Proud to serve a diverse community

Being multilingual is very important to Dr. Ruben Carmona, medical director of radiation oncology at the Douglas & Nancy Barnhart Cancer Center at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.

Not only is it a way for him to stay close with his parents, who immigrated from Mexico to Oceanside in the 1970s before he was born, but it also enables Dr. Carmona to provide better care for Chula Vista’s diverse population.

“Removing the language barrier does a lot for our patients,” Dr. Carmona says. “I’m grateful to be in a position where I can provide for my community.”

For Dr. Carmona, a board-certified radiation oncologist with Sharp Community Medical Group, the opportunity to honor his heritage and assist patients facing cancer is, he says, “a dream job."

Treating patients across multiple languages

Growing up, Dr. Carmona spoke Spanish with his parents, but he wasn’t formally trained beyond taking high school language courses.

When he was a medical intern and while completing his residency at the University of Pennsylvania, his goal was to become a bilingual doctor. He spent hours reading and writing to become fluent in Spanish.

He later worked a few years as an academic radiation oncologist at the University of Miami. Living in a city where much of the population speaks predominantly Spanish challenged him to continue improving his Spanish language skills to better interact with his patients and colleagues.

"It elevated my ability to communicate," Dr. Carmona says. "You're communicating with other medical professionals who are also trained in their respective Spanish-speaking countries, and you have to be able to win their approval and take care of their patients."

When Dr. Carmona joined Sharp Chula Vista in July 2022, he was able to identify the ability to speak Spanish as a significant need. Over 48% of Chula Vista’s population speaks Spanish, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which is more than the 43.3% of residents who speak only English.

"Most doctors who spend enough time in Southern California will pick up some basic Spanish,” Dr. Carmona says. “Now, my Spanish is the best it has ever been, and I continue to improve every day.”

A calling to help others

Dr. Carmona knew from a young age that he felt a calling to help people. He had five siblings, and his oldest brother had brain damage related to an underlying seizure disorder.

As a child, Dr. Carmona and his other siblings cared for his brother when his parents weren't around, keeping him safe, changing his diapers and feeding him when he was hungry.

"That made the biggest impact on the type of person I am today," Dr. Carmona says. "I believe I'm in a position where I can care for people because I did this for my older brother growing up."

In his role at Sharp Chula Vista, Dr. Carmona cares for a diverse group of people, providing treatment and developing plans to help them along their cancer journeys. Sometimes, his patients honor him with Guardian Angel recognitions and write him letters expressing their gratitude.

“He quickly reassured me, not only with his knowledge but with his compassion throughout my treatment,” one note reads. “I’m so fortunate to have him as my radiation oncologist.”

Messages like this, Dr. Carmona says, are ultimately why he decided to become a doctor.

“What I love about the health care field is that you can really make an impact in somebody's life,” Dr. Carmona says. “And that's what gives me a lot of gratitude to this day."

Having the ability to talk to patients across multiple languages is paramount for Dr. Carmona. This goes beyond explaining treatment plans in Spanish or answering questions his patients or their families have.

It’s about building a stronger relationship to better connect with them.

“To be able to joke with the patient, to talk about their background, to talk about an amazing meal they had the week prior — making those connections is the best part of medicine,” Dr. Carmona says.

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