Mega Doctor News
From womb-mates to work-mates, Drs. Jacqueline & Juliana Falcon have officially joined the STHS Clinics team of family medicine physicians
South Texas Health System Clinics is dedicated to delivering high-quality family medicine services through its team of physicians who provide comprehensive healthcare services for children, adults and elderly patients. The focus is to prevent disease and promote long-term health for the residents of the Rio Grande Valley.
Drs. Jacqueline and Juliana Falcon, twin sisters who were born and raised in Rio Grande City, understand thatmission and the overall importance of preventative care, especially in the Rio Grande Valley’s four medically underserved counties.
“There’s an incredible need for healthcare providers in this community,” says Dr. Juliana Falcon, who knew she wanted to work in family medicine. “But that’s not all… We have a high number of uninsured residents, a high poverty rate and a large elderly population. So, we’re honored to come back to the community that raised us and help our patient population.”
“We love the people here,” adds Dr. Jacqueline Falcon, who initially had an interest in pediatrics or psychiatry. “So, we’re looking forward to being able to take part in continuing to contribute to the health and well-being of this community.”
Jacqueline and Juliana, who have never known a day without one another, left the Rio Grande Valley to pursue their medical education after graduating from La Grulla High School.
In her senior year, Juliana applied for the Bill Gates Scholarship, which gave her a full ride as an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. Jacqueline would join her in the state capital for her pre-med studies.
The Falcon sisters were part of the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP), a state-funded program designed to assist students from economically underserved areas pursuing careers in the medical field.
After completing their studies at UT Austin, Juliana and Jacqueline enrolled in the School of Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center’s Permian Basin campus in the Midland-Odessa area, before returning to the Valley to complete their family medicine residency program.
This August, the Falcon sisters officially joined the South Texas Health System Clinics team of family medicine physicians.
“It’s a dream come true to return home to treat our community, the people who raised us,” says Jacqueline. “We wanted to come back as soon as possible!”
At very young age, Jacqueline and Juliana knew they wanted to work in healthcare. During their routine visits with their pediatrician, they were in awe of his vast knowledge of medicine. But it really wasn’t until high school they knew they wanted to be doctors.
“To me, doctors are so cool and knowledgeable, so, I always found that very intriguing and exciting,” says Juliana. “Since I enjoyed studying the sciences as much as Jackie did, I knew medicine was something that I’d definitely want to consider as a career choice.”
Juliana enjoys the science that goes into medicine; but for Jacqueline, it’s about getting to solve what she calls “little mysteries.”
“Whenever someone comes in, they give me all these clues and then I put them all together,” says Jacqueline. “So,it’s kind of like being a detective and collecting all the information need to figure out the issue and then help patients work towards getting better.”
Not only are Jacqueline and Juliana first generation college graduates, they’re also the first in their family to pursue a career in healthcare.
Facing the same struggles and overcoming similar challenges, the Falcon sisters agree that having each other to lean on was the support system they needed.
“We never really had anyone to guide us or tell us how to do things or someone to ask questions of, so, it was helpful to learn the answers together,” says Jacqueline. “Helping each other made it easier to go through the day-to-day challenges. And because we were the first ones in our own family to go through this all, it was also nice to have someone who understood the difficulties we were facing and the obstacles we encountered.”
Jacqueline and Juliana, each board certified in family medicine, are thrilled to join South Texas Health System Clinics.
Jacqueline will practice at the STHS Clinics Family Medicine McAllen Trenton clinic, located at 7900 N. 10thSt., Suite A in McAllen. Juliana will see patients at STHS Clinics Family Medicine Edinburg Tenth clinic at 1200 S. 10thAve. in Edinburg. Both are currently accepting patients.
For more information or to make an appointment, visit the STHS Clinics website at www.sthsclinics.com.
