Dr. Jennifer Pena and her husband Dr. Brenton R. Franklin spend effort and time rescuing canine of their house of San Juan, Puerto Rico. As with all reason that one can be keen about, there are some days which might be harder than others. Finally, understanding they may be able to save an animal and both in finding it a brand new house or upload a brand new member to their very own circle of relatives makes the trouble profitable.

“We’re giant rescuers,” she shared. “We now have a big stray inhabitants, and my Grandmama taught me to feed and deal with the strays,”

She met Brenton within the army, and their commonplace bond of provider in each army and medication has stored them in combination since.

“He in fact simply were given out of the army in July of this 12 months. He’s a basic surgeon, and he’s the sensible one. We served in combination within the Clinical Corps. The army will at all times be part of who we’re in my opinion and as a pair.”

Pena lives with Brenton in San Juan now, however Puerto Rico could also be the place her beginning tale started. She, along side her sister, used to be raised by means of her mom and maternal grandparents. She knew her father, however her oldsters weren’t in combination. So, she spent extra time along with her mom, who used to be additionally running full-time as a nurse.

“My grandparents have been instrumental in our upbringing,” she stated. “I used to be an overly energetic little woman, very a lot a tom boy,” she recalled. “I used to be very a lot into sports activities and at all times enjoying out of doors, getting grimy. Indisputably now not the girly kind.”

Pena used to be additionally into martial arts, and he or she ultimately earned a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. That keenness for task served as a pillar in her early life, however as with the whole lot else in her existence, she dedicated much more, ultimately turning into a member of the Puerto Rico nationwide group. As a finweight competitor, she earned a number of native, state, and nationwide awards.

Pena shared about her time competing, “You realize the most productive a part of that? It used to be amusing, it used to be by no means one thing I deliberate for, however evolved a skill for it.”

She excelled in schoolwork as smartly. Pena stated that once she used to be in highschool, she and her mom would find out about in combination as a result of she had long past to school to get her Masters diploma in Healthcare Management. Her mom would change into a healthcare administrator following that point. As for Pena, she went directly to Yale College and graduated in 2004 with levels in Molecular, Mobile and Developmental Biology, and Spanish Language and Literature. She would ultimately observe within the footsteps of her father, uncles, and a number of other participants of her circle of relatives by means of becoming a member of the army, particularly the USA Military. Her father used to be an officer and a pharmacist, which is but every other clinical box connection for her. Army provider fulfilled two wishes for Pena. But even so her provider to the rustic, it served as a catapult for every other dream that connects her to her mom.

“It helped me with clinical college,” she stated, however it’s now not like the idea that of provider used to be overseas to her.

“I grew up across the army, I grew up going to the Commissary and being across the army neighborhood,” she defined. “It used to be a very simple choice to make.”

Pena entered energetic responsibility in 2008 after graduating from the College of Pittsburgh College of Medication. That dedication to provider and clinical college would permit her not to best strengthen the ones she served with, however it led her to breaking down obstacles. After running in Citadel Belvoir’s new health facility, she can be nominated and authorized to function a health care provider within the White Area Clinical Unit below each Presidents Obama and Trump. Unbeknownst to her at the moment, she used to be breaking obstacles for Latina ladies in all places. Pena used to be the primary Latina to serve the White Area as a health care provider. It wasn’t ever a function she pursued, nor used to be it spoken about in a large manner. She used to be knowledgeable of this by means of a colleague all through a random dialog.

“It used to be a type of proper position, proper time issues,” she stated humbly. “It used to be one in every of my doctor assistants, who used to be additionally Puerto Rican, who pointed it out. There’s a plaque with names on it, and he identified that there have been no different Latinas on that plaque.”

After over a decade of general provider, Pena left energetic responsibility in 2019. But even so her paintings in rescuing, she additionally recently works as Co-Founder and Leader Clinical Officer for Measured, a Y-Combinator well being startup corporate offering weight control answers and dietary services and products. Past that, she additionally works with Oya Care (the primary girls’s digital well being hospital in Brazil) as a Clinical Marketing consultant to the Board. She could also be concerned with Julie Merchandise, Inc., a supplier of over the counter emergency birth control choices for ladies in the USA. She has additionally made a lot of TV appearances as a clinical professional and spoke at a lot of occasions for virtual well being, telehealth, Veteran issues, or even in efforts to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alongside the best way, she gained a lot of honors, together with named one in every of Industry Insider’s “30 Leaders Below 40 Converting Healthcare in 2021.” That very same 12 months, Pena used to be named Veteran of the 12 months by means of Latina Taste Mag, a tribute to her provider and distinction. Within the eyes of many, she is each a hero and trailblazer. She hopes her instance of health, provider, and dedication to others generally is a gentle for younger people who need to make a equivalent affect on their communities, nation, and even the sector.

“It’s a must to see one to be one. I believe that’s necessary to me since you’re sheltered a bit of in Puerto Rico, and also you don’t see that illustration at the ones ranges. In case you don’t see people who appear to be you, you’ll be able to’t see your self in the ones positions. For me, it used to be Antonia Novello, who used to be Surgeon Normal. So, to the younger woman studying this, now you notice it. You’ll be able to be it.”

Observe Pena @jennifer.m.pena on Instagram