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Hispanic Heritage Month: meet Dr. Sara Gonzalez

Dr. Sara Gonzalez

Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized each year from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of those who came to whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we spoke with Dr. Sara Gonzalez, bilingual (Spanish and English) pediatric psychologist at Children’s Minnesota, to learn more about her role, what Hispanic Heritage Month means to her, and her passion as a mental health spokesperson to both Spanish and English-speaking families. Dr. Gonzalez shared her answers to our questions in both English and Spanish. 

Tell us about your role at Children’s Minnesota.
Cuéntenos sobre su rol en Children’s Minnesota.

I am a bilingual (Spanish-English) pediatric psychologist within the mental health services department. I’ve worked in various outpatient specialty clinics such as endocrine and diabetes, gender health, and neurology/concussion. I also supervise our post-doctoral fellows and am part of the advisory committee for Children’s Minnesota’s ‘Clinic in the Classroom Series’ initiative reaching school nurses across the state. 

Yo soy una psicóloga pediátrica bilingüe (español-inglés) dentro del Departamento de Salud Mental. He trabajado en varias clínicas ambulatorias, como endocrinología y diabetes, salud de género y neurología/conmoción cerebral. También superviso a nuestros estudiantes posdoctorales y formo parte del comité asesor de la iniciativa ‘Clinic in the Classroom Series’ de Children’s Minnesota para enfermeras escolares en todo el estado. 

What is your favorite part about working at Children’s Minnesota?
¿Cuál es su parte favorita de trabajar en Children’s Minnesota?

My favorite part about working at Children’s Minnesota is being able to meet with youth and their families to address the various factors that are impacting their mental health while being embedded in multidisciplinary clinics that allow me to coordinate care with medical providers and other clinical staff to also improve patient’s physical health.   

Mi parte favorita de trabajar en Children’s Minnesota es poder reunirme con pacientes y sus familias para identificar los diversos factores que están afectando su salud mental mientras estoy integrada en clínicas multidisciplinarias que me permiten coordinar servicios con proveedores médicos y otro personal clínico para también mejorar la salud física del paciente. 

What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you?
¿Qué significa para ti el Mes de la Herencia Hispana?

Hispanic Heritage Month to me is a celebration of our culture! It’s a time to highlight our people, our food, our music – anything and everything that fuels our identity as Hispanic or Latinx – and sharing it with others in recognition of the many contributions our cultures have had on our world today.   

¡Para mí, el Mes de la Herencia Hispana es una celebración de nuestra cultura! Es un momento para resaltar nuestra gente, nuestra comida, nuestra música – todo lo que llena nuestra identidad como Hispan@ o Latinx – y compartirlo con otros en reconocimiento de las muchas contribuciones que nuestras culturas han tenido en nuestro mundo actual. 

How do you celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
¿Cómo celebras el Mes de la Herencia Hispana?

Truthfully, celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month for me is not any different from how I celebrate my identity and our people every other day of the year. Although, it does increase my intentionality about speaking up on issues, such as the social and political determinants of health, that impact our community. On a lighter note, this time also increases yummy food cravings from our cultures and finding ways to also share these with others, especially those linked to my Puerto Rican and Cuban roots.   

Sinceramente, celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana para mí no es diferente a cómo celebro mi identidad y nuestra gente todos los días del año. Aunque si aumenta mi intencionalidad de hablar sobre temas, como los determinantes sociales y políticos de la salud, que afectan a nuestra comunidad. Hablando un poco menos serio, este tiempo aumenta los antojos de las comidas deliciosas de nuestras culturas y el deseo de compartirlas con otros, especialmente aquellas de mis raíces puertorriqueñas y cubanas.  

You have done interviews about pediatric mental health in both Spanish and English languages. Why is it important to share your expertise for both Spanish and English-speaking audiences?
Ha realizado entrevistas sobre salud mental pediátrica tanto en español como en inglés. ¿Por qué es importante compartir su experiencia con audiencias tanto de habla hispana como de habla inglesa?

Being able to share my knowledge and passion in both languages is one of the most rewarding things I get to do! The idea that I get to bridge the gap for families that may feel disconnected due to language barriers, or having a young child or adolescent identify with me through culture/language/appearance and be inspired to feel comfortable in who they are (when the world may be working against them) will never not be a priority in the work that I do, both personally and professionally. I am grateful that Children’s Minnesota has allowed me the platform to continue to do this work – as we are better together!   

¡Poder compartir mi conocimiento y pasión en ambos idiomas es una de las cosas más gratificantes de mi trabajo! La idea de que puedo conectar con familias que pueden sentirse aisladas debido a las barreras del idioma, o jóvenes que se identifiquen conmigo a través de la cultura/idioma/apariencia y se sientan inspirados a sentirse cómodos con quienes son (cuando el mundo puede estar trabajando en contra de ellos) nunca dejará de ser una prioridad en el trabajo que hago, tanto personal como profesionalmente. Estoy agradecida de que Children’s Minnesota me continúe brindando la plataforma para continuar haciendo este trabajo, ¡ya que trabajando juntos somos mejor! 

English and Spanish media interviews with Dr. Gonzalez

Dr. Gonzalez was interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio and Café Libre, a program on Univision Minnesota, discussing kids’ transition back to school and being open about their mental health.

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