LMSA National Specialty Sections
Connecting students with specialty-specific mentorship, professional development, and community across medicine.
Welcome / Overview Section
The LMSA National Specialty Sections are designed to connect medical students, pre-health students, residents, fellows, physicians, and mentors across a wide range of medical specialties. Through mentorship, virtual programming, conference engagement, networking, and specialty-specific advising, these sections help students explore career pathways while building community within LMSA National.
Over the last several years, Specialty Sections have grown into an important part of LMSA’s national programming infrastructure. These sections create space for students to learn directly from mentors, engage with peers who share similar interests, and access resources that support their journey into medicine and beyond.
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Why Join a Specialty Section?
Mentorship
Connect with residents, fellows, faculty, and physicians in your specialty of interest.
Career Exploration
Learn about different pathways, application timelines, away rotations, research, and specialty-specific expectations.
Virtual Programming
Attend panels, workshops, Q&A sessions, and speaker events throughout the year.
Leadership Opportunities
Help develop national programming, build specialty communities, and support students across LMSA regions.
Community Building
Find peers and mentors who share your interests, experiences, and goals in medicine.
National Conference Engagement
Participate in specialty-specific sessions, networking events, and mentorship opportunities at LMSA National Conference.
Meet the LMSA National Specialty Section Leadership
Specialty Sections are led by the LMSA National Specialty Section Chair and Vice Chair in collaboration with the Vice President of Programming and the broader LMSA National Programming Branch. Together, this team supports specialty leaders in developing meaningful programming, mentorship opportunities, and conference engagement throughout the year.
Vice President
Programming
Kimberly Flores, MS
Kimberly Flores (she/her/ella) is a proud first-generation U.S. citizen and third-year medical student at Lincoln Memorial University–DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine. Now serving her second year as Vice President of Programming for the Latino Medical Student Association, she leads national programming focused on mentorship, leadership development, and community-centered initiatives.
Raised in Mission Viejo, California, Kimberly earned a Division I soccer scholarship to Purdue University FW, where she developed the discipline, resilience, and team-oriented mindset that continue to shape her leadership today.
Kimberly is passionate about opening doors for others,especially students navigating the path to medicine for the first time. She brings extensive experience in mentorship, research, and organizational leadership. Her work within LMSA, including serving as Co-Director and Conference Co-Chair for the Southeast region, reflects her dedication to representation, community-building, and creating spaces where others feel seen and supported.
Her clinical interests include family medicine, neurology, and obstetrics & gynecology, with a focus on delivering comprehensive, community-centered care to underserved populations. Grounded in her identity as the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, she carries her community with her in every space she enters.
Outside of medicine, Kimberly enjoys baking, practicing Pilates, and spending quality time with her loved ones, including her husband, Zac, and their dachshund, Winston.
Specialty Section Chair
Melissa Castillo
Melissa Castillo is a rising fourth-year medical student at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine currently completing her clinical training in Flint, Michigan. She is the daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants and spent much of her childhood summers in Nicaragua, experiences that shaped her passion for culturally responsive care, advocacy, and serving underserved communities. Melissa is also pursuing a certificate in Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved (LMU). Outside of medicine, she enjoys spending time outdoors, watching anime, traveling, exploring new coffee shops, and kickboxing. Melissa joined LMSA Nationals because she values mentorship, representation, and building supportive spaces for Latino students in medicine. As a first-generation student, she appreciates the sense of community and advocacy that LMSA fosters and hopes to continue uplifting underrepresented voices in healthcare. Her interests in medicine include OB/GYN, women’s sexual health, health equity, and caring for underserved patient populations. Some accomplishments she is especially proud of include presenting research in women’s sexual health internationally earlier in 2026.
Specialty Section Vice Chair
Beatriz Martinez-Flores
Beatriz Martinez-Flores is a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation Mexican-American born and raised in New York City. Currently a third-year medical student at the American University of Antigua College of Medicine, she is dedicated to expanding access to the medical school pathway. By creating a robust support system, she aims to provide students with the guidance needed to successfully navigate medicine and return to serve their communities. With this mission, Beatriz is transforming the LMSA specialty subsections into a “central hub” for resources, mentorship, and clinical advocacy, ensuring all members have a standardized roadmap to their future careers.
Beatriz’s journey in medicine is defined by resilience and a commitment to academic excellence. She completed her undergraduate degrees at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at the City College of New York. A prolific researcher and educator, she has been published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and has presented her work on medical education at international conferences such as EDULEARN.
Having navigated a non-linear path to medicine, Beatriz joined LMSA National to build a community that normalizes setbacks and empowers students to thrive regardless of their starting point. Before stepping into national leadership, she served as President of the Student Pediatric Interest Group and the Catholic Medical Student Association at AUA. Clinically, she is passionate about Pediatrics and Med-Peds, with a specific focus on health equity and providing longitudinal, culturally competent care to underserved populations.
Outside of her leadership and clinical rotations, she finds joy in rock climbing, practicing traditional Mexican folkloric dance (specifically styles from Jalisco and Veracruz), and exploring New York City’s vibrant culinary scene. Driven by her roots, Beatriz continues to advocate for a medical community where representation and mentorship are accessible to all.
Outside of her leadership and clinical rotations, she finds joy in rock climbing, hiking, and practicing traditional Mexican folkloric dance (specifically styles from Jalisco and Veracruz). Driven by her roots, Beatriz continues to advocate for a medical community where representation and mentorship are accessible to all.
Specialty Section Leaders
ENT
Jonathan Rodriguez Silva
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Med Peds
Edgard Castillo
University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine
Family Medicine
Gabriella Begley
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2028
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Orthopedics
Lia Gaccione-Barreto
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Pediatrics
Brianna Miranda
Baylor College of Medicine, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Neurosurgery
Matthew Mendoza
Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Anesthesia
Brian Ocasio-Nieves
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Arlin Arias Castro
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 2028
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Surgery
Nataly Montano
Stanford University School of Medicine, 2028
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Psychiatry
Dariana Gil Hernández
Yale School of Medicine, 2028a
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Dermatology
Diana Ayala
St. George’s University School of Medicine, 2028
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Translational Medicine & Physician Scientist (TM&PM)
Samuel Hernandez
Medical College of Wisconsin, 2030
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Neurology
Andrea P. Noa Beltrán
Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Ophthalmology
Stephanie Trejo Corona
Baylor College of Medicine, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Internal Medicine
Leslie Nunez
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Mariana Cabatu
Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, 2027
UC Davis School of Medicine, 2029
Specialty Section Emails
- Anesthesiology
- anesthesiology.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Translational Medicine & Physician Scientist
- translationalmed.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Dermatology
- derm.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Emergency Medicine
- em.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Family Medicine
- fm.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Internal Medicine
- internalmed.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Neurology
- neurology.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Neurosurgery
- neurosurgery.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- OB/GYN
- obgyn.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Orthopedic Surgery
- ortho.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Pediatrics
- peds.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Psychiatry
- psych.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Radiology
- radiology.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Surgery
- surgery.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Urology
- urology.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Ophthalmology
- ophthalmology.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- PM&R
- pmr.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- ENT/Otolaryngology
- ent.specialtysection@lmsa.net
- Med-Peds
- medpeds.specialtysection@lmsa.net
Become a Mentor!
For Physicians, Residents, and Fellows:
LMSA Specialty Sections welcome residents, fellows, faculty, and attending physicians who are interested in mentoring the next generation of Latino/a/x/e and allied physicians. Mentors may support students through panels, one-on-one advising, residency application guidance, research opportunities, or networking events.
For Medical Students
If you are interested in being paired with a mentor, please complete our mentorship form here. If you do not want a mentor, please consider giving back by signing up to mentor a pre-med through the same form!
Upcoming Events Section
In-progress!