Parts of this story were taken from the original artical posted on UCI News.
This fall, the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community welcomed its 20th class to the UC Irvine School of Medicine. PRIME-LC was revolutionary in medical education; the dual-degree program was the first in the nation to provide a unique medical training experience designed to meet the increasing demand for physicians and public health leaders who could address the distinct needs of Latinos.
Several PRIME-LC medical students chose our Master of Public Health degree program as their dual degree and never looked back. As we celebrate PRIME-LC’s 20th anniversary, here are four of our MD/MPH distinguished alumni.
Brenda Campos-Spitze, MD/MPH ’14
Campos-Spitze is a family physician with Sunrise Community Health in Greeley, Colorado. She’s the director of the Greeley-Evans District 6 school board and a trustee of the University of Northern Colorado. At UNC, she’s also on the advisory board for the planned College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she hopes to recreate PRIME-LC when the college opens in 2026. Her husband, Dr. Bryce Spitze, graduated from UC Irvine’s PRIME-LC program in 2014 too and, like his wife, is a family physician with Sunrise Community Health.
“As part of PRIME-LC, from Day 1, I was introduced to larger-than-life Latinos – legendary Latinos. And I was surrounded by passionate classmates whose hearts beat for the Latino community, just like mine,” she says. “PRIME-LC is important because it instilled in me the belief that just being a Latine physician is not enough. Only 6 percent of all physicians in this country are Latine, and because there are so few of us, we need to not only be bilingual and culturally responsive physicians but also be agents of change, leaders outside our clinics and hospitals. Through PRIME-LC, I was made acutely aware of the power of the white coat and how it can help me not only transform my patients’ lives but transform entire communities.”
Alejandro Aviña-Cadena, MD/MPH ’22
Aviña-Cadena began his journey at community college and after completing his general education requirements, he transferred to UC Irvine in 2013 and completed his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences in 2016. With that degree, and experience doing research in a lab on campus, he was well on his way to becoming a strong candidate for medical school and embarking on a career in healthcare.
Aviña-Cadena chose to apply to the UCI Public Health Master of Public Health program because of the opportunities he would have to work with underserved communities in Orange County as well as learn from faculty members such as Drs. Alana M.W. LeBrón and Sora Park Tanjasiri. Throughout his MPH program, he participated in several service-learning projects focusing on health promotion and community-based research. When asked about some of his most transformative experiences, he emphatically described a project on health promotion and community outreach to manage diabetes based out of El Centro Cultural de México, one of Santa Ana’s largest cultural centers that supports the local Latino community.
Michelle Crespo, MD/MPH ’16
Crespo is a core faculty member for the California Hospital Medical Center family medicine residency program in downtown Los Angeles.
“My PRIME-LC training prepared me for my role as both a physician and an educator by instilling two key principles: First, every patient deserves compassionate, comprehensive care. Second, physicians are empowered to address individual and systemic barriers, especially those affecting Latino patients. Through lectures, Chicano/Latino studies courses, collaboration with advocacy groups, and completing a master’s degree in public health with a focus on health policy and management, I developed a strong foundation in health equity and advocacy. These experiences have shaped how I practice and teach, allowing me to mentor residents and provide care with an emphasis on empathy and cultural humility.”
Omar Morales-Haro ’17, MD/MPH ’24
Morales-Haro graduated with his MD/MPH dual degree in May 2024, making him a three-time Anteater alumnus, having earned his bachelor’s at UCI in neurobiology. He began a residency program in neurology at UC San Diego. He enjoyed his rotations in the neurology department at UCI Health as it had the most patient interaction and he wants to be part of a patient’s journey when they are diagnosed with conditions of the brain, such as ALS and Alzheimer’s disease.
“Stroke neurology is one of those areas where prevention is very important. I now have a much deeper understanding of social determinants of health and the causes of stroke through the MPH program,” Morales-Haro said. “Health disparities exist all around us, especially in marginalized communities. There needs to be a lot more emphasis on recognizing risk on a more granular, community level. This can be achieved by training future clinicians and healthcare providers with awareness of social determinants of health.”
