Belinda Vicioso, M.D.

Professor
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine

First UTSW job: As the first fellowship-trained geriatrics specialist at UT Southwestern, I started out doing everything. My job working in the General Internal Medicine Division combined patient care, research, and education. We practiced a bit of academic evangelism – teaching in a Parkland Memorial Hospital clinic and on wards that geriatrics wasn’t only “internal medicine for old people.”

Best part about my job: Opportunities to teach geriatric principles were many. As part of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center Clinical Core, we traveled throughout Texas educating people about dementia care and the hazards of polypharmacy. At Parkland, we championed for cognitive testing in Spanish, pill boxes, and foot care as we sought to expand practical eldercare throughout Parkland’s burgeoning community-oriented primary care network.

Best UTSW memory: The day that stands out the most actually occurred weeks before I joined the faculty. Craig Rubin, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Internal Medicine, wanted to introduce me to the Parkland interdisciplinary geriatrics team during a late winter retreat. It was a whiteout snow day and I was shaken by road conditions as I drove from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in a rental to the downtown Dallas Sheraton where the meeting was to be held. Coming from the East Coast, I thought nothing of it, but road conditions were extremely hazardous. At the end of the icy journey, I was welcomed by the enthusiasm and warmth of a wonderful group of nurses, social workers, physicians, and researchers who have been terrific colleagues ever since.

I’m really good at: I can speak five languages fluently and answer basic questions in two others.

Hobbies: I enjoy traveling.

Surprising fact: I grew up in the Dominican Republic and can dance the merengue.

Claim to fame: I worked on the medication reconciliation mandate in Washington, D.C.

Final note: I am honored to have touched the lives of thousands of patients and learners over the past 30 years. This is why this is the best job ever.

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