Dr. José García Mateo, who until this weekend served as president of the Puerto Rican Society of Endocrinology and Diabetology (SPED), culminates his administration with a clear message: medicine is not only practiced, it is also taught and led.
From an early age, the Dr. José García Mateo felt a genuine interest in the health and well-being of people, especially those living with chronic conditions.
“Since I was young, people’s health was always a concern for me, mostly in chronic conditions,” he recalls. This inclination led him to study medicine with a specific motivation: to accompany patients whose treatment requires perseverance and long-term education.
“I am interested in conditions that cannot be cured, that must be monitored over time, and that is why I decided to study medicine with a view to specializing, at some point, in chronic conditions where I had to provide monitoring and a better quality of life to patients who thought they had a condition that cannot be cured,” he explains.
This vocation for continuity of care and for the doctor-patient bond led him to specialize in endocrinology, a field that covers disorders such as diabetes, thyroid, genetic, reproductive diseases and other hormonal imbalances.
“Endocrinology involves knowing the condition and, in addition, knowing and educating the patient that this is a chronic condition that will not be cured and that needs life-saving treatment,” he says.
Leadership in times of crisis
The first term of Dr. García Mateo at the head of the SPED (2020–2021) represented a real challenge. Added to his newly assumed responsibility were the earthquakes in southern Puerto Rico and, shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That first term of 2020 and 2021 was a challenge, because it was my first position as president, I had that problem, which was the pandemic,” he says.
During that period, it had to face not only logistical challenges, but also the need to maintain the society’s educational and scientific mission.
“I had to reinvent myself from some conventions that we did with speakers, with lecturers, who came from the United States, and we couldn’t do that. So I had the opportunity, then, to do virtual conventions, to do education for my virtual patients, to be able to educate doctors in training on how to do remote medicine,” he details.
His leadership, based on adaptability and innovation, allowed SPED maintained its purpose of educating professionals and patients even in the midst of the health crisis.
“I have always been interested in not only treating patients and helping them, but also educating the community, not only patients, but educating colleagues, doctors, both primary and specialist,” he says.
Continuing medical education thus became one of the main banners of his management.
A second stage of growth
After the pandemic, the Society called him back to occupy the presidency, a stage that he describes as an experience of consolidation and expansion.
“I had more opportunities to go hand in hand, in person everywhere, we held large conventions with speakers from the United States, I had leadership positions representing society in the United States, with different international societies,” he explained proudly.
This work also involved renewing internal structures and promoting the integration of younger generations. “Putting my style on it, having a board of directors with younger people… I was able to make some big changes that were well accepted by the Society.”
Today, upon handing over the presidency, Dr. García Mateo claims to be experiencing a period of complete satisfaction. “I finished my term as president with great satisfaction with what I was able to do and what I was able to achieve, and I have no regrets. It was an excellent experience,” he says, convinced that he has left an educational and collaborative mark on the organization.
A legacy of education and leadership
Beyond administrative management, the doctor insists that his greatest motivation continues to be constant learning and collective professional development.
“The legacy I want to leave here is that it is not only practicing medicine and helping patients, obviously that is something main, but it is not everything. You also have to leave a mark on how to optimize your knowledge,” he emphasizes.
Addressing new generations of doctors, it makes a direct call to combine clinical excellence with academic commitment.
“I always encourage other generations and my colleagues that studying and learning does not end when you have a health care profession. You have to maintain that educational standard to be able to educate others and to be able to stay up to date and provide better service as a specialist and as a health provider.”
Finally, he summarizes his vision in a phrase that reflects his professional philosophy: “It is not only studying the profession, but also obtaining leadership positions so that you can learn other aspects, and to be able to optimize health in Puerto Rico and in other parts of the world.”
Thus, the Dr. José García Mateo He bids farewell to his mandate with a message that transcends the institutional: medicine, he says, is not only about healing, but about training, inspiring and leading.
