SCMS Member Spotlight - Dr. Gonzalo Huaman
In this month's Pearl we focus on longtime SCMS member, Dr. Gonzalo Huaman. As past-president of the Seminole County Medical Society, Dr. Huaman has a fascinating story to share. Growing up in a small village in the mountains of Peru, there were only about 200 families. Dr. Huaman received a scholarship early in his education which allowed him to attend high school in Lima, the capital of Peru. Only permitted to leave school on the weekends, he worked vigilantly to secure his future. He later would become the third physician from the little village. Upon graduation from high school, he attended San Marcos University and received his medical degree. He practiced in Peru for one year before coming to the United States where he interned at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. From there, he went to La Grange, Georgia and at Troup County Medical Center where he was House Physician. It was there where he met a nurse, which later became his wife. He and Shirley were married in 1961.
Dr. Huaman did a one year residency in Urology at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and completed a three year residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. From there he moved to Sanford where he began his private practice and it has been he and Shirley's home for forty-four years.
Dr. Huaman hasn't forgotten where he came from or those who have supported him along the way. He has made a practice of giving back to his community, both abroad and locally. He helped to found the Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS) in 1973 where he served as Treasurer from 1996-2007 and as President from 2006-2007. PAMS is a national organization, boasting 800 plus members which are Peruvian doctors trained in the United States. The organization donates medical equipment and supplies to the hospitals in the more remote areas of Peru and organizes medical missions in those areas. One of the greatest accomplishments is the building of a clinic in Chincha, a city devastated by the earthquake in 2007.
Locally, Dr. Huaman has served as President of the Seminole County Medical Society, the Board of Directors and Chief of Staff at Central Florida Regional Hospital. He has also served on the Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs with the Florida Medical Association.
The practice of medicine has changed in the forty four years that he has practiced, some good and some not so good. Dr. Huaman feels it's important to be aggressive in learning about advances in technology that will benefit his patients. He believes that EMRs are a great idea and will prevent errors in reading prescriptions due to poor penmanship. Yet, he has concerns that there will be an increase in privacy issues and identity theft.
Dr. Huaman has four children, two sons and two daughters, and thirteen very special grandchildren. He loves spending time with his family. Tennis is his favorite sport and he plays several times a week. After retirement, which is in the near future, he will continue to do medical missions, fund a private foundation which he has established to benefit PAMS, his church, and the SCMS, travel, and just enjoy life.
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