History

At the Doctor's Day Gala
At the Doctor's Day Gala
For years, The Cuban physicians in the Central Florida area had been meeting to commemorate Doctor's Day, a tradition started in Cuba many years earlier and kept alive through the efforts of Drs. Herminio Orizondo, Domingo Alvarez del Puerto and others. The original date, Dr. Carlos J. Finlay's birthday anniversary, has been adopted by many of the Latin-American countries as Doctor's Day.

That yearly gathering served as the nidus to the Cuban American Medical Association. The name and scope of the group were eventually changed to the Pan- American Medical Association to better represent the makeup of the large Hispanic community of Central Florida.

The Association was founded in 1984 with an initial membership of 30. Since then it grew rapidly with membership now over 150 doctors representing all areas of the Hispanic world and culture. We are committed to the following goals:
  • Scientific and educational exchange
  • Social and professional recognition
  • The opportunity for our families to interact
  • The preservation of the Hispanic culture among our members and their families.
  • Throughout the years, we have welcomed all who share in our heritage and aspirations.
Below is a list of past Presidents of PAMA:
Pedro Diaz-Bordon, M.D.,1984
Juan Gomez,M.D.,1985
Rafael Angulo,M.D.,1986
Armando Rego, M.D., 1987
Jorge Perez,M.D., 1988
Oscar Arnaud, M.D., 1989
Jose Luis Prendes,M.D., 1990
Manuel Coto, M.D.,1991
Carlos Jassir, M.D., 1992
Jose Luis Pino, M.D., 1993
Sergio Cascardo, M.D., 1994
Juan Cardenas, M.D., 1995
Luis Guarda, M.D., 1996
Alma Berrios, M.D., 1997
Manuel Gonzalez-Perez, M.D., 1998
Jorge Otoya,M.D. 1999
Carlos Pacheco, M.D., 2000
Armando Rego, M.D. 2001
Miguel Lugo,M.D. 2002
Juan Almeyda, M.D. 2003
Jorge Cambo, M.D. 2004
Enrique Chapman,M.D. 2005
Jose M. Mandry, M.D. 2006
Rafael Jimenez, M.D. 2007
Carlos Pacheco, M.D. 2008