Dr. Valbuena’s Michigan Answer: Being empowered to empower others

Dr. Valbuena stands in the hospital in her scrubs

Most aspiring physicians study medicine with the hopes of saving lives, being on the cutting edge of research, or developing the latest therapies and technologies. For Dr. Valeria Valbuena, it was all of the above, plus one additional life-affirming goal. 

“I want to play a leading role in promoting and organizing a diverse workforce in medicine,” says Dr. Valbuena. 

Aside from being a general surgery resident with the goal of becoming a transplant surgeon, Dr. Valbuena is equally motivated to empower medical students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue surgical specialties, research and advocacy.

I want to play a leading role in promoting and organizing a diverse workforce in medicine."

- Dr. Valbuena

Not long after beginning her residency training with the Michigan Medicine Department of Surgery, she found her answer. With the help of many dedicated mentors and a small group of current University of Michigan Medical School students, Dr. Valbuena developed the LEAGUES Fellowship, a pipeline program designed for first-year medical students from across the country who are interested in the intersection of racial and gender equity and surgery. 

“The patient care delivered at Michigan Medicine is outstanding,” says Dr. Valbuena. “And because we do such a good job of helping people while welcoming change and inclusion, I knew the LEAGUES Fellowship could thrive here. The support from this institution has been phenomenal.” 

“What sets Michigan apart is their desire to help you be the best surgeon and the best person you can be,” says Dr. Valbuena. “The level of mentorship and dedication to residents is outstanding and something I really wanted to be a part of. And I want to help continue to cast a wider net for serving everyone.”


More Articles About: Michigan Answers Research advocacy
Dr. Rajesh Rao using his finger to create a pink line of
Michigan Answers

Discover the power of a Michigan Answer through inspiring stories. Find hope and inspiration for your own journey by reading more.

Featured News & Stories Health Lab Podcast in brackets with a background with a dark blue translucent layers over cells
Health Lab Podcast
Access to Plan B coincides with a drastic decrease in emergency contraception-related ER visits, study shows
U.S. emergency departments see 96% fewer visits, $7.6 million less in medical costs after FDA approval of over the counter emergency contraception.
News Release
Statewide cardiovascular consortium, hosted at Michigan Medicine, receives national award for patient safety, quality efforts
A collaborative partnership dedicated to improving statewide cardiovascular care and outcomes — hosted at Michigan Medicine — received national recognition for efforts in patient safety and quality. BMC2 received the award for its significant improvements in the documentation of radiation use, a decrease in high-dose radiation exposure and reduction in opioid prescribing rates for patients.
Minding Memory with a microphone and a shadow of a microphone on a blue background
Minding Memory
Identifying Dementia from EHR Data
In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, wow, that's a mouthful, more commonly known as the HITECH Act, spent billions to promote the uptake of electronic health records by US hospitals. Fast forward more than a decade later, and now approximately four out of five healthcare institutions have electronic health record systems in place that integrate clinical notes, test results, medications, diagnostic images, et cetera. The adoption of EHR systems into healthcare introduces new and exciting opportunities to extract information that can be used to augment other types of data for research. As you might imagine though, it can be tricky to pull out meaningful information from the text of clinical notes. In this episode, we'll speak with a University of Michigan researcher, Dr. Vinod Vydiswaran, who's been developing methods to identify dementia from EHR data.
Health Lab Podcast in brackets with a background with a dark blue translucent layers over cells
Health Lab Podcast
Study finds bipolar disorder surpasses smoking in mortality risk
A large study shows having bipolar disorder is associated with a four- to six-fold risk of dying prematurely, suggesting more preventive efforts needed. Visit Health Lab to read the full story.
Health Lab Podcast in brackets with a background with a dark blue translucent layers over cells
Health Lab Podcast
Saying Goodbye to UTIs
Urinary tract infections are a pain. A doctor explains how to banish them for good. Visit Health Lab to read the full story.
Minding Memory with a microphone and a shadow of a microphone on a blue background
Minding Memory
Vision Impairment as a Risk Factor for Dementia
The population of older adults living with dementia is expected to swell to nearly 14 million by 2050 and is estimated to cost the US economy more than 500 billion each year. In the absence of a cure for Alzheimer's disease, the primary cause of dementia, there's interest in understanding modifiable risk factors. In theory, getting a handle on the modifiable risk factors for dementia, would enable public health efforts to reduce cognitive decline in dementia at the population level. We've come a long way in understanding the risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias. However, there's still work to be done. In this episode, we'll speak with Dr. Josh Ehrlich, a researcher at the University of Michigan, who has examined vision impairment as a risk factor for dementia.