Alexandra Lopez Vera received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she also earned a Certificate in College and University Teaching and several Fellowships and awards, including the Applied Linguistics Fellowship, the Engaging Humanities Fellowship, and the GSA Excellence in Teaching Award. Currently, Alexandra Lopez Vera is the director of the Medical Spanish curriculum at the California University of Science and Medicine and trains future physicians to provide holistically excellent care to the Hispanic patient population.