I decided to become a physician because I watched my father who was a pediatrician work with children and saw how he helped them and their parents. When I was 12 years old, I decided to become a physician. From then on, I did everything I could to achieve my goal.

An obstetrician and gynecologist in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Consuelo Carmona, M.D., helps women make informed choices regarding their health care needs. "I view myself as a provider of health care and information and allow women to make their own choices — which can include alternative medicine," said Dr. Carmona. Since 1989, Dr. Carmona has been a partner in the Women's Specialists of New Mexico, a medical practice founded by and for women, one of the twenty-five largest businesses owned by women in the state.

Born of Hispanic and American Indian heritage in 1960, Consuelo Carmona's mother was a nurse and her father was a pediatrician. She is one of five children and has two sisters who have also trained as physicians. Following her undergraduate work in biology at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, Dr. Carmona attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine and graduated in 1984. That same year she was named a Henry Kaiser Family Foundation Merit Scholar and received the American Medical Women's Association Scholarship Achievement Citation for her high academic achievement.

Dr. Carmona moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for her internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico Hospital. While completing postgraduate work, Dr. Carmona received Best Teaching Resident honors in 1985, 1986, and 1988. Remaining in Albuquerque throughout her medical practice, she has served on the clinical faculty at the University of New Mexico since 1991. She is a partner in Women's Specialists of New Mexico, a group of eleven women physicians and ten certified nurse midwives as well as nurse practitioners and physician's assistants. The practice was founded by and for women and offers diverse therapies as well as education and counseling.

Dr. Carmona is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of the Greater Albuquerque Medical Association and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

What was my biggest obstacle?

I never really had any major obstacles. I always worked hard and had my goals to achieve and achieved them. I always had a lot of support from my family.

How do I make a difference?

I think I make a difference on a daily basis with my patients I see and follow before, during and after their childbearing years. I enable women to make informed choices regarding their health care needs.

Who was my mentor?

My first mentor was my father. He was born in the Philippines and was recruited to come to the United States to work in underserved areas. He worked very hard his entire life to help support his family and meet the needs of his patients.

My second mentor, in absentia, was Susan La Flesche Picotte, M.D. She was one of the first Native American women physicians.

My third mentor, but not the least, was my grandmother Mary Lieb Mitchell. She always emphasized that getting an education was the only way to make it in life. She raised thirteen children on the Omaha Reservation and the ones who survived childhood all went on to receive college degrees, which was definitely a big achievement during those times.

Lastly, my mother is one of my most influential mentors. Growing up in poverty on the Omaha Reservation she was able to surpass many obstacles and receive her nursing degree. This allowed her to move off the reservation and find a better life for her family. She also raised five children — three daughters, including myself, are physicians and two sons are also very successful in their careers.