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International Medical Graduate
Universidad Francisco Marroqu�n
Ana Lucia Portilla, MD, is a physician from Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala pursuing a career in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She has completed away rotations at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, UPMC, and the University of Washington, where she trained in brain injury, spinal cord injury, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. She is currently based in Syracuse, NY, where she volunteers at local hospitals in orthopedic and rehabilitation services, further strengthening her U.S. clinical experience.
Dr. Portilla is actively engaged in research at the intersection of rehabilitation and technology. She serves as a Teaching Assistant for Harvard’s Principles and Practice of Clinical Research course, a global program that trains clinicians and scientists in research methodology. In this role, she supports students by grading assignments and exams, providing weekly feedback, and guiding discussions in online forums.
She is working on a study evaluating an AI/VR training module for Spanish-speaking medical students, conducted at her home institution in Guatemala. This project, developed in collaboration with Harvard Medical School and Mount Sinai, represents efforts to adapt virtual reality–based procedural education to resource-limited and non-English-speaking settings.
Her academic interests include musculoskeletal rehabilitation, procedural education, and the integration of innovative technologies to expand access to rehabilitation worldwide. Beyond her academic and clinical work, Dr. Portilla is committed to patient advocacy, mentorship of trainees, and building bridges between rehabilitation medicine in the United States and Latin America.
