Taking the Long Way Home

They say home is where the heart is. And for fourth-year medical student Benjamin Gonzalez, nothing could be closer to the truth.

Gonzalez, an El Paso native, who has spent much of his academic career in places other than Texas, is eager to come home.

Fond Memories

When he is finished wrapping up a visiting clinical rotation at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Gonzalez said he plans to practice medicine in El Paso’s warmer climate and looks forward to spending his free time enjoying the region’s familiar smells and tastes with his wife.

“The food is definitely something you miss when you are far from El Paso,” he said remembering fondly his favorite carnitas at Lucy’s and tacos at Kiki’s.

Gonzalez graduated from Franklin High School in 2002. Soon after graduation, he moved to attend the University of Utah where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology.

Paving the Way

Gonzalez followed in the footsteps of his father, a family medicine physician and his mother, a registered nurse, by participating in a TTUHSC summer enrichment program for college students in El Paso.

Oscar Noriega, M.D., an associate professor in the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine Department of Family and Community Medicine, was Gonzalez’s mentor for the enrichment program, and he was able to shadow Noriega at both the San Elizario and Kenworthy Family Practice site.

The program opened Gonzalez’s eyes to his passion for medicine. From there, he went on earn a master’s in international health and development from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. In 2008, Gonzalez began medical school at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

The road to becoming a physician has been a long one, and now that he’s almost at the end of his journey, Gonzalez said he’s focused on the future.

“I’ve been able to work with an interesting variety of patients and some highly qualified doctors who are dedicated to the unique needs of patients in the El Paso area,” Gonzalez said. “I’m really hoping I am able to come back to El Paso for my residency and, ultimately, my career.”