I wasn’t always Octavio. My first 20 years — spent in a sleepy provincial city — I was Javier, the nombre everyone called me, my middle name. For 10 more years — as a doctor, then an epidemiologist, living in Mexico City, succumbing to the widespread homophobia of my culture — I remained Javier. (Read More)
Though pregnancy didn’t have a major impact on my work, motherhood did. After Sarah’s birth, I began working part-time — three days per week — a practice I continue to this day.
I was tall and qawky in high school, not one of the popular kids. So I buried myself in books. I’d always had a passion for learning. I thought, I’ll show them, I’ll be one of the really smart kids.