A Clear Vision for El Paso
At a Glance
Specialty: Cancers of the eye, diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration.
Education: Graduated from the Foster School of Medicine in 2013.
Training: Ophthalmology residency at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Advanced Training: Dual fellowships in medical retina and ocular oncology at The Ohio State University.
When Erica Alvarez Gonzalez, M.D., entered the halls of the Foster School of Medicine as a student in 2009, little did she know she was helping shape the early identity of Texas Tech Health El Paso’s mission.
“It was a very collegial experience,” said Dr. Alvarez Gonzalez, who was one of 40 students in the school’s inaugural class. “We got to know each other very well. Many of us still stay in touch to this day.”
Today, the El Paso native is the only fellowship-trained ocular oncologist in the Borderplex, and one of just a handful of specialists across the nation providing eye cancer care. Yet despite opportunities elsewhere, returning home remained important for her and her husband as they were raising four boys ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years.
“We decided that coming back to El Paso made the most sense for us,” she said. “We both still have family that lives here.”
Now in private practice, Dr. Alvarez Gonzalez is helping ensure patients can receive highly specialized eye cancer care close to home.
Her expertise serves patients from across West Texas, New Mexico, northern Mexico and even as far as Colorado, reflecting the region’s growing reputation for advanced eye cancer care. As the region continues to grow, she hopes more future physicians will pursue highly specialized cancer care fields and continue building access for Borderplex patients.
“The future Fox Cancer Center will be transformative for our region. It creates an opportunity to recruit top-tier oncology specialists, expand access to advanced cancer care and build the foundation for oncology fellowship programs that can train the next generation of physicians,” said Dr. Alvarez Gonzalez. “For a medically underserved region like ours, that kind of investment has the potential to change the future of cancer care for patients and families across West Texas.”
She credits Texas Tech Health El Paso with helping prepare her for both medicine and leadership.
“You can get a world-class education here locally,” Dr. Alvarez Gonzalez said.
