The UCR School of Medicine will host the 41st Annual LMSA-West Regional Conference on February 7-8, 2025. The conference’s theme will be “Cultivando Comunidad: Seeds of Justice in Healthcare.”

This will be UCR’s first time hosting the conference for the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) West Region, which includes 12 states in the western part of the U.S. The conference’s purpose of supporting future Latino physicians while improving care for Latino populations aligns with the SOM’s mission of improving healthcare in the local region, with Hispanic or Latino people representing 51.9% of the population of Riverside County in 2023.

“Making sure that we have culturally competent physicians who understand the community and are interested in taking care of the community is really important to us,” said Denise Martinez, MD, associate dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the SOM and a member of the LMSA national board.

“I've seen that culturally competent care matters,” Martinez added, sharing that her grandmother’s quality of life improved after she found a Spanish speaking primary care physician. “It's a great opportunity for UCR School of Medicine to do something and show the community that it aligns with who we are.”

The conference’s keynote speaker will be David Acosta, MD, chief diversity and inclusion officer of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The event will include more than 40 workshops, a research symposium, a gala, and networking opportunities. Martinez also encouraged faculty to register for and join the free event on Friday evening to network with medical students from around the region.

For student organizer Jennifer Pinal, UCR SOM class of 2025, the LMSA conference is a yearly highlight. As a non-traditional, first-generation college student, Pinal had no one in her family to give her advice or help her through school but found support through the LMSA. “When my kids were three months old, I went to an LMSA conference and spoke with people about my own concerns and insecurities about entering medicine,” Pinal recalled. She felt inspired to keep going each year, and for the upcoming event, her children—now teenagers—will be volunteering to help. “That’s a lot of LMSA conferences,” said Pinal with a laugh.

“Now I'm in this role to give back, and it's extremely empowering and very exciting for me,” said Pinal. “A lot of times, we have to find our own mentors as first-generation students, and this is the place to do it,” she continued. “I want people to realize the amount of mentorship available in our community.”

Pinal added that the conference will also serve as a chance to recognize achievements. “It really is to celebrate everybody's hard work and commitment to not just the organization, but our communities, and the contributions we're making, so it's really special,” she said.

Currently, the organizers anticipate around 400 participants, with the event open to high school students, pre-medical students, medical students, and recent graduates. Pinal encouraged interested students to register for the conference.

“It goes back to our theme, cultivando comunidad (cultivating community),” Pinal said. “Uplifting one another on our journeys in medicine, and creating a network of support that drives diversity, equity, and mentorship within our community.”