Dr. Kathy A.

Before attending the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Alvarez graduated from the University of Dallas with a BA. After completing her MD, she pursued residency training in family and community medicine at the University of New Mexico, where she quickly became immersed in the program's academic mission and served on the medical admissions and residency selection committees, reviewing applications and participating in admissions decisions. She also collaborated with pediatric and obstetric colleagues in clinical teaching, helped develop Objective Structured Clinical Examinations for medical students, and served as a teaching physician for residents. Dr. Alvarez went on to build and run a solo integrative family medicine practice for 10 years, an experience that deepened her understanding of both the clinical and entrepreneurial dimensions of a career in medicine.

Dr. Alvarez has published in the Journal of Participatory Medicine and the Journal of Human Lactation on the development of a multidisciplinary breastfeeding curriculum for residents and medical students.. She was selected as a Summer Institute for Medical Students fellow by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a competitive program focused on addiction medicine education. Dr. Alvarez has also served on the Oregon Brain Injury Council as a board representative, on the Migraine Advisory Board, and is currently a member of the Obesity Medicine Association. 

Through her training and career, Dr. Alvarez has consistently emphasized continuity of care, preventive medicine, and cultural competence. She brings an integrative approach to her medical practice, with a particular emphasis on prevention, longevity, and functional medicine. Known by colleagues for her holistic, whole-person approach and ability to meet patients exactly where they are in their health journeys, Dr. Alvarez brings the same philosophy to her work as an admissions coach. Her approach in working with students is warm and reassuring, grounded in the belief that compassion and patient-centered care are at the heart of what it means to be a physician.