Michael D. Mendoza, M.D., M.P.H.

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Dr. Mendoza serves as Medical Director at Highland Family Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine.

Dr. Mendoza joined the University of Rochester in 2009. Prior to then, he served on the faculty at The University of Chicago as Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and saw patients as a National Health Service Corps Scholar in community health centers on Chicago's South Side. His clinical interests include prevention and management of chronic illness, particularly cardiovascular disease and diabetes. He has a keen interest in advancing primary care through innovation, and promoting quality in ambulatory settings with an eye toward narrowing health disparities for underserved and minority populations.

Dr. Mendoza is a recognized educator and writer. He was named "Teacher of the Year" by the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians and was elected to deliver the Keynote Address at the Gold Humanism in Medicine Induction Ceremony at the University of Chicago in 2008. He is Co-Editor of "First Aid for the Family Medicine Boards" and, with his wife Dr. Lisa Vargish, co-wrote the Family Medicine chapter in "The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Medical Specialty". His scholarly interests include studying and implementing practice-based innovations that promote quality and patient safety in underserved clinical settings. His prior research focused on pay-for-performance incentive programs in underserved settings and the effects of community-based faculty development on the quality of medical student education. He has served as a mentor for numerous medical students seeking to enter family medicine, primary care, and many other specialties.

Dr. Mendoza's community and advocacy efforts have focused on underserved communities and primary care reform. He has served as a project and faculty mentor for numerous Chicago Area Albert Schweitzer Fellows, and helped to start Fellows for Life, an alumni networking program for Chicago Schweitzer Fellowship graduates. Dr. Mendoza currently serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellowship Program and the Filipino American Community Health Initiatives of Chicago. He is a founding member of the National Physicians Alliance.

Originally from Chicago, IL, Dr. Mendoza received his medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at The University of Chicago and his Masters Degree in Public Health from The University of Illinois - Chicago where he studied school-based educational interventions to address high risk behaviors among inner city children and adolescents. He completed his residency training in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California - San Francisco, and served an additional year there as Chief Resident and Clinical Instructor in Family Medicine. He completed a Fellowship Program in Resident Teaching at UCSF and the Certificate Program in Biomedical Informatics at the Oregon Health and Science University. In his spare time, Dr. Mendoza is a competitive sailboat racer and award-winning photographer.

Current Appointments

• Assistant Professor - Department of Family Medicine (SMD)