Dr. Alvaro Ochoa

Riverside San Bernardino County Indian Health Inc., Banning

Dr. Ochoa immigrated to the United States with his family from Chili as a one year old with a language barrier that isolated him from his classmates in Maryland for his first few years in grade school. Rather than feeling defeated, however, Dr. Ochoa remembers being determined to work harder to excel in school. “I was raised in a predominantly Hispanic community where access to healthcare was a challenge for many in our community,” he remembers “My parents were very involved in organizing and coordinating free health clinics at our community church. This engrained in me a conviction to help the less fortunate.”

Dr. Ochoa is currently practicing at a dental clinic on an Indian Reservation where he points out, cultural sensitivity is a must. “Many of our patients come from a disadvantaged background where either they or their parents have not finished high school. Most of our patients lack the knowledge or initiative to properly care for their personal health and hygiene. So health education is a daily part of my treatment with my patient population.”

Having graduated from Loma Linda University, Dr. Ochoa states that his long term goals include a life long commitment to learning and service. Working for the Indian Clinic he says has been a very positive experience. “I am so fortunate to receive the CDA Foundation Student Loan Repayment Grant. It helps to alleviate a significant financial constraint from my dental school loans, which are by far my largest monthly expense,  and allows me to devote more time to the Indian Clinic.”

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