Release Date: June 26, 2023

We are proud to announce the 2023 recipient of the Perla S Gil, MD Scholarship established to enhance diversity at Ochsner and in the medical profession by supporting female Ochsner Clinical School students of Hispanic descent who have traditionally been underrepresented in the medical profession. This year’s recipient is Tabitha Baca a third year medical student born in Mexico City who emigrated with her mom to Florida Growing up in Mexico City, where there is a large gap of income inequality and health inequity, she has always been passionate about improving access to care for vulnerable communities. She pursued her passion in Central America, as a Programs Coordinator for a global health organization, where she helped lead health, infrastructure, and clean water projects. Tabitha then worked in Australia as a Health Researcher for a reproductive health nonprofit, where she aided in projects such as a white paper for reproductive coercion, women’s health research, and sexual health education. She aims to dedicate her career helping close health equity gaps for low resourced communities

The Perla S Gil, MD Scholarship is supported by a generous endowed fund established in honor of Dr Perla S Gil Dr Gil was born in Santiago, Cuba, and grew up in Spain and Peru. Her father was an ophthalmologist, and she followed his footsteps to a career in medicine. Dr Gil trained at The Ochsner Clinic and Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco before practicing anesthesiology for over 20 years at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California