Hernan Carcamo, MD
Program Assistant, Latin America
2016–Present

Wherever I go with Heart to Heart, everyone we meet deeply wants to help children with heart disease. When they realize how we can help them advance their practice, their excitement is palpable, and their energy is ‘all-in’.

While Dr. Hernan Carcamo was in his last years of medical school, he was often asked to interpret when humanitarian aid teams from abroad arrived to operate on children in the cardiac surgery department at the children’s hospital where he volunteered. He was studying to become a cardiac surgeon, and his ever-deepening knowledge of pediatric cardiac anatomy and physiology, combined with his excellent command of English, made him an exceptional interpreter.

Two days after Dr. Carcamo graduated from medical school, Heart to Heart arrived in Lima, Peru, for our very first mission in Latin America. Dr. Carcamo’s surgical mentor once again asked him to serve as a medical interpreter. Precise communication is key to Heart to Heart’s ability to teach and train advanced cardiac medicine. Heart to Heart quickly discovered Dr. Carcamo’s rare gift for interpreting, and invited him to join our team.

Originally from Tacna, a city in the south of Peru, Dr. Carcamo has lived for many years in Lima, the country’s capital. In high school, his biology teacher commended him on a skillful dissection of a chicken heart, predicting, “You’ll either be a butcher or a surgeon.” A few years later, Dr. Carcamo was accepted to Peru’s leading medical school, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, where cardiac medicine emerged as his favorite subject.

Dr. Carcamo’s enthusiasm and compassion are matched by his intelligence, professionalism, and methodical approach to helping a Heart to Heart partner site team move forward. Since 2016, Dr. Carcamo has served as Heart to Heart’s conference and chief operating room interpreter in Peru, Mexico, Paraguay, and soon, Costa Rica. 

We are thrilled to have Dr. Carcamo in the Heart to Heart family and look forward to moving ¡adelante! in Latin America with his able assistance.