Dr. Juan Carlos Caicedo
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Transplant Surgeon, Dr. Juan Carlos Caicedo
Dr. Caicedo Shares the Importance of Organ and Tissue Donation for the Hispanic Community
“It’s important that we understand that we are responsible for our own health and the health of our loved ones; that we can make a difference by taking care of ourselves and our loved ones and that we can help others through donation. I started the first Hispanic Transplant Program in the United States at Northwestern Memorial Hospital because Latinos have a longer wait time on the transplant wait list and a great mortality rate due to lack of access to information, language barriers, mistrust of the healthcare system and lack of access to healthcare. Every culture needs an approach that is tailored to them because these barriers can limit access to preventative healthcare and treatment.
I saw an opportunity to do for our Hispanic people here what I couldn’t do in my native country of Colombia. That is what motivated the development of the Hispanic Transplant Program at Northwestern. And that work and what we’ve accomplished has been so fulfilling. It’s a program that has delivered options for the continuance of life to many people and that is a great satisfaction and motivator. I feel my labor has a great purpose.”
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