Dr. Huerta on inspiring diverse patients: ‘I see a little light in their eyes like – ‘hey, she looks just like me!’’

While she always had an interest in science, Dr. Imelda Huerta-Galvez was motivated to become a pediatrician from personal experience.

Her parents immigrated from Mexico with the dream of giving their two daughters a better life and a first-class education. This meant English was their second language. Even as a little girl, Dr. Huerta served as the family interpreter whenever anyone went to the doctor.

“It is the worst time in a parent’s life when their child is sick and they’re unable to communicate with the physician,” said Dr. Huerta, a pediatrician at Advocate Medical Group in Aurora, IL. “This is what motivated me to become a doctor; I could speak with patients in their own language.”

As a female Mexican American doctor, Dr. Huerta knows representation matters. One of her greatest joys is watching children – especially little girls – process that their doctor “looks just like them.”

“There’s so much talk about visibility and diversity in TV and movies, but it’s especially important in leadership positions as well,” Dr. Huerta said. “When I care for Hispanic children, I often see a little light in their eyes like – ‘hey, she looks just like me!’ Especially little girls, because for a long time culturally in our community, women weren’t expected to work. When I think about that, it’s a big deal.”

When Dr. Huerta worked as Medical Director of the Pediatric Ambulatory Care Clinic at ACH- Oak Lawn, she said also saw that same recognition of “I can do this too” in the Hispanic medical students and pediatric residents she taught.

Dr. Huerta is proud of her heritage and incredibly grateful to her parents. Education was always at the forefront of their lives: she and her sister both ended up becoming doctors, one an MD and the other a PhD.

“There’s so much talk in the past few years about immigrants not contributing to society – or only taking jobs or needing help from various social programs,” Dr. Huerta said. “My family – and many families like mine – have worked extremely hard to be part of this society and contribute in a positive way. My parents came here, worked hard, got their children through school and now see us working in careers where we can give back.”

When a Latino family comes into her clinic, Dr. Huerta asks them their preferred language and make them feel as comfortable as possible. Even for families who don’t speak English or Spanish, Dr. Huerta said her experience interpreting for her family as a young girl makes her more cognizant of how to communicate with the diverse families in her community – especially those who might speak a language she doesn’t, such as Telgu or Mandarin or Russian.

“We have a video interpreter service available at my clinic and I use this service on a regular basis” she said. “But being bilingual in English and Spanish gives me the opportunity to work with many of our families in the Aurora area in their first language. It’s a more personal experience.”

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