Dr. Luis Pacheco is a family physician, who is board certified in family medicine, has received a CAQ in sports medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine. On television, Dr. Pacheco appeared daily as the medical expert for the Spanish-language Univision network flagship station KMEX-TV-Channel 34 in Los Angeles, with his daily health segment, “Ask the Doctor.” His segments were broadcast to more than 25 Univision stations throughout the U.S. Dr. Pacheco (or “Dr. P” as his patients call him) has also been the host of a daily call-in radio show on various networks including Univision Radio in Los Angeles, Radio Unica, and Radio Nueva Vida. His shows have been broadcast to over 50 cities nationwide as well as to other countries. For his work on Spanish-language television, Dr. Pacheco is the recipient of an Emmy Award as well as a Golden Mike. Formerly the director of pre-doctoral education for the department of family medicine at the University of Southern California, USC-Keck School of Medicine, Dr. Pacheco is one of the most well-known and trusted physicians in the U.S. Hispanic Community. Dr. Pacheco has received numerous awards and recognition for his accomplishments in the medical field and the community including recognition from the American Diabetes Association, the National “Head Start” Educational Program, “America’s Top Doctors” award from the Consumers Research Council, AOL Digital City “Top Doctors USA,” Excellence in Teaching Award from the USC School of Medicine and Board Member of META: Making Education the Answer, as well as Congressional recognition for his work with the American Youth Soccer Association. Dr. Pacheco received his B.A. in biology from Columbia University in New York, his M.D. from Central University in Puerto Rico with an emphasis on tropical medicine and performed his clinical clerkships at Harvard, Tufts and Boston Universities in Boston. He completed his internship and residency in family medicine at USC and was elected chief resident his senior year.
 
Health E-Insights: Are you surprised the mainstream supplement industry has not embraced the Hispanic or Latino community?
 
Dr. Pacheco: Yes and no. Yes, because the numbers don’t lie and the market is very significant. The Census 2010 data seems to have lit a fuse. No, because it is usually easier and safer to keep doing what you know and not take a risk going into uncharted waters. Whoever does take the plunge will obviously have first advantage because the market is only getting larger and with increased interest, needs and spending power.
 
Health E-Insights: What business strategies would you recommend supplement companies use to target the Hispanic and Latino market?
 
Dr. Pacheco: Study, research, test, learn and execute. Talk to a number of people familiar with the markets, not just the one market. The Hispanic community has various segments that are evolving rapidly and it is important to be aware of the similarities and the differences among the different groups when planning campaigns. When speaking to consultants, if it sounds too good or too easy to be true, it probably is.
 
Health E-Insights: How do you ensure your organization and its activities are aligned with your core values?
 
Dr. Pacheco: In our case, the mission is to provide the highest quality ingredients and products that are designed to improve the health and lives of our clients and their families. As a family doctor this is part of who I am and these values extend to everyone in my organization. We are here to help people. The beautiful part of our business is that the better we do our jobs and provide people with high quality natural products, the more the customer benefits and the more successful the company is. It is a win-win equation.
 
Health E-Insights: How does your business give back to the community or to society?
 
Dr. Pacheco: Community service is central to our values and mission. We do regular wellness events with community health screenings and have performed thousands of free screening exams. The health of our children is also very important to us and we have given away more than 600,000 bottles of children’s vitamins. I am also on the advisory board of Vitamin Angels, which is an organization that last year provided vitamins to over 22 million children and mothers that have helped prevent blindness and premature death in underserved areas around the world. Everyone in my company has a Vitamin Angels pin and feels like a they are a part of the work the organization performs. Every little bit helps.
 
Health E-Insights: Who was the person who most influenced you, and how?
 
Dr. Pacheco: Without question, my mother, Carmela Novoa Pacheco. She came to the U.S. to study from a small village in the mountains of Peru called Cajamarca. I spent some time there as a boy and I remember the lights and electricity being on for only two hours every night and the kitchen consisting of a kerosene stove on a dirt floor. The bathroom was a concrete hole in the center of the courtyard with a hose, which doubled as a shower that had the coldest mountain water you can imagine. A man would come by each house every morning selling fresh milk, which was still warm from the cow. My mother spoke little English when she arrived in New York, and through her determination and hard work earned a B.A. and then a Masters degree in Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. My father left the family when I was six months old and my mother raised me as a single mom. She taught me the values of hard work, determination, the importance of a good education and never giving up.  As corny as that may sound, it is true. She was a public school teacher who worked with special education and emotionally disturbed students. My first job was when I was six-years old helping her keep the four-year olds walking on the yellow line during P.E. Since then I have always enjoyed working. In fact, I worked my way through high school and college doing a wide variety of jobs, including selling hot dogs on a cart in New York, washing dishes, waiting tables, making pizzas, loading ice onto the Staten Island Ferry, painting houses, pushing gurneys in the emergency room, black-topping driveways, moving furniture, and, well, you get the idea. This experience has helped me relate to my patients in a profound way having had the opportunity to walk a little in their shoes. Without my mother’s dedication to her only child, this would not have been possible. She is deeply missed.
 
Health E-Insights: What was the best day of your life?
 
Dr. Pacheco: Great question. My best day is today because that is the day I have. I wake up each day determined to make it my best day. It does not always turn out that way but if that is your goal at least you have a chance to make it your best day. As a family doctor who has been involved in teaching for many years, and now as the founder of a natural supplement company, my goal is for our team to give each patient and customer the best possible care and products we can because I know my family and I would hope for the same when we are in need. As UCLA basketball coach John Wooden said, “Make each day your masterpiece.” Now, a very memorable day for me was the day the family of a 17-year-old morbidly obese asthmatic girl forgave me for her passing away one night in the ICU. It was the worst day of my life to lose a patient that young, but the family was so genuinely appreciative of our efforts to save her that it gave me renewed confidence in the generosity and kindness of others. In this case, perfect strangers. Although it was almost 20 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.
 
 
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