‘DOCTORA ALIZA’: Hispanic Doctor Targets Latinas
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center internist Dr. Aliza Lifschitz, who is one of the nation's leading Hispanic physicians in addition to being a community activist and radio personality, has written "Mama Sana, Bebe Sano -- Healthy Mother, Healthy Baby," the first-ever bilingual book for expectant mothers that aims at cultural sensitivity toward immigrant and first-generation Hispanic women. Lifschitz -- or Doctora Aliza, as she's known on Spanish television and her Saturday program on Radio Unica -- says that Latinas "have babies the same way" as other women, "but some of the things that we think because of our culture can make things different. For one, Latina women generally don't seek health care as early as they should," she said. The Los Angeles Times reports that Lifschitz, who has spent nearly 20 years "working to improve the health of Latinos in Los Angeles and across the country," treating HIV patients in the 1980's and raising money for the education of women and Latino doctors, garners heavy praise from colleagues. "She has obtained probably the highest professional recognition of any Hispanic doctor in the United States," said Physician Care Management Co. President Victor Blanco, adding, "Her involvement has transcended medicine. She's a powerhouse in the community" (Cardenas, 7/26).
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