Shining in the National Spotlight
NBC News and PBS News Hour recognize the Texas Tech Health El Paso community for its work with migrant patients
By Leonard Martinez
The Texas Tech Health El Paso family is stepping up to help care for migrants in El Paso who recently crossed the Southwest border. At clinics in migrant shelters, our faculty, physician residents and students volunteer their time to offer basic medical care for migrants, many of whom have made a long and dangerous journey by foot, bus and freight train from Central and South America.
Resident Brian Elmore, M.D., and Foster School of Medicine students Fabiola Ramirez and Soroush Omidvarnia are three of our many health care heroes in training who’ve been caring for migrants during the humanitarian crisis. The work of Dr. Elmore and Ramirez was highlighted in NBC News’ 2023 “Inspiring America: The Inspiration List,” and Omidvarnia was spotlighted in a May 2023 PBS NewsHour report. Each has shared what motivates them.
You Can Help
At Texas Tech Health El Paso, we are committed to growing our own health care heroes and changing the state of health care in our Borderplex. For more information about how you can help, visit: ttuhscep.edu/elpaso/ia/giving
Fabiola Ramirez
Third-Year Medical Student
Fabiola Ramirez, a first-generation immigrant who grew up in our El Paso-Ciudad Juárez Borderplex, finds profound significance in caring for people in her community as a medical student.
Her volunteer experience includes work as a translator for unaccompanied migrant children — an experience that continues to inspire and motivate her. She said her volunteer work has given her a deeper understanding of the difficulties many of the migrants have experienced.
“As an aspiring physician, it’s my responsibility to ensure I’m equipped with the tools to provide care for all individuals, regardless of their circumstances,” Ramirez said. “The work I’ve done at the migrant clinic is an invaluable part of my education. While the immigration crisis is an extremely complex topic, my ethical commitment drives me to provide care for individuals in times of suffering. I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
Soroush Omidvarnia
Third-Year Medical Student
Originally from Kish, Iran, Soroush Omidvarnia is enrolled in the Foster School of Medicine’s dual-degree M.D./M.B.A. program. He said his experience immigrating with his family to the United States nearly a decade ago brings a unique perspective to health care in El Paso.
“Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the struggles of limited health care access,” Omidvarnia said. “Now, working with diverse patients of the El Paso community and the Migrant and Refugee Transitional Care Clinic sparks feelings of both gratitude and responsibility.”
Omidvarnia’s work at the migrant clinic reflects a personal mission, where each patient encounter becomes a chance to connect, understand and provide holistic care.
“I especially enjoy the opportunity to teach them to integrate preventive measures into their lifestyle,” he said. “It’s about giving them tools to take proactive steps in their health, just as my family did.”
Brian Elmore, M.D.
Emergency Medicine Resident
The demographics and dynamics of migration on the U.S.-Mexico border have changed in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of migrants — many of them families with young children — have crossed into the U.S. to surrender to authorities and apply for asylum. For most of the migrant families, El Paso is a temporary stop as they travel to other parts of the country to connect with sponsors, friends or family and await an asylum decision.
As an emergency medicine resident with Texas Tech Health El Paso, Dr. Elmore saw many migrants who lacked access to basic health care. It inspired him to work with the Hope Border Institute to establish Clínica Hope in Ciudad Juárez to provide care to migrants. Clínica Hope also facilitates collaboration between U.S. and Mexican physicians.
Dr. Elmore’s time in the Peace Corps and experiences working with refugees in the Middle East instilled a responsibility to care for vulnerable people.
“Since then, I’ve developed a personal philosophy that if we’re aware of an injustice, we cannot turn our backs and ignore it,” Dr. Elmore said.
