Latinos in STEMM Rising: Year in Review

Thank you for being here.

I launched Latinos in STEMM Rising with a clear goal: to inform and empower Latino STEMM leaders, break persistent barriers, and advance Hispanic education in medicine and science, with data and lived experience at the center.

In 2025, that mission found its audience. This community grew to 800+ subscribers on LinkedIn and ~900 readers on the blog, with conversations extending far beyond this newsletter into classrooms and labs. Along the way, two new initiatives launched to support Latinos in healthcare, inspired directly by the ideas shared here.

Thank you for reading, sharing, questioning, and engaging with this work.

As we close out 2025, here are the Latinos in STEMM Rising articles that shaped the conversation, including two published in late 2024 that continue to attract strong attention.

These stories didn’t just inform, they moved people, and that’s where change begins.

 1. Latino Representation in Medicine: 5 Must-Know Insights

This article laid out a hard truth: while Latinos represent nearly 1 in 5 people in the U.S., we remain less than 7% of physicians. That gap has real consequences for trust, outcomes, and access to care. It also explored why culturally aligned care improves adherence — and what individuals and institutions can do to help close the gap.

Most-shared quote: “If our numbers don’t reflect the communities we serve, how can we claim excellence in healthcare?”

👉 Read it again

2. Five Empowering Ways to Tackle and Understand 'Go Back to Your Country' Comments

This piece struck a nerve. Many of us have encountered this phrase in clinics, classrooms, and workplaces. Rather than responding with silence or shame, this article offered five approaches — from understanding the historical context of immigration to learning about acculturation and engaging in constructive dialogue — that turn these moments into opportunities for clarity and self-preservation.

One of the most-read articles on my website blog

👉 Read it again

3. Hispanic, Latino, Latinx: Definitions, Usage, and Controversies Explained

This article became a go-to resource for readers navigating the language around identity. It unpacked the origins and usage of “Hispanic,” “Latino,” and “Latinx,” explaining where each term comes from, why context matters, and why no individual label can capture the diversity or true identity of a community.

👉 Read it again

4. Breaking the Latina Leadership Ceiling: From 14% in Classrooms to Just 1% in C-Suites

This article resonated deeply and became a catalyst for at least two important initiatives supporting Latinas in STEMM. It traced how Latinas steadily disappear at each stage of the STEMM pipeline, from classrooms to leadership, and examined why progress stalls. Beyond diagnosis, it emphasized the role of sponsorship, not just mentorship, along with practical actions leaders can take.

This isn't about quotas or preferential treatment; it's about recognizing and developing talent that may be less visible, partly due to cultural factors.

👉 Read it again

5. STEMM’s Slow Transformation: The Emerging Power of Women and Minority Innovators – PART 1

Part 1 of a 3-part series (yes, all 3 saw high engagement!) looked at the gender data in STEMM: where we’ve made progress, and where we’re still stuck. It pointed out that while women earn 50% of science degrees, their representation drops sharply in leadership and tenure-track roles.

Most highlighted data point on my blog: A study showing that up to 40% of women physicians go part-time or leave medicine within six years of completing residency.

👉 Read Part 1 again

6. Why Latino Underrepresentation in Clinical Trials Is Becoming a Commercial Liability

My most recent article is one of my most read of all time. Instead of focusing only on equity, it asked a bold question: What if underrepresentation hurts your bottom line? I argued that Latino exclusion from clinical trials is no longer just a moral failure, it’s a forecasting, risk, and ROI mistake.

For drugmakers, high disease burden in a growing population is not just an epidemiologic reality. It is a commercial signal.

👉 Read it again

7. The Power of Role Models in STEMM: My Father’s Story

On a personal note, I’ve been incredibly grateful and moved by how many of you connected with the story of my father as a role model in medicine. Knowing it has been read over 1,000 times means more than I can say. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the link.

🔭 What’s Coming in 2026

2026 is already filling up with ideas worth amplifying.

📊 Backed by data. 

🎤 Rooted in lived experience. 

💡 Aimed at change.

Thank You for an Incredible 2025

This community isn’t just raising its voice, it’s shifting the conversation.

Whether you’re a student finding your voice in STEMM, an advocate advancing equity, or a leader shaping decisions in biotech and healthcare: Gracias! You're not just reading. You're helping to move this work forward.

On the blog, student readers keep me future focused.

On Medium, I connect with a broader audience who want things explained clearly.

And on LinkedIn, your attention, especially from those in decision-making seats, has real power.

Here’s to truth-telling, barrier-breaking, and building a more equitable 2026.

Some of us never saw ourselves at the table. So now we’re building one where more people belong.

Reading this? You’re already part of the transformation.

I wish you all a healthy and fulfilling 2026!

With appreciation, 

Paola Mina-Osorio Author, Latinos in STEMM Rising

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This newsletter is also published on LinkedIn and Medium