Stories of resilience, innovation, and advocacy took center stage at Duke during the third annual ¡DALHE! Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration held on September 22.
Christian Péan, MD, spoke of his grandfather’s preventable death and the clinic his parents built to serve their community. Xiomara Monon Boyce recalled organizing food and masks for patients during the pandemic. Leonor Corsino, MD, remembered her father’s simple yet powerful advice: “Just ask.” And Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, MHSc, reflected on the barriers that keep Spanish-speaking patients from accessing clinical trials.
Together, their stories painted a vivid picture of Latiné and Hispanic scholars and health care providers transforming adversity into advocacy — and reshaping health care with heart.
Sponsored by the employee resource group, ¡DALHE!, the event was held at Duke University School of Medicine under the theme: Honoring Innovation, Advocacy, and Excellence in Latiné/Hispanic Research and Scholarship.
“This year’s theme was chosen to celebrate not only the presence of Latiné and Hispanic scholars but the transformative impact of their work,” said Raquel Ruiz, MBA, MA Ed, ¡DALHE! lead and senior director of equity and learning health communities for Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
“These leaders break new ground, confront critical health challenges, and create opportunities that empower others to thrive. Our goal is to shine a spotlight on their legacy of innovation and advocacy, and to honor the enduring excellence that continues to advance knowledge, inspire communities, and shape the future of their fields.”
Jeannet Constante, co-lead of ¡DALHE!’s culture pillar, described the event as a meaningful opportunity to connect with colleagues and draw strength from shared stories of perseverance. “That keeps us strong,” she said. “Today is another opportunity to refresh our values, and to see how we can do better and keep growing.”
Christian Péan, MD, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery, delivered the keynote address: “From Inequity to Innovation: AI as a Bridge to Population Health.”
A panel discussion followed, featuring Péan, Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, MHSc, professor of obstetrics and gynecology; Leonor Corsino, MD, MHS, associate professor of medicine; Xiomara Monon Boyce, patient navigator for Duke Cancer Institute; and moderator Samantha Cauthorn, application analyst with Duke Health Technology Solutions.
Building Bridges Between Care and Community
During his keynote, Péan reflected on how his family, especially his parents, shaped his medical journey. Their values of hard work, trust, and love inspired them to build a clinic in McAllen, Texas, expanding access to care in their community.
Growing up near the U.S.-Mexico border, Péan witnessed how geography, language, and limited resources can drastically affect health outcomes. He recounted the loss of his grandfather, who died from a hip fracture that could have been treated — if timely surgical care had been available. That experience, along with others during his training in Washington, D.C., New York, and Boston, fueled his commitment to closing gaps in access to care.
“The reason I ended up choosing orthopaedics was that my grandfather's story, and so many of the stories I saw from my patients, both in medical school and in residency, made me believe that this idea of musculoskeletal mobility was also tied to economic mobility,” he said.
“Everyone in this country — and really all over the world — deserves to receive the best health care available to them.”
Now at Duke, Péan is leading efforts to improve outcomes for patients with hip fractures — an injury that disproportionately affects older adults and communities with limited access to health care. He helped launch a bone health clinic that screens patients for social drivers of health and ensures timely follow-up care. While more than 500 patients have been treated through the program, he emphasized that broader systemic change is still needed.
“We are barely scratching the surface of health care that we could be delivering for our patients,” he said. “I want to dispel the idea that closing care gaps or providing better access to patients is philanthropy. This is an economic imperative.”
Péan also addressed the promise and pitfalls of artificial intelligence in health care. He highlighted how generative AI can expand access, streamline communication, and deliver care in patients’ preferred languages. But he cautioned that technology must be implemented thoughtfully, with a focus on trust and human connection. “We have to deliver care that instills trust in our communities,” he said. “And first and foremost, we have to do it with love.”
Stories of Advocacy and Impact
Following the keynote, panelists shared how their heritage influences their work, and how innovation, advocacy, and collaboration are essential to advancing health equity.
Boyce, a cancer survivor and longtime community advocate, emphasized the importance of faith, cultural unity, and grassroots organizing. Her accomplishments include sourcing 50,000 masks for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and working with local schools to secure food donations for patients in need.
“My love has always been to start something that no one can do, or no one wants to do,” Boyce said.
Corsino, who has dedicated her career to improving patient care and medical education, said her first lessons in advocacy came from her father.
“My dad used to say that you just need to ask,” she said. “If they say no, you don't lose anything. If they say yes, you win something. So, I always push myself to ask.”
One of those “asks” led to the creation of the in-Spanish My Duke Health (formerly Duke MyChart), a patient portal that allows Spanish-speaking patients to make appointments, view lab results, and access services in their preferred language.
Secord, a gynecologic oncologist and clinical researcher, spoke about the importance of innovation in cancer care and the need to expand access to clinical trials.
She noted that language barriers and limited outreach often prevent Spanish-speaking patients from participating in clinical trials. “They’re not given the opportunity to participate in these studies that really offer the treatments of tomorrow, today,” she said.
The panelists closed with advice for future generations, emphasizing that trust, empathy, and cultural respect are essential to improving health outcomes for the communities they serve.
View photos from the celebration