Meet Dr. Carlos Correia, Victoria Moniz, and Josh Frias, PA, who share personal anecdotes, offering glimpses into their upbringings, cherished family traditions, and the profound influence of Portuguese culture in their lives.

“I am Dr. Carlos Correia, a physician practicing family medicine for almost 30 years and in Southcoast Physicians Group (SPG) since its inception.”

There are roughly 300,000 Portuguese residents living in MA & RI. What would you like to share about your family’s background and your story? 

“Like many other immigrants in this area, I arrived as a youngster when my parents immigrated to the US. Not knowing any English made the first couple of years quite difficult, especially in school. Becoming the translator for my parents in diverse situations made me aware of the language barriers for many immigrants. That’s why when I achieved my childhood dream of becoming a doctor, I searched for an area where not only would I practice medicine, but also be able to provide a link to a Portuguese, non-English fluent community. That brought me from a small town in the Midwest where I did my residency (and where I was the first Portuguese person most had ever met), to this South Coast region, which I would call “Little Portugal” in US. It was quite the change to drive through the city and see a statue of Prince Henry the Navigator on Eastern Ave in Fall River. Prince Henry’s Navigational School (that Columbus attended) led to many discoveries and at one point led the Pope to divide the globe in two, for Portuguese and Spanish explorations (Treaty of Tordesillas).”

A favorite memory related to your Portuguese culture, heritage, language? 

“Along with this enormous pride for this heritage, I must confess an enormous love of Portuguese food. Because Portugal is surrounded by the ocean, fish is an important staple of the Portuguese diet, and dried codfish or “bacalhau” is the most typical Portuguese dish. There are more than 100 ways to cook bacalhau, and I haven’t found one I didn’t like. Food is an important part of our culture and an important part in family gatherings and social events. The most cherished one, and my favorite, is Christmas Eve when the whole family gets together. We (of course) eat bacalhau, octopus, and many sweets including the typical “Bolo Rei” or “king cake.”

Please share a little about your role in caring for the entire community, including our Portuguese community.

“It has certainly been a pleasure to be able to provide primary care to our community as a whole and more particular to the Portuguese community to which I belong.”

“My name Victoria Moniz, and I’m a Quality & Safety Specialist at Southcoast Health. In this role, I am responsible for safety rounding at all Southcoast Physician Group (SPG sites), managing peer review cases and insurance grievances, as well as project management and facilitation for the SPG Clinical Practice Council.”

There are roughly 300,000 Portuguese residents living in MA & RI. What would you like to share about your family’s background and your story? 

“I am so proud of my Azorean Portuguese heritage. My parents were born in Sao Miguel, Azores. My dad is from Ribeiro Grande, and my mom is from Furnas. Although I was born here, I love to immerse myself in my Portuguese culture. Whether it’s attending a Portuguese festival, stopping at a local Portuguese bakery for some fresh papo secos, or watching “Maria’s Portuguese Table” on PBS… I love it all.”

A favorite memory related to your Portuguese culture, heritage, language? 

“Family and food are a huge part of my culture. My dad is the oldest of 7, and I am the oldest of 10 children! Family gatherings typically include 40+ people so it’s always tons of fun. One of my favorite memories growing up is watching traditional Portuguese folk dancing (vira) with everyone dressed in their colorful traditional outfits, dancing to Portuguese music. My hope is to share the same type of memories with my daughter to keep our culture strong for the next generation.”

Please share a little about your role in caring for the entire community, including our Portuguese community.

“I enjoy watching Dr. Correia and his team at SPG’s Truesdale Family Medicine care for the Portuguese community. It’s fulfilling to see that members of our community can count on our amazing Southcoast PARs, MAs, nurses, and clinicians to provide exceptional care. Patients are able to build rapport and long-standing relationships with Dr. Correia’s team because several team members spoke Portuguese and have worked there for years.”

“My name is Josh Frias, and I’m a Physician Assistant at ENT-Head and Neck Surgery located at 299 Faunce Corner Road in North Dartmouth, MA. I’ve been with the hospital group for 14 years.”

There are roughly 300,000 Portuguese residents living in MA & RI. What would you like to share about your family’s background and your story? 

“My family immigrated to the South Coast region in the 1970s from St Michael Island, Acores, Portugal. My mom and dad were both born in Portugal and immigrated to the US as young children. I grew up in Fall River where, like in New Bedford, there was a dense population of immigrants and very strong Portuguese culture. The neighborhood I was raised in was somewhat of a “little Portugal” in the sense that no one spoke English, and although I was born in the US, I started school having to learn English because it was rarely spoken in our community.”

A favorite memory related to your Portuguese culture, heritage, language? 

“One of my favorite memories growing up was when my dad would go off to our local Portuguese bakery early on Sunday mornings and bring home a big, brown paper bag full of piping-hot popsecos or “Portuguese pops” with a big wedge of Sao Jorge Portuguese cheese and a bundle of bananas. That was breakfast every Sunday morning – the best!”

Please share a little about your role in caring for the entire community, including our Portuguese community.

“It has been a pleasure serving the South Coast community and I’ve enjoyed being able to offer our Portuguese-speaking patients the comfort and convenience of seeing a healthcare provider who speaks their native language, understands their culture, and continues to live it in many ways.”

Learn More about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Southcoast Health by visiting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Southcoast Health | Southcoast Health.