Academic physician is hopeful about the future of family medicine

Tatiana Cordova, MD, says she was interested in medicine as far back as she can remember. She’s always had a desire to help people and was always shown how to be a helper by her father. After completing medical school, residency, and a fellowship, she knew she wanted to stay in academia as a way to “pay it back” in honor of those who taught her.

She is now core faculty for the family medicine residency program at UT Health San Antonio and serves as associate program director and medical director for the family medicine hospitalist service there. “Nothing beats every June when I reflect on how far each and every trainee has come during their residency training,” Cordova says.

What advice would you give to students who are choosing a specialty?
I would advise them to seek as many early opportunities as possible for clinical exposure to help guide them into their decisions and to keep an open mind to all options. There are some students that come into medical school with a preconceived notion of what their future holds or even what a specific specialty looks like, but are often surprised in their ultimate choice as they become more familiar with the various opportunities.

How do you feel about the future of the specialty?
Despite the many changes happening in our world, I believe the future is bright as we have more family medicine physicians who are passionate about their communities and the needs of their patients, and are dedicated enough to seek alternative ways to ensure their needs are met.

What are your hopes for future family docs?
I hope everyone understands the importance of advocacy and community involvement to better serve our patients. It's important to become involved to ensure our patient’s and community's voice is heard

What makes family medicine worth choosing?
Family medicine opens the door to many opportunities, whether through fellowship or your own choice in practice, but none better than the connections with individual patients and their families. Also, the opportunity to counsel and educate patients to prevent advancement of their medical conditions and the ability to practice full-spectrum medicine and to care for a family in all stages of their life.

What keeps you passionate about family medicine?
Being able to support my patients and the ability to educate the community. In my role as faculty I have been able to participate in various community engagement events which furthers the community connections that allow us to make a difference.

This member profile is part of TAFP's coverage of Match Day 2026, taking place on March 20, 2026. Check out all of TAFP's Match Day coverage here.