Arizona Latin-American Medical Association (ALMA)

Lighting the Path Forward

2024-25 ALMA COUNCIL: (Left to Right) Immediate Past Chairperson Robert Bonillas, MD, Rosalia Vasquez, FNP-C, Gloria Castro, MD, Carlos Cazares, DO, Johnny Serrano, DO, Andres Hernandez, MD, Treasurer Claudia Vargas, PharmD, Secretary Paul Underwood, MD, President & CEO Adolfo Echeveste, Chairperson Pedro Rodriquez Guggiari, MD, Vice Chairperson Victor Salazar-Calderón, MD.

For more than three decades, the ALMA has been a quiet but steady force in Arizona’s healthcare landscape. Born from a conviction that access and excellence must coexist, ALMA’s mission has always been rooted in something deeper than medicine; it’s about humanity. About seeing patients not as numbers or diagnoses, but as people with stories, families, and dreams that deserve care delivered with dignity and understanding.

ALMA’s guiding principle is simple yet profound: dream of better healthcare—and then make it real. That dream has evolved into a living movement powered by mentorship, education, and compassion. Through its Pay It Forward Program, ALMA is building a perpetual pipeline designed to guide students, beginning with early education exposure and continuing through medical school, into meaningful careers in healthcare. The program connects aspiring professionals with mentors who share their language, their culture, and most importantly, their belief that everyone deserves quality care.

A Legacy of Leadership and Advocacy

ALMA’s roots trace back to its founding years of community action and bold advocacy. From the beginning, the association understood that improving healthcare for Latinos required both education and outreach. In the early 1990s, ALMA sponsored statewide conferences at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, gathering medical professionals, policymakers, and students to discuss the future of equitable healthcare. One of the most memorable, “Winds of Change in Health Care: Its Implications for Latinos,” was co-sponsored by the UA Health Sciences Center in Tucson, sparking statewide dialogue about access and inclusion.

As state restrictions once threatened healthcare access for undocumented and uninsured residents, ALMA chose not to remain silent. Instead, it organized free health fairs across Phoenix, Guadalupe, Glendale, Mesa, Tempe, Nogales, and Casa Grande, bringing care directly to those most in need. These were defining moments that revealed ALMA’s character: when faced with barriers, it built bridges.

The mid-1990s also saw the birth of La Voz de ALMA Radio, a weekly program on KPHX 1480 AM, La Mexicana Super X. Hosted by Dr. Eduardo Alcantar, Dr. Victor Salazar-Calderón, and ALMA Executive Director Adolfo Echeveste, the program became a trusted source of health education in Spanish-speaking communities. Listeners across the Valley tuned in every Tuesday to hear doctors discuss preventive care, chronic conditions, and the importance of representation in medicine. The program continued through 1997, expanding its panel of medical voices to include local physicians such as Dr. Jose Francisco Carrasco, Dr. Samuel Benjamin, and Dr. Cesar Castro Marin, each helping ALMA extend its mission beyond conference halls and into people’s homes.

Building a Pipeline for the Future

The scholarships ALMA provides are more than financial awards; they’re investments in people who will shape the future of healthcare. Many recipients are the first in their families to attend college or medical school. Their achievements ripple outward, inspiring siblings, classmates, and entire communities to believe they, too, belong in spaces of leadership and healing.

Since the program’s inception, hundreds of students have benefited from ALMA’s generosity. Medical student scholarship recipients received $2,000 each from 2000 to 2013, with the amount increasing to $2,500 in 2014. Between 2014 and 2018, students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Phoenix received $5,000 per year through a joint matching program. Nursing, pharmacy, and ultrasound technician students have also been awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,500, with the West Coast Ultrasound Institute matching ALMA’s grants. Even high school students have felt ALMA’s reach through the MedStart and Summer Scrubs programs sponsored by the University of Arizona’s Phoenix and Tucson medical campuses. These initiatives received annual funding from ALMA between 2005 and 2017 to help young learners explore careers in healthcare. And most recently, in 2023, the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, Arizona Campus, joined ALMA’s initiative, doubling awards through a matching grant and strengthening the bridge for Arizona’s next generation of physicians.

Tradition, Celebration, and Commitment

Another defining milestone came in 1997 when Dr. Eduardo Alcantar, ALMA’s third Council Chairperson, founded what has now become one of Arizona’s most anticipated community traditions: the annual ALMA Gala. What began as a small gathering to celebrate the achievements of medical students and professionals has grown into a cornerstone event that honors leadership, amplifies visibility, and raises vital funds to sustain the organization’s mission. Today, the Gala continues to remind attendees that progress is best celebrated together.

Beyond celebrations, ALMA continues to foster collaboration across hospitals, universities, and cultural organizations. Its upcoming ALMA Council meeting will bring together members, students, and partners to address new healthcare challenges and imagine community-driven solutions. These gatherings reflect ALMA’s enduring belief that progress happens when people sit down together, share perspectives, and commit to the common good.

Standing Firm in Changing Times

As national debates challenge equity and inclusion programs, ALMA stands unwavering in its commitment to creating opportunities for underrepresented students and professionals. The association’s work echoes the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration, reaffirming that education and healthcare are not privileges; they are human rights. ALMA’s leaders continue to ask the right questions: What must we protect? What can we improve? And in doing so, they ensure that compassion, excellence, and access remain at the center of healthcare in Arizona.

The invitation ALMA extends to the community is heartfelt and clear: join the work. Mentor a student, support a scholarship, or share the resources that can help a young person see themselves in a white coat for the first time. Because every life changed through ALMA’s efforts strengthens Arizona’s future.

And through it all, ALMA remains grounded in a promise that continues to guide every decision, every scholarship, and every act of service: If not us, who? If not now, when?

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