Research Staff Spotlight: Karla Paredes Gonzalez
For Karla Paredes Gonzalez, one of the most fulfilling aspects of her job is getting to know the families in the study she supports. That study, led by Bridget Fernandez, MD, is examining potential genetic causes of autism in Hispanic children.
“Many of the families we see are immigrants or speak only Spanish,” she shares. “As a Spanish speaker myself, I really enjoy being able to talk with them in their own language and build relationships with them. If I can make their lives a little bit better, it’s all worth it for me.”
Karla joined CHLA two years ago after earning her neuroscience degree at the University of California, Riverside. Her goal is to go to medical school and focus on a pediatrics subspecialty—potentially genetics or neurology.
“I really like the learning environment at CHLA,” she says. “So many people are eager to give me advice or let me shadow them. Through Dr. Fernandez, I have also had many opportunities to learn and see the type of physician I hope to someday become.”
Outside of work, she enjoys reading books and hiking. One of her bucket-list items: visiting every national park in the U.S. So far, she has journeyed to seven of them. Next up on her list? Yosemite.
