Dr Jorge Cornielle is a highly respected pediatrician who practices in the Bronx, New York. “I do this because I love it, and if I were born again, I would be a doctor.” His Catholic faith is what drives him to serve others.
Dr. Cornielle is originally from the Dominican Republic. For more than 20 years, he’s worked as a pediatrician, and he’s a member of various healthcare organizations in the United States. For him, his work is a vocation: “Since I was a child, one of the things that most attracted me was helping other people,” he says, “and being a doctor makes me feel totally fulfilled.”
This prestigious doctor decided to join the SOMOS project, with more than 2,500 physicians, to help the most disadvantaged people in New York so they can enjoy primary health care.
Cornielle tells us that, in his case, “one of the great rewards I have is to work with the community of those most in need, that of Hispanics and African Americans.” With 20 years of experience behind him, he’s now seeing the second generation of patients: “The most gratifying thing is to see your patients grow, to see them grow up healthy,” he says.
Dr. Cornielle sees patients with various conditions, everything from high fever to oncological problems. He believes it’s helpful that he’s Latin American and Catholic, because “the only kind of doctor who can give excellent service to our community is one of us. Because they feel identified with us and we feel identified with them.” This is how his work has become a way to protect the most underserved members of society.
New York, the city that never sleeps, is fortunate to have this “angel” who watches over the youngest patients. “I believe that the process of healing works better when it’s communicated and done with faith,” he says. And that’s how he lives his life: “I’m completely a man of faith. My life, my day, and my work don’t go forward if not through my faith in God.” Thanks to his service as a member of SOMOS, thousands of New York’s children are healthy, enjoying the the same opportunities for health care as those who have access to a private health care system.
