Fernanda Heitor is a Geriatrician in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Born and raised in Brazil, she immigrated to the United of States in the year 2000, after graduating from Medical School in her native country. In the US, she had a firsthand experience appreciating the cultural richness sprawling from coast to coast in her new home. Initially living in Los Angeles and later in Boston, she worked as a student advisor at a test prep center and as a researcher while completing her medical boards and medical diploma certification. Dr Heitor then proceeded to complete her residency training in Internal Medicine in St Louis, MO, and then, upon moving back to California, she worked providing primary care to mostly Hispanic/Latino older adults in the San Fernando Valley area. This experience resulted in an ever-growing interest in Geriatrics leading to a Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Michigan, concluded in 2014. Captivated by Chicago, Dr Heitor joined Northwestern Medicine shortly after her fellowship graduation. She provides Geriatrics’ care in various settings including clinical, inpatient, and sub-acute and long-term care. Dr. Heitor also serves as a Medical Director at The Selfhelp Home, a not-for-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community rated a 5-start facility according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Dr Heitor’s overarching goal is to bring Geriatrics to its rightful spotlight. To further establish this discipline as a salient specialty of upmost importance in guaranteeing older adults proper health access and care and improving society at large with cultural sensibility and competency.
“As defined by The American Geriatrics Society (AGS), “Geriatrics is the specialty focused on the high-quality, person-centered care we all need as we age. ‘High-quality care’ aims to improve health, independence, and quality of life for older people. ‘Person-centered care’ puts our personal values and preferences at the heart of our care decisions”. Hence, Geriatric Care encompasses the much relevant need to promote not only physical and psychological well-being but ultimately a culture of respect and inclusion.”
