This is MCPHS: ‘Boston is a Great Place to be if you Want to be a Doctor’

Meet Danny Mendez Lopez, an American College of Cardiology Young Scholar.

Name: Danny Mendez Lopez
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Premedical Health Studies '27
Hometown: Lynn, MA

Newsworthy Now: Second-year premedical health studies major Danny Mendez Lopez has been named a 2024–2025 American College of Cardiology (ACC) Young Scholar. He joins a group of 114 students selected for the program, which offers a year of mentorship and education designed to inspire the next generation of cardiology professionals. Participants will work with leading experts in the field while exploring a wide range of career opportunities within cardiology.

Key Facts:

• One of his mentors is Associate Dean Alex Trayford, who helped him apply for the American College of Cardiology fellowship.
• He is a member of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship chapter on campus.
• He is pursuing his EMT certification through a course at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS).

Background: A desire to attend a local, healthcare-focused school brought Mendez Lopez to MCPHS. Previously, he worked in retail jobs at Dunkin’ and Home Depot. He said those jobs taught him how to interact with people, skills that help him with patient interactions, too. He is also an assistant to the pastor at his church, welcoming and engaging new members of the congregation.

Fun Fact: Mendez Lopez is the oldest of 10 siblings and chose to go to college in Massachusetts partly to stay close to his large family. “I guess you could say I'm the third adult, because everything the younger ones do, I'm responsible for,” he said.

Notable Quote: “I want to apply what I learn in my community and teach the people around me to have better habits and take better care of their health.”

Candid Conversation: Reflections and Advice

What are you hoping to learn through the fellowship process and what are you excited for?

I'm hoping to learn more about how diet affects our health. In the part of Guatemala where my family is from, there's limited access to healthy food. So, if they don't have access to that, I want to know how I can still help them avoid health issues and decrease factors that can lead to them having health problems. I’m also looking forward to learning more about what a cardiologist does, and about other careers.

Considering your ties to Guatemala, is working and helping to expand the health system there one of your goals?

Yes, since a lot of my parents' family there don't even have health clinics they can go to. Last year, a church in our community hosted seminars and workshops with doctors educating people on what to eat and what foods to avoid. And essentially, that's what I want to do. I want to create clinics and maybe even a hospital in Guatemala, especially in the rural area where my grandparents live. That way they have access to healthcare and don’t have to rely on home remedies. They sometimes don't have medications, so they have to deal with pain, and I don’t want them to go through that either.

Has anything else influenced you to work with the heart?

I had a niece who unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago, due to a condition that affected her heart and lungs. Seeing my uncle deal with having a daughter in the hospital really affected me. When she passed away, it was a shock. Seeing my uncle cry made me wish I could do more for him. It further ignited my passion to be a doctor and help others.

Which class at MCPHS have you enjoyed the most so far?

Organic chemistry. I'm not saying it's easy, but the more we learn about chemical reactions, the more I see how I can apply them to medications and other things. And it's enabled me to discipline myself, manage my time, and be organized. When I continue my career, my patients will rely on me being organized and time-efficient, and being able to manage a lot of things all at once.

"This is MCPHS" is an ongoing series featuring future healthcare leaders from across the University’s 14 schools.