Adrian Vallejo

• A bit about me:

  Pronouns: He/him
  
  Hometown: Redlands, CA
  
  Medical School: UCSF

  Undergraduate Education: University of California, Irvine

  Fun Fact: Legos are my favorite toy.

  Where I’m at in my career: I am in my first year of medical school at UCSF (class of 2025). I am currently trying to figure out what I want to do within medicine, but PM&R has a lot of my attention right now. We will see :)

• What identities do you inhabit?

  First-generation Mexican-American, first-generation college graduate

• The path to medicine is not easy. Can you tell us why you decided to pursue it?

  A combination of events growing up in a Hispanic household, enjoying biology, service, observing health disparities in plain sight, and impacting those around me showed me that medicine was a good fit for me.

• How do you see a career in PM&R (or medicine) as advancing equity?

  Equity could be advanced by increasing representation of underrepresented groups in medicine and investigating the causes and systems that perpetuate inequities in healthcare and PM&R.

• Can you tell us a little bit of your aspirations - either for your career or for the field of medicine/PM&R?

  Other than improving the lives of people, I want to maintain good relationships with my friends, family, and community. Also, I am on the path to earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

• What would you like to get out of this organization?

  I envision Representation in Rehab as an organization that provides a space for mentorship, discussion of disparities in PM&R, advocacy for alleviating disparities, and support for pre-health students, medical students, physicians, and healthcare team members.

Last updated 12/31/2021

Adrian as a medical student

Adrian as a baby