Special Thanks

To the Bolivian specialists

Countless medical and surgical specialists of Santa Cruz take time out of their day to aid our patients that come in from the countryside to receive treatment that the clinic cannot provide. Because of them, we can keep the costs down and our level of care high.

To those at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Loyola Hospital

The department of Internal Medicine at Northwestern and Loyola do a great deal to help us organize the schedules and programs for the residents that provide a great deal of the care that we give.

Thank you to all of those that help.

Centro Medico Humberto Parra Staff

Centro Medico Humberto Parra has a small, dedicated staff. The staff is made up of people who have made sacrifices to aid others around them. Because of this, the clinic's service never stops when the person walks out the door. The staff has made an effort to be a part of the community to better serve them.

Susan Hou, M.D. - Founder

Susan is a nephrologist based in River Forest, Illinois and is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Renal Transplant Program at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Illinois. She is the major funder of the Clinic as well as one of its part time doctors. The commute from the U.S. is a killer, but Susan makes it as often as she can. Susan received her M.D. degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1975 and did her internship, residency and renal fellowship at New England Medical Center in Boston.

Mark Molitch, M.D. - Founder

Mark is an endocrinologist also based in River Forest, Illinois and is Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. He is our other major funder of the Clinic and a part time doctor as well. He makes the commute from the U.S. with Susan and occasionally combines the trip with trips to other parts of South America to fufill his responisibilities as a highly sought after lecturer. Mark received his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He did his internship and residency at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and his endocrine fellowship at the UCLA-Harbor General Hospital.

Douglas Villarroel, M.D. - Director

Douglas is an endocrinologist from Santa Cruz, Bolivia and in 2003 is serving as President of the Bolivian Endocrine Society. He provides ongoing health care for the people that come to the clinic, as well as providing the clinic with on-site direction so that it can continue to serve the people. Douglas studied at Universidad Mayor, Real y Pontificia de San Francisco Xavier de Chuguisaca in Sucre, Bolivia. He did his fellowships in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology at Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI in Mexico D.F., Mexico.

Maria Cespedes, R.N. - Nurse

Maria is at the clinic throughout the week to provide basic health care when the doctors aren't available. Maria's abilities surprise us every day. So far Maria has casted legs, stitched up cuts, intubated patients, and provided emergency care in the back of a pickup when a car crashed nearby. Maria also teaches many classes at the clinic. She is training our Nurses' Aides as well as providing classes on Basic Health. She helps patients manage their illnesses, such as providing diabetic patients with information on how to control their carbohydrate intake.

Guindalina Vallejos, R.N. - Nurse

Guinda is the newest addition to our Centro Medico team. Guinda started with Centro Medico in 2005 and continues to develop skills that are very valuable to the clinic and the communities she helps. She is from Yapacani and has helped us shape our diabetes care in one of the poorest regions that we serve. Her favorite part about working at Centro Medico is the opportunity it gives her to visit patients in the many surrounding towns. She hopes to one day be involved in delivering babies and caring for patients in the new surgery center. We don't know how we survived with out her.