Committed to Health

By: Nick Cise

Dedicating his entire life to the field of medicine and the improvement of health in American society, Dr. Mark Diaz is a truly Inspirational figure that Proudly represents the Latino community.

Considering the early life of Dr. Diaz, it wasn’t easy for his parents to work and live in the United States; however, their perseverance to succeed in fulfilling the opportunity for their children to lead happy lives is what Dr. Diaz values most about his upbringing. Dr. Diaz’s mother and father were both born in Mexico and came to America with a glint in their eye. Dr. Diaz was born an American citizen in California, where both his parents presented stoic attitudes in the work force in order to support him.

When he was born, Dr. Diaz’s father enlisted in the armed national forces undocumented. While away at war, Dr. Diaz’s mother worked various positions in order to acquire revenue for the family. She worked positions as a housekeeper, a laundry mat attendant, and many other

miscellaneous jobs. When Dr. Diaz’s father returned from Korea, the family moved to Sacramento where he started working for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Dr. Diaz completed his high school education at a private facility on scholarship.

After graduating, Dr. Diaz went on to receive an undergraduate degree in biology from The University of California: Davis. Once he finished his undergraduate studies, he was accepted to The University of California: San Francisco medical school. Grateful of his education and brimming with energy, Dr. Diaz occupied a position in urgent care following his academic pursuits. He received a certification in occupational medicine and began a twenty-year career. In 2016, Dr. Diaz moved on from his job and began to pursue various positions in San Francisco, which pertained to working for the department of disability, as a medical consultant, and for the public employees retirement system. Dr. Diaz really connected to the idea that there are no restrictions for any human being, let alone a Latino in the field of medicine.

With this ideal in mind, throughout Dr. Diaz’s education, he founded The Latino Pre-Medical Club, as well as a free clinic that still operates today and just recently celebrated forty-three years of public service. Dr. Diaz still volunteers there till this day. Dr. Diaz now sits humbly on the board of directors for the National Hispanic Health Foundation. The NHHF is a 501-C3 charitable organization that awards two bicoastal scholarships to students every year. Over the past few years, The NHHF has donated over one million dollars to aspiring medical students in the Latino community. Dr. Diaz emphasizes the intrinsic happiness he gains from working with medical students. Dr. Diaz is a remarkable individual within the Latino community and positively represents that anything is possible when you work hard, and dedicate yourself to whatever it is that you aspire to do and be.