Ana María López, MD, MPH, FACP
Associate Dean for Outreach and Multicultural Affairs
Professor of Medicine and Pathology
Medical Director, Arizona Telemedicine Program
University of Arizona

Dr. Ana María López, a practicing physician for over 15 years, began her training in internal medicine at the University of Arizona. She completed residency training in Internal Medicine, served as a Chief Resident and completed fellowships in General Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. As a Fellow in Medical Oncology, Dr. López was awarded a Cancer Prevention and Etiology Fellowship from the National Institute of Health. Concurrent with her subspecialty training she completed a MPH at the University of Arizona and was awarded the Epidemiology Award ($10,000) for outstanding accomplishments. She joined the University of Arizona College of Medicine faculty upon completion of her fellowship and currently serves as a tenured professor in Medicine and Pathology.

Within her oncology specialty, Dr. Lopez has emphasized the advancement of women's health through outreach, academic teaching, and research. Her leadership and capacity led to the establishment of an annual ¡VIDA! Conference and ¡VIDA! series, both of which are excellent examples of valued outreach. Through the ¡VIDA! Conference she has created a culturally-appropriate space where Latina women from southern Arizona join to learn about breast cancer prevention and survivorship. To supplement this annual event, she developed a culturally and linguistically appropriate educational series which provide information on breast cancer survivorship year-round to survivors, affected families, health care professionals, and lay health workers. Through the use of telecommunications technology she has been able to connect medically underserved communities throughout Arizona.

From 1997-2007 Dr. Lopez was the Medical Director for the Women's Health Initiative at the University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine. Through her expertise, she was able to facilitate a Gender-Specific Medicine Thread at the UA College of Medicine, which aimed to enhance students' understanding of the role of gender in biological, molecular, and psychosocial manifestations of health and disease. This approach was intended to ameliorate the delivery of health care for women and men across the lifespan.

Dr. Lopez's experience has been essential in gaining NCI-endorsement on multiple studies that aim to benefit women's health. Most recently, she has been involved in the development of an electronic medical home for ovarian cancer patients to connect with their healthcare providers, family and social networks. She has been heavily involved in the development of electronic systems which integrate patient-reported outcomes into health maintenance decisions. These efforts, combined with her outreach and academic-teaching priorities, are critical in making healthcare significantly more patient-centered.