if there was a possibility of coming back to continue building my medical career and explore the possibility of doing my Surgery Residency in the United States. Fortunately, I received an offer to work at a research lab led by a world-renowned Surgeon-scientist that specializes in Heart and Lung Surgery. I accepted the offer and moved to San Diego in 2017. Since then, I have been working as a Researcher in Molecular Biology focusing on a rare disease called Pulmonary Hypertension.
My current objective is to develop innovative diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions to detect diseases in their earlier stages and treat them in a timely manner, saving patient’s lives in the long run. What fascinates me about this field is that we get to investigate the molecular mechanisms of diseases, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding, enabling us to develop new strategies and benefit patient outcomes.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest challenge for me was coming to the United States and working to establish a reputation in the medical community amongst some of the brightest minds that I call my mentors. The first year working in research was very challenging, having no background in the Scientific Research field, I had to learn the processes and protocols from start to finish and replicate them on my own. I am proud for the progress that I have made, and this continues to inspire me to keep challenging myself in new ways.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I currently am working as a Researcher in Molecular Biology focusing on a rare disease called Pulmonary Hypertension. To date, I have published 11 research articles, in which nine have been peer-reviewed and published in prestigious medical journals such as: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, eLife, The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Frontiers of Physiology, and The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. I have published 12 abstracts and have been invited to speak at several National and International Medical Conferences. Recently, I have been invited to be a reviewer of “Pulmonary Circulation” a peer-reviewed medical journal covering the fields of pulmonary disease. In addition, I am currently a member of two professional organizations: The Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. I would say I am most proud of having been invited to speak at a world congress in Barcelona, Spain where I was awarded the Best Oral Presentation in clinical sciences regarding pulmonary diseases. My journey continues as I venture into medical residency to fulfill my dream of becoming a heart surgeon.
Contact Info:
- Email: moh001@health.ucsd.edu
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drmoyhv
