Jorge Huaco Cateriano, MD MPH MBA FACS, known to his patients as Dr. Huaco, has been a surgeon with Southcoast Health for six years. He performs bariatric surgeries at Tobey Hospital in Wareham, as well as Charlton Memorial in Fall River.

Dr. Huaco was born in Peru, where he earned his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de San Agustín in Arequipa.

As a fluent Spanish speaker, he forms relationships with Hispanic patients starting with their initial visits, supporting them through their surgical procedures, and through the years of routine follow-up appointments. “I have been taking care of most of the Hispanic patients in the bariatric surgery program since my arrival.”

Dr. Huaco says the family is the most important part of Hispanic culture. “Caring for each other and staying together through time, respecting parents and grandparents, and sharing memories of past lives are very important for us.”

His favorite Hispanic food is Peruvian Ceviche. “You cook white fish on fresh lime juice, mix with red chili, cilantro, and onions. You serve that with fresh corn and sweet potatoes.”

Dr. Huaco says being Hispanic is not about a particular race. “It’s about a sense of belonging to a much bigger community that is a result of a mix between European people from countries like Spain and Portugal, Native Americans, and all others that came to live in Latin America. Being Hispanic is about the ways we live and feel. The language, food, and traditions make Hispanic people identify with each other.”