Member of the Month: Maria Ferreira Caceres, MD

After being raised and completing medical school in Bucaramanga, Colombia, Maria Ferreira Caceres, MD, completed residency at the UTRGV Family Medicine Residency at Knapp Medical Center in Mercedes, Texas. She earned multiple recognitions during her residency career, including Resident of the Year two years in a row and a Family Medicine Leads scholarship from the AAFP Foundation, as well as completing TAFP’s Resident Leadership Experience and serving as TAFP’s Resident Alternate Delegate to AAFP’s National Conference (now called FUTURE).

Caceres is in the first few years of her career post-residency, working in Edinburg at the Family Medicine and Geriatric Center, where she practices comprehensive, patient-centered care. She has a practice emphasis on prevention, continuity, and long-term patient relationships.

Who or what inspired you to become a family physician?
My greatest inspiration has always been my father, a primary care physician who taught me the values of compassion, empathy, respect, and service to the community. Watching him care for patients with humility and dedication made me fall in love with family medicine from an early age. His example and his belief in the power of long-term, meaningful patient-doctor relationships continue to guide every aspect of my practice.

As a new physician, what are your plans for your career in family medicine?
I am committed to lifelong learning, clinical excellence, and strengthening my role as an advocate for underserved and underrepresented communities. I plan to deepen my leadership involvement within TAFP and AAFP, continue participating in advocacy work, and mentor the next generation of physicians. As an IMG, I am especially passionate about elevating the voices of international medical graduates and promoting greater diversity and inclusion within our profession. Ultimately, I aim to contribute meaningfully to improving health care delivery and expanding access to high-quality primary care.

What has surprised you most about family medicine?
What has surprised me the most is how deeply fulfilling it is to build long-term relationships with patients and to walk with them through every stage of life. Family medicine gives you the privilege of truly knowing your patients, their families, their struggles, and their goals, and being able to make a real impact on their well-being. Each day brings something new to learn, and the breadth of the specialty continues to energize and inspire me.

Why do you choose to be a TAFP member?
TAFP has played a central role in shaping my professional growth. Through mentorship, leadership training, and opportunities to represent my peers, TAFP has empowered me to grow as an advocate and leader. The organization has helped me refine my skills, understand the challenges facing family medicine, and prepare to contribute to meaningful policy and community work. Being part of TAFP is more than membership, it is being part of a supportive community dedicated to advancing the future of our specialty.

As you know, Match Day takes place this month! As a new physician, do you have words of wisdom for students getting ready to match this month?
Match month is a powerful, emotional milestone, but I want you to step into it with confidence and expectation of good things. You did not arrive here by accident. You earned this moment through relentless dedication, courage, and heart. Trust that the work you've poured into your training matters. Trust that doors are opening. The Match is not here to defeat you — it is here to place you where you can thrive. Believe that good outcomes are possible for you. Believe that your dream is within reach. Nothing is impossible when preparation meets perseverance, and you have both. See yourself opening that email with joy. See yourself stepping into a program that values you, challenges you, and helps you grow into the physician you're meant to be. Be gentle with yourself. Lean on the people who love you. Take care of the human behind the white coat. The world needs your compassion, your intelligence, your resilience. Fight for your dreams with faith, not fear. You are ready. You are capable. And this month, expect good news because you have already done the extraordinary work it takes to earn it.

What do you enjoy doing outside of medicine?
Outside of medicine, I love traveling and exploring different cultures. I enjoy watching movies, spending quality time with my husband, family, and friends, and caring for my dog, Firulais, whom I adopted at the start of residency and who has become a cherished part of my life.

TAFP’s Member of the Month program highlights Texas family physicians in TAFP News Now and on the TAFP website. We feature a biography and a Q&A with a different TAFP member each month and his or her unique approach to family medicine. If you know an outstanding family physician colleague who you think should be featured as a Member of the Month or if you’d like to tell your own story, nominate yourself or your colleague by contacting TAFP by email at tafp@tafp.org or by phone at (512) 329-8666.