Dr. Deborah Arús’ Impact on Puerto Rican Healthcare

A graduate of UAG in 1987, Dr. Deborah Arús worked for the Massachusetts Bureau of Health as a General Practitioner before returning to Puerto Rico to begin her residency in Family Medicine at the San Pablo Medical Center. She currently serves as the President of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians. During her presidency, she has led her Board to take an active role in the decision-making process of the government of Puerto Rico, which is in the midst of a health crisis due to a massive exodus of medical doctors since Hurricane María in 2017.

She also leads advocacy efforts to strengthen physicians' collective ability to address the challenges and opportunities facing Family Medicine today. Dr. Arús has advocated for important governmental measures that will support the four FM Residency Programs on the island. Her team serves as advisers to the Honorable Ruben Soto, President of the Health Commission of the Puerto Rico Senate.

Dr. Arús' journey as a Family Medicine Specialist is marked by a profound desire to serve the underprivileged. Since its inception in 1996, she has organized health clinics for the Puerto Rico Youth at Risk Program and is also a member of its Board. She oversees the Chronic Care Department at the Correctional Health Medical Center in Bayamon.

As a Board member of Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos (CPJDB), she assists women (and their children) who are victims of family violence. CPJDB, the first shelter in Puerto Rico, has served for the past 40 years. In recognition of her service to her patients and the community, Dr. Arús was named one of Puerto Rico's Top Doctors in 2018-2019 (Revista Balance-Edición 24).

Driven by her passion for the arts and considering them as an important opportunity for human expression, Dr. Deborah Arús has been a member of the San Juan Philharmonic Chorale (SJPC) since 1995 and has been elected President of its Board twice.

The SJPC is the symphony choir that accompanies the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra during the world-renowned Casals Festival. As a fun fact, she is also a member of Las Caribelles, a female singing quartet originally founded in the 1970s, and is a member of the Puerto Rico Music Hall of Fame. During the pandemic, she recorded two songs that can currently be enjoyed on Spotify.