Dr. Jennifer Pena and her husband Dr. Benton R. Franklin spend effort and time rescuing canines of their residence of San Juan, Puerto Rico. As with every trigger that one can be keen about, there are some days which might be more durable than others. In the long run, figuring out they will save an animal and both discover it a brand new residence or add a brand new member to their very own household makes the trouble worthwhile.
“We’re large rescuers,” she shared. “Now we have a big stray inhabitants, and my Grandmama taught me to feed and deal with the strays,”
She met Benton within the navy, and their widespread bond of service in each navy and drugs has stored them collectively since.
“He really simply received out of the navy in July of this yr. He’s a normal surgeon, and he’s the good one. We served collectively within the Medical Corps. The navy will at all times be part of who we’re individually and as a pair.”
Pena lives with Benton in San Juan now, however Puerto Rico can also be the place her origin story started. She, alongside along with her sister, was raised by her mom and maternal grandparents. She knew her father, however her dad and mom weren’t collectively. So, she spent extra time along with her mom, who was additionally working full-time as a nurse.
“My grandparents have been instrumental in our upbringing,” she mentioned. “I used to be a really energetic little woman, very a lot a tom boy,” she recalled. “I used to be very a lot into sports activities and at all times taking part in exterior, getting soiled. Undoubtedly not the girly kind.”
Pena was additionally into martial arts, and she or he ultimately earned a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. That zeal for exercise served as a pillar in her childhood, however as with the whole lot else in her life, she dedicated much more, ultimately turning into a member of the Puerto Rico nationwide workforce. As a finweight competitor, she earned a number of native, state, and nationwide awards.
Pena shared about her time competing, “ the most effective a part of that? It was enjoyable, it was by no means one thing I deliberate for, however developed a expertise for it.”
She excelled in schoolwork as nicely. Pena mentioned that when she was in highschool, she and her mom would research collectively as a result of she had gone to varsity to get her Masters diploma in Healthcare Administration. Her mom would develop into a healthcare administrator following that point. As for Pena, she went on to Yale College and graduated in 2004 with levels in Molecular, Mobile and Developmental Biology, and Spanish Language and Literature. She would ultimately comply with within the footsteps of her father, uncles, and several other members of her household by becoming a member of the navy, particularly the USA Military. Her father was an officer and a pharmacist, which is one more medical subject connection for her. Army service fulfilled two wants for Pena. In addition to her service to the nation, it served as a catapult for one more dream that connects her to her mom.
“It helped me with medical faculty,” she mentioned, nevertheless it’s not just like the idea of service was overseas to her.
“I grew up across the navy, I grew up going to the Commissary and being across the navy neighborhood,” she defined. “It was a simple determination to make.”
Pena entered energetic obligation in 2008 after graduating from the College of Pittsburgh College of Medication. That dedication to service and medical faculty would permit her to not solely help these she served with, nevertheless it led her to breaking down boundaries. After working in Fort Belvoir’s new hospital, she can be nominated and accepted to function a doctor within the White Home Medical Unit underneath each Presidents Obama and Trump. Unbeknownst to her at the moment, she was breaking boundaries for Latina women in every single place. Pena was the primary Latina to serve the White Home as a doctor. It wasn’t ever a aim she pursued, nor was it spoken about in an enormous manner. She was knowledgeable of this by a colleague throughout a random dialog.
“It was a type of proper place, proper time issues,” she mentioned humbly. “It was one in every of my doctor assistants, who was additionally Puerto Rican, who pointed it out. There’s a plaque with names on it, and he identified that there have been no different Latinas on that plaque.”
After over a decade of complete service, Pena left energetic obligation in 2019. In addition to her work in rescuing, she additionally at the moment works as Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer for Measured, a Y-Combinator well being startup firm offering weight administration options and dietary providers. Past that, she additionally works with Oya Care (the primary girls’s digital well being clinic in Brazil) as a Medical Advisor to the Board. She can also be concerned with Julie Merchandise, Inc., a supplier of over-the-counter emergency contraception choices for ladies in the USA. She has additionally made quite a few TV appearances as a medical professional and spoke at quite a few occasions for digital well being, telehealth, Veteran issues, and even in efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alongside the way in which, she acquired quite a few honors, together with named one in every of Enterprise Insider’s “30 Leaders Below 40 Altering Healthcare in 2021.” That very same yr, Pena was named Veteran of the Yr by Latina Model Journal, a tribute to her service and distinction. Within the eyes of many, she is each a hero and trailblazer. She hopes her instance of health, service, and dedication to others generally is a mild for younger people who wish to make an analogous affect on their communities, nation, and even the world.
“It’s important to see one to be one. I feel that’s essential to me since you’re sheltered a bit in Puerto Rico, and also you don’t see that illustration at these ranges. In case you don’t see people who appear to be you, you may’t see your self in these positions. For me, it was Antonia Novello, who was Surgeon Normal. So, to the younger woman studying this, now you see it. You might be it.”
Comply with Pena @jennifer.m.pena on Instagram
