Ana Mendez Zamora

Turning Adversity Into Impact

Ana Mendez Zamora graduated from medical school at the University of Costa Rica in 2019, earning the highest overall GPA across the School of Medicine. During the hiring process for her first job opportunity, she received devastating news in her routine lab tests: a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 

While receiving chemotherapy for 14 months, Mendez Zamora sat for residency exams and was admitted into a highly competitive program to train as a vascular surgeon. Two weeks after completing her treatment, she was diagnosed with an even more aggressive leukemia. When she began chemotherapy again, an adverse reaction permanently blinded her.

“I wish to leave behind an enduring legacy that pushes my country forward and inspires people to embrace the potential within themselves.”

Over the next four years, as she adjusted to life without her sight and grappled with two additional leukemia relapses, Mendez Zamora set a new goal. Inspired by prior work in a remote, Indigenous Costa Rican community, she resolved to train as a public health practitioner.

She obtained a Master of Health Management, graduating summa cum laude from the Central American Institute of Public Administration, while teaching medical students and working at San Juan de Dios Public Hospital. She and a colleague launched a day hospital to address one of her country’s most pressing public health needs: reducing treatment wait times. She also was accepted to both the MPH program at the Bloomberg School and a competitive Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program at the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Eventually, Mendez Zamora plans to use her experience and training to position Costa Rica as a regional leader in cancer prevention.

“My life’s dream is to one day reflect upon my past, knowing that I achieved something beyond mere survival,” she says.