While working in a primary care setting during his medical residency, Dr. Fernando Diaz observed a striking disparity. He was seeing many older patients with advanced-stage cancer diagnoses. And many of them were Spanish-speaking, foreign-born, and uninsured. As the child of immigrants, Dr. Diaz says, “I saw my family in those patients.”
Currently, Dr. Diaz is a fellow in both geriatric medicine and geriatric oncology at UNC. His research explores the ways that social determinants of health (SDOH) affect people’s well-being. Recently, he was endowed with a grant from the ASCO Foundation to help him identify and address these disparities.
In an interview with Cancer Conquers, Dr. Diaz spoke more about how his Hispanic and Latino patients inspired him, the current reality for these patients, and how this situation informs his research approach. Read the full interview to learn more about Dr. Fernando Diaz and his research.