Living the Dream

Cuban native and surgeon Fermin Morales, M.D., embraces the Lehigh Valley

Improving care

Originally from Cuba, Fermin Morales, M.D., is happy to be joining LVPP in the fall because he’ll have a chance to serve the community’s Latino population.

With his wife and daughter by his side, Fermin Morales, M.D., arrived in Miami after leaving political strife in Cuba. He had achieved board-certification in general surgery in his homeland, “but I spoke no English,” he says. “The best job I could find in Miami was for a nursing agency.”

Driven to return to surgery, Morales went through the rigors of residency once more—this time in the United States. His path led him to his new home, the Lehigh Valley. This fall, he’ll join Lehigh Valley Physicians Practice (LVPP) at LVH–17th and Chew, a community practice that serves residents of center city Allentown.

“As a Latino surgeon, Dr. Morales has a lot to offer our patients,” says Edgar Maldonado, M.D., medical director of LVPP. “He understands the culture and will break down the language barrier so patients can fully comprehend what their procedures entail and have more confidence in their care.”

Morales’ unique journey began in Cuba, where he served as an attending general surgeon at a local hospital before traveling on a medical mission to Nicaragua from 1992-94. He arrived in the United States in 1994. Several years later, as he became more comfortable speaking English, he landed a job at Miami Heart Institute. But becoming a surgeon in the United States was his ultimate goal.

“The decision to go through residency again was not easy, and anyone who has endured the long hours and late nights knows why,” Morales says. “But it was what I needed to do to get back to my passion of treating surgical patients.”

In 2003, he found a residency position at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network and soon became quite comfortable both in the hospital and in the community. “Now I’m happy to join LVPP because I can serve the Latino population,” Morales says.

In addition to securing a job that fits like a glove, Morales loves the community. His wife and 12-year old son consider the Lehigh Valley home. Plus, his 22-year-old daughter works in Manhattan, so he will be close enough to visit her often. “It’s the best of both worlds,” he says. “I found everything I was looking for here.”

—Amy Satkofsky

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