Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Maria Alvarez '12 Brings Pediatric Care Home
May 20, 2026 · WECAN Program Office
From the school health office to a pediatrics practice in Paterson — Maria Alvarez came back to care for the community that raised her.
When Maria Alvarez volunteered in the school health office her junior year, she didn't know it was the start of a career. "I just liked helping," she says. "It turned out I really liked the medical side of it."
That instinct carried her through a biology degree at Rutgers, medical school, and a pediatrics residency. When it came time to choose where to practice, the decision was easy: home.
"I wanted to come back and care for the community that raised me," she says. Today she sees families across North Jersey and mentors pre-med students through her hospital's pipeline program — students who, in a few years, might end up in a spotlight of their own.