Dr.Eliscer Guzman Fundador del ahpsi su Historia desde la Pobreza.
This story is about Dr. Eliscer Guzman and my bringing successful Dominicans to serve as strong role models for immigrant children. My particular involvement began when Mayor Koch invited a select group to a breakfast at Gracie Mansion-the Mayor’s residence-to initiate a mentoring program called “Latino-Adopt-A-Class” program. I was hooked and served as a Corporate volunteer for many years.
At the time, New York City schools were fighting a tremendous 54% high school drop-out rate and rampant drugs. Conditions were dismal.
Our mission was to create ideals by selling the concept of staying in school to 12-year-old 7th graders.
I was lucky since at the time I knew many doctors in training and was able bring their stories and aspirations to children in Harlem and Washington Heights. However, one “rags-to-riches” story glaringly stood out and is one of my favorites.
The life of Dr. Eliscer Guzman, today an important and prominent Dominican New York Cardiologist, was inspiring and impressive.
Dr. Guzman, known to his friends as ” Felix”, has to be one of the most truly unpretentious and self-effacing residents of Scarsdale, N.Y.-one of the most exclusive and luxurious suburbs in the United States.
However, Dr. Eliscer Guzman’s story begins not in Scarsdale but as an extremely poor boy in Tenares, Dominican Republic. Overcoming classdiscrimination in a strictly socially stratified country. He was part of a Dominican Republic that at the time was still evolving from the 1965 Civil War conflict. A country beginning the slow changes between two distinct classes-the rich and the poor, with almost no existing middle class.This is difficult to explain to Americans since the United States is in effect considered a classless society. However as a teen I learned social differences from the two countries by spending summer vacations from Philadelphia in Santo Domingo and how the rich simply just did not mix with the poor.
Like many countries in Latin America, if you were born poor in the Dom. Rep. you would die poor. No way out, without upward mobility like today.
A young Dr Guzman, raised by a loving grandmother, never gave up his dream of becoming a doctor. She was raising 8 children besides Felix. Although he performed very well in school his dream of becoming a doctor seemed always elusive. Growing up he held many odd jobs. One was living in a restaurant with the deal that he would prepare early breakfast for truck drivers. He slept on the floor for 5 months.
Winning a scholarship to Pedro Henriquez University was the beginning of his medical career. The University, also known as “UNPHU” for short, was really a place for the well-to-do class.
D,Mariano Defillo & Dr.Teofilo Gautier, le extendieron la mano al Dr.Guzman.
However as fate would have it, two professors mentored him and even supported him financially. Dr.Teofilo Gautier, along with Dr. Mariano Defillo were two renowned physicians that championed poor students.
They mentored Felix with moral support and often times with 25 cents that could by a good breakfast.
Certificaciones y Posiciones Obtenidas por el Dr.Eliscer Guzman:
After arriving in the United States, Dr.Guzman became a Board Certified Cardiologist, a Deputy Inspector and Captain of the New York City Police Department, Chief of Cardiology of Woodhull Hospital, Assistant Clinical Professor of the State University of New York, on staff of Columbia Presbyterian, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is a great role model for young and old.
