Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas announced on Monday, 19 November 2018, the awarding of the first International Dominican Expat Award, Oscar de la Renta 2018 to Dominican physician Dr. Rafael Antonio Lantigua of New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital.
The award was created to recognize Dominican expats and their descendents to the second generation that have had outstanding careers abroad and have positively impacted the Dominican Republic. The awards ceremony will be held 6 December 2018 in the Dominican Republic. Vargas said Dr. Lantigua was chosen from a shortlist of 45 nominated by universities, cultural organizations, business, social and religious organizations and individuals.
Dr. Lantigua graduated from the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) in 1972. He migrated to the United States where he completed his residency in internal medicine at Lincoln Hospital, where he also served as chief resident. He later completed an endocrinology fellowship at Rochester University School of Medicine in 1980, and then joined the Division of General Medicine at Columbia University as a faculty member. He continued to a distinguished career in the Columbia University medical system.
Dr. Lantigua is co-founder and previously was chairperson of the board of Alianza Dominicana, Inc., the major community-based organization serving the Dominican community in the United States. He is co-founder and former chairperson of the Board of the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrants Rights. He has served in multiple boards of non-for profit organizations such as the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund, Puerto Rican/Hispanic Institute for the Elderly, the Latino Commission on AIDS, and National Hispanic Leadership Agenda.
Read more in Spanish:
Mirex
New York Presbyterian
21 November 2018
