Giselle Argento-Berrio, M.D.

"I was born in the lively, beautiful Caribbean city of Barranquilla, Colombia. Home to the second largest carnival in the world I carry that spirit of fun every day. I immigrated as a child to the Chicago suburbs where I graduated from Elgin High School. After high school, I taught English in Longjiang, China and worked in an HIV project in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I returned to college at the University of Illinois at Chicago for a degree in Sociology. Driven to discover my culture's African roots and using the privilege of my education for community empowerment, I completed my undergraduate thesis traveling across Ghana and worked in Capetown, South Africa after college. Stateside, I fell in love with public health after 8 years as a diabetes clinical researcher at Stroger Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. I worked as a health educator in various cities and later became a birth doula. Witnessing the unjust, even inhumane treatment of families inside our broken system called me to further my education. I completed graduate certificate in public health from the University of Nebraska. Then worked as an advisor to Latino students in an under-served high school interested in health. I'm deeply committed to mentoring those following my footsteps. I hope someday our healthcare workforce mirrors that of our ever diverse country. I attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health. I have a passion for working with families affected by incarceration and mental health. The harsh nature of medical training makes mental health needs equally great among colleagues as it does patients. As a medical student, I shared my personal story on national radio to bring awareness to this issue. As a doctor, I try to remember my own humanity in my practice of medicine every day. Never a one-job kinda gal. I started a business in medical school, Konnéctate!, helping small businesses with social media. Then put my love of dancing and fitness together to become a WERQ instructor. I enjoy spending time with my husband, meditation, yoga and preparing for my new venture as foster mother in Washington State. "