Working Across Language Lines: Highlighting Pediatras en Línea and Its Importance

We have listeners all over the world, many of whom are Spanish-speaking. Did you know we have a sister podcast, Pediatras en Línea? It stands out as one of the only podcasts in Spanish that focuses on medical education. About two and a half years ago, Pediatras en Línea launched and became a critical resource for pediatricians all throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Fast forward to today, they are growing 277% per month and have audience members in 90 countries. In 20 of those countries, Spanish is the official language.

In this episode, we are joined by the host of Pediatras en Línea, Carla Torres-Zegarra, MD. Dr. Torres-Zegarra is a pediatric dermatologist at Children's Hospital Colorado and assistant professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Dr. Torres-Zegarra moved to the U.S. in 2009 to pursue medical school and has been practicing at Children's Colorado since 2013. She says being able to work here at Children's Colorado is a dream. "Now I feel the need to give back to the people that have allowed me to have this opportunity by being a resource and even an inspiration for those who are listening outside of the states," Dr. Torres-Zegarra says.

About 42.5 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish, and that number increases to more than 457 million worldwide. However, when we specifically look at the medical profession, only 6% of physicians identify as Hispanic and just 2% of non-Hispanic physicians are Spanish-speaking. Of that 6%, Dr. Torres-Zegarra highlights that only 2.4% are female. Through her podcast, she hopes to inspire other Spanish-speaking women to become physicians. "I am just one of them, and I am very happy to be one of them," Dr. Torres Zegarra says.

Some highlights from today's episode include:

• An overview of Pediatras en Línea
• The power of social media
• Challenges faced by overseas-trained doctors when relocating to the U.S.
• How these podcast episodes allow pediatricians to always learn something new

For more information on Children's Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org