Lorena Figueredo Rivas, MD

Lorena was born and raised in Havana, Cuba, and moved to the States when she was a teenager. Neurology has been a part of her life as long as she can remember. Both of her parents are in the field, and it was through them that she first learned about the fascinating intricacy of the brain and nervous system in general. As an undergrad, Lorena decided to further explore her passion for medicine by shadowing neurology attendings during Epilepsy clinic, and by joining a neurology research lab that gave her, her first direct exposure to electrophysiology. She went to medical school in Puerto Rico with an open mind regarding specialty choice, but neurology cases always stood out more for her than others did, and her love for the specialty solidified as she further exposed herself to the different pathologies. During her time as a medical student, she was the president of the SIGN Chapter at her school, and became particularly interested in Multiple Sclerosis which led her to do research on the topic and become an active advocate for MS patients. Pursuing medicine in a bilingual setting, with great exposure to rural and underserved communities, provided her with the skills to help in the care of patients with diverse backgrounds. One of Lorena’s goals as a physician is to make neurology more readily available to the underprivileged sector of the patient population. In her free time, she enjoys taking her camera out for a stroll. Gainesville has great scenery to help diversify her amateur photographer portfolio. She also really enjoys salsa dancing, which is something that helps keep her connected to her Cuban roots.