Q & A with SFVAHCS' Dr. Cynthia Delgado: Time100 Health honoree

This prestigious recognition highlights Dr. Delgado’s groundbreaking research in nephrology and her career-long commitment to addressing health care disparities. Her work focuses on improving outcomes for underserved populations, particularly those suffering from kidney disease. 

In addition to her research, Dr. Delgado is a respected educator and mentor, inspiring the next generation of health care professionals to prioritize equity in their practice. Her leadership and dedication to fostering an inclusive environment have earned her the respect and admiration of colleagues, patients, and community members alike.

We had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Delgado to discuss her journey, her contributions to her field, and the impact of this remarkable recognition. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Delgado as we delve into her inspiring story.
 

Congratulations on being named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in health. How did you feel when you got the news?

I was incredibly overwhelmed. Surprised. I do the things I do because I love to do them, not necessarily for the attention it garners. However, it is a tremendous honor to be acknowledged for the work we have done to increase equity in kidney care for patients across the country. 

You’ve done amazing work championing equity in health care. Why did you choose the field of nephrology, specifically?

That’s a great story. I was actually a resident at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and initially thought to myself that I wanted to be a gastroenterologist and was planning on it. I’d gotten a mentor and was headed in that direction. 

I had many family members who required dialysis and were waitlisted for transplant. So, I was very familiar with kidney disease, and the treatment of it, as well as advanced kidney disease. 

Then, one day, my mentor told me she heard me talking about electrolyte abnormalities and improving the lives of patients and realized that I was more of a nephrologist in my heart. After that, everything just clicked. It was a perfect balance of being able to be connected to patients, have a long-term relationship with them and really get to know them. Now, in my current capacity, I’m able to work toward tailoring their treatments to align with who they are. One of the biggest benefits of being a nephrologist is understanding your patients and being able to combine that understanding to improve their quality of life and their experience with kidney disease. 

We never want patients to walk around with this big label on their heads saying “I’m a kidney disease patient.” We want our patients to walk around saying “I am who I am.”

That is one of the bigger drivers for me in my profession, to find a balance between the needed patient care without forgetting the individual in front me. Particularly, with my own family experience. 

What brought you to San Francisco VA Health Care System?

When I was a resident at Mt. Sinai, I rotated through the Bronx VA. I have been a VA person for some time. I really loved working within the VA network. I can’t explain why it felt natural but even then, it felt like home. The way everyone worked together to improve the quality of life for the Veteran was evident. 

When I came here, it fit like a glove. It was fun and interesting. There were challenges that were interesting for me to address. There was collegiality. All the factors I wanted in a career were here. There was no reason for me to leave [VA] after finishing my training. 

The faculty here are just incredible. All the specialists [and] the primary care teams, everyone here is incredible. There is a sense of a family-like experience here amongst the staff and we are very supportive of one another. It makes the environment for treatment that much better. 

How has being a part of SFVAHCS, and it’s relationship with UCSF, helped you move toward accomplishing your research goals?

The relationship between SFVA and UCSF is complimentary and collegial. I do think UCSF at large appreciates all the research that comes from VA. 

We leverage each other, as institutions, bringing issues to the forefront. It’s a nice marriage across campuses and it’s a nice, dynamic environment for critical thinking to address important scientific questions that will change the patient quality of life and move science forward. 

I have many collaborators at UCSF, and it has been quite satifying to work within this environment where, as I see it, you get the benefit of both institutions behind you. 

Case in point, I’d never worked with Dr. Powe before but because of our institutions support in fostering a collegial environment, our first conversation was very natural; straight away, we played off each other’s strengths. I think that’s one of the expectations I’ve come to have with faculty who are primarily based at UCSF. We all have a common goal. We see that as the main unifier, and we work well together to achieve those goals.