About

Dr. Valdes is a Cuban-born immigrant having left Cuba as a young child with her family. She was raised and educated in the NYC area, where she received a BS in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry from Herbert H. Lehman College of the City University of New York. Alina was accepted and completed her medical education at New York Medical College followed by a three-year residency in Internal Medicine at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, a city hospital in the South Bronx.

Upon completion of her residency, Dr. Alina Valdes remained at Lincoln Hospital where her ability to communicate directly with the large Latino population allowed her to serve the community well. She also held the titles of Assistant Professor at New York Medical College, giving her the additional responsibility of training all types of students and residents. Dr. Valdes then spent four years working as Attending Physician in Queens Hospital Center, another city hospital, in Jamaica, NY.

Her passion and dedication to the underserved Latino Community of the South Bronx landed her a position at Morris Heights Health Center, a community-based facility providing comprehensive health services, from 1991-1999. As part of her duties, Dr. Valdes held various academic titles, including Clinical Preceptor and Clinical Adjunct of the Bronx Lebanon Physician Assistant and Medical Residency Programs, as well as Clinical Preceptor of the Harlem Hospital Physician Assistant Program.  In addition, she served as Mentor to Lehman College Premedical students through the Montefiore Summer Outreach Program.

Dr. Alina Valdes and students

During her time at Morris Heights, Dr. Valdes served on various committees including the Advisory Committee for the Bronx Lebanon Physician Assistant Program, the Incentivization and Walk-In Committees for the Center, as well as Chairwoman of the Emergency Protocol Committee.

Upon moving to Florida, Alina concentrated her efforts on her family but also found time to teach as Adjunct Professor at the Miami-Dade College Physician Assistant Program.  In 2010, Dr. Valdes returned to her passion of caring for the underserved, this time providing health care to the homeless, mostly uninsured patients in Broward and Miami-Dade by working at the Miami Rescue Mission Clinics.  She also resumed her love of teaching by becoming a Clinical Preceptor to medical, physician assistant, and nursing students at these health facilities.  She is presently working at the Hollywood Outreach Health Clinic two days a week and holds active and unrestricted licenses to practice medicine in the state of Florida and the DEA.  Dr. Valdes has been a member of the Broward County Medical Reserve Corp, a division of the State Emergency Responders and Volunteers of Florida (SERVFL) since April 2010 and has been ready to assist in any emergencies where medical personnel are needed.

Though Alina has not held political office, she has been actively involved in many political causes and campaigns, having worked on the Obama for America 2012 re-election campaign as well as Charlie Crist for Governor 2014 and has served as an OFA Fall Fellow in 2013.  Dr. Valdes is also a member of many Democratic political clubs and organizations, including serving as a co-lead for the NO KXL CREDO Pledge of Resistance Broward Action and as a Congressional District Coordinator for the National Committee to Preserve and Protect Social Security and Medicare.

Dr. Alina Valdes’ life experience and unique set of skills has made her a champion of the working class and well suited to represent all residents of District 25 in Congress. Democrat For Congress.