Summary:

In this episode, Dr. Ricardo Noriega, a physician turned public health professional, shares his journey from medical school in Ecuador to BYU’s Public Health program. He discusses how the realization of the disparities between different regions and people shifted his focus to Public Health. Noriega also reflects on his fieldwork over the summer, where he connected patient information at Paso Del Norte Health Information Exchange (PHIX). 

Ricardo highlights the initiatives led by PHIX that address the broad factors that drive health outcomes. During the summer, he worked on publishing a diabetes data brief to provide insights on the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in El Paso. Through this data, Ricardo and his team hope to inform patients about preventable measures that can be taken. Ricardo also discusses his plans and what he aspires to do in the future. 

Encouraging listeners, Ricardo shares how important it is to understand the social determinants of health. For those interested in public health careers, he stresses that the field is full of potential, as healthcare increasingly recognizes prevention as essential to long-term health and well-being. 

Recorded, Edited & Produced by Christy Gonzalez, Harper Xinyu Zhang, Kailey Hopkins, and Tanya Gale