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Ever since Dr. Pedro del Nido could remember, expectations from his family regarding his career path were clear -- to become a doctor. After all, his father and grandfather were talented physicians in his native Chile so the goal of becoming a doctor was ingrained in him, even as a young student.
"It was something expected of me, to follow in their footsteps," he says.
While becoming a doctor was expected of him, Dr. del
Nido's rise to become one of the world's finest pediatric cardiac surgeons was more than he ever imagined.
Today, he serves as Chief of the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Children's Hospital Boston, considered the busiest and finest cardiac surgery department for children in the U.S.
'I've worked in other pediatric hospitals and there's no comparison. No other pediatric hospital has the passion, depth and breadth of professionalism. I would characterize Children's personality as a compulsive search for excellence."
Among Dr. del Nido's greatest accomplishments is his involvement in developing a new, smaller set of tools used with Da Vinci, the hospital's robotic surgical system. This innovative technology allows surgeons to work with greater precision and helps patients recover from surgery more quickly.
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Dr. del Nido's advice for aspiring Latinos in pursuit of a health care career is to never let other peoples' doubts interfere with your aspirations. When he was a high school student, his teachers tried to convince him to attend a vocational school and pursue a career in auto mechanics. Later, while pursuing his undergraduate degree, one of his professors tried to dissuade him from enrolling in the honors program due to his young age.