To be Understood Should Not be a Luxury

In the School of Medicine Class of 1982, Beatriz (Garcia) Stamps, MD, was the only Mexican-American student. Stamps grew up in Laredo, Texas, the daughter of physicians who emphasized education as a pathway to success — and who strongly believed in the value of being bilingual — and gifted Stamps and her siblings with the opportunity to become proficient not only in dual languages of English and Spanish but also in the respective cultures.

As a medical student and resident, Stamps said she often served as the “unofficial” official interpreter — a source of pride in that she could relate with Hispanic patients because she could speak their language and understood their culture. She also realized she was somewhat of a unicorn and made it a career priority to offer opportunities for medical students also to acquire such skills. Stamps, an obstetrics-gynecology physician for almost 40 years, founded a program in 2018, and has served as instructor since, at the Mayo Clinic’s Alix School of Medicine in Scottsdale, Arizona, called the Medical Spanish Selective — an immersive elective in language and culture.

Stamps also celebrates that her alma mater is only the third health sciences center in the state of Texas to receive Hispanic-Serving Institution status by the Department of Education. The designation last spring enables us to strengthen ongoing efforts to recruit and support underrepresented students, build greater faculty diversity and better serve our communities as a comprehensive health care institution.

It’s a proud moment in our journey. The HSI designation will help support ongoing efforts and open doors for innovative initiatives and inclusive steps forward in training the next generation of health care providers to serve a diverse population across Texas.