Helen rodriguez trias biography sample

Inside: Learn about the life and career of Dr. Helen Rodríguez-Trías, along with a list of her most famous quotes.

Helen Rodriguez-Trias was a physician who worked for women and children’s healthcare. She was the first Latina director of the American Public Health Association and received the Presidential Citizens Medal for her work.

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Dr. Helen Rodríguez-Trías Biography

Fast Facts aboutHelen Rodríguez-Trías

Birth: July 7,
Birthplace: Puerto Rico
Death: December 27,
Family: Edward Gonzalez, Jr. (2nd spouse), 4 children
Education: University of Puerto Rico in San Juan (B.S., M.D.)
Career: Pediatrician, Educator, Medical Director
Famous For: Worked to improve public health services for women and children, Presidential Citizens Medal

Dr. Helen Rodríguez-Trías was born July 7, in Puerto Rico. Her family lived in both New York and Puerto Rico during her childhood.

After studying to be a pediatrician in Puerto Rico and graduating in , she began teaching and established a successful clinic for babies, and she was able to cut the infant mortality by 50%.

In , Rodríguez-Trías moved  to New York to head the pediatric department in the South Bronx at Lincoln Hospital. This hospital served a low-income population in a mainly Puerto Rican neighborhood and

Abstract

The American Public Health Association has announced that it will establish an award in the name of Helen Rodriguez-Trias, MD, its first Latina president, who died of lung cancer on December 27, Rodriguez-Trias, a nationally known advocate for underserved communities, was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Clinton in January for her work on behalf of children, women, people with AIDS, and the poor. This article is based on a dialogue with Rodriguez-Trias that began in September and ended December 12,

HELEN RODRIGUEZ-TRIAS, MD, was an inspiration and a role model. As a pediatrician, she strove to meet the health needs of the poorest children, from San Juan to the South Bronx. She was medical director of the New York State AIDS Institute from to , and she was named the first Latina president of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in Rodriguez-Trias may be best known, however, for her pivotal role in the women's health movement.

Rodriguez-Trias's strong grounding in her Puerto Rican nationality shaped all her work. She was born in New York City in When she was still an infant, her family returned to Puerto Rico, where she spent her first 10 years. “My mother was a schoolteacher who fought for reforms such as the right to teach in Spanish, the vernacular,” she explained. “English was imposed upon the Puerto Rican school system when the US military invaded in ”

In , when she was 10 years old, her family moved back to New York City. “In Puerto Rico, racism was subtle. There wasn't the kind of separatist racism like in the US. I wasn't used to this.” Rodriguez-Trias got good grades and learned English fairly fast. “Yet, when I graduated from sixth grade, I ended up in a class considered to be of the poor students. . . . One day I was called upon to recite a poem, and I knew the poem by heart. The teacher said, ‘Why are you in this class?' She moved me to the class with the br

In an effort to remain accountable to communities who have been negatively impacted by past and present medical injustices, the staff at Himmelfarb Library is committed to the work of maintaining an anti-discriminatory practice. We will uplift and highlight diverse stories throughout the year, and not shy away from difficult conversations necessary for health sciences education. To help fulfill this mission, today's blog post honors Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias!

A pediatrician and women and children’s health advocate, Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias deeply believed medical professionals must immerse themselves in the social issues impacting the communities they serve and wove this personal philosophy into her medical and advocacy work. Over the course of her career, she consistently spotlighted issues facing women and children, particularly those that were people of color, poor or disabled.

Dr. Helen Rodriguez Trias was born on July 7, in New York, though she spent the first few years of her life in Puerto Rico with her family. Upon her return to the United States, she faced racial discrimination while attending public school. Despite receiving good grades and her use of English, Dr. Rodriguez Trias was placed in special education classes. She remained in this setting until she recited a poem by heart and her teacher realized Rodriguez Trias was placed in the wrong class.

After completing high school, Dr. Rodriguez-Trias returned to Puerto Rico for college. During her time as a student, she became involved with the island’s independence movement and participated in a school-wide strike against the university’s chancellor, Jaime Rexach Benitez, who prevented the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party leader, Don Pedro Albizu Campos, from speaking on campus. Because of her involvement in the strike, Dr. Rodriguez-Trias was forced to return to New York City when her brother threatened to cut her off financially. She remained in the United States for several years before ret

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