Hello! My name is Maria Cristina Gonzalez Gotay. I was born and raised in Cupey Alto, which is a rural community of San Juan, Puerto Rico. While growing up with my two older brothers and my older sister, our pastimes consisted of doing the lawn, feeding the farm animals, bike riding, and occasionally bathing in the river. Then, as I got older, although it might sound like an island living cliché, going to the beach became one of my top hobbies, followed by dancing and cooking.
When I am asked what inspired me to become a doctor, my answer is simple: my mom. Mom was an Intensive Care Unit pediatrician, and mainly the only physician neighbors in my community knew. I remember people rushing over to my house when either they or their family members fell ill and how mom was so attentive to their needs. Seeing my mom?s devotion and commitment to helping others, not only medically but also spiritually, was one of the main reasons I chose to become a doctor.
While in medical school at the Ponce Health Science University, I experienced first-hand the vast need for adequate women?s healthcare. As I assessed patients at the OBGYN clinics, I was amazed to see how many patients didn?t realize how important it was to be proactive about their healthcare, which is what prompted me to make the decision to become an OBGYN physician.
Women nowadays need to empower themselves and learn to take better care of themselves. As an OBGYN I intend to focus on a women?s healthcare in its entirety, throughout their different stages of life, from the most simple aspects to the most complex, including sexuality, which is an important topic that for some reason is omitted while caring for patients because it?s still considered taboo.