Yes.
The percentage of Latina doctors in the U.S. has held at 2% for several years, even as Latinas accounted for 17% of all women here.
Nearly 19% of the U.S. population overall is Latino, and advocates for Hispanic health say the population of doctors who are Latinos is severely underrepresented. Just 6% of physicians are Latinos.
Research shows more Latino doctors would provide greater understanding of how cultural issues can affect health and they’re more likely to know Spanish. One study found Latina physicians are nearly 36 times more likely to speak Spanish than non-Hispanic white doctors.
Non-Hispanic white doctors make up 66% of all doctors. White men make up about 30% of the U.S. population.
Researchers say the shortage of Hispanic doctors has worsened over time, and medical school data shows some of the problem stems from the lack of Latino medical students.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
See full source list below.
The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-size fact-checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.