Biography at time of Mongan Commonwealth Fund Fellowship: Maria Portela Martinez, M.D., was most recently a Family Medicine Resident at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. In 2010, while Dr. Portela Martinez was pursuing a Ponce School of Medicine Health Policy Sub Internship, she drafted a document assessing the health and education sectors for President Obama’s taskforce on Puerto Rico’s economic development. This work, along with other efforts, resulted in an increase of over $800 million in Medicaid funding in Puerto Rico.
Dr. Portela Martinez also worked on the documentary “En Sus Zapatos: Challenges of the Primary Care Physician,” which aimed to raise awareness among providers of the barriers to health care faced by the Hispanic population. From 2012–2013, she served as health policy chair for the National Hispanic Medical Association Council of Residents. Dr. Portela Martinez completed her medical degree at Ponce School of Medicine in 2010. She is interested in increasing access to high-quality health care services, particularly for the Latino immigrant population.