Board Members

Born (and raised): Cordoba, Veracruz. Mexico
Educational Background: Business Administration
Resides: Winchester, MA. USA

Throughout his over two decades of experience in the healthcare sector, particularly in the rare disease space, Fernando has been a tireless advocate of the Spanish-speaking Latino Community. Fernando has actively participated in several drug launches, ensuring patients and their families can access the drugs they need and receive proper disease management and personal assistance throughout their therapy journey.

In 2002, Fernando embarked on his healthcare journey at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, MA, where he served as the Latino Program Ambassador. Here, he first recognized the pressing need for support, education, and advocacy within the Spanish-speaking Latino community, a cause he has been passionately dedicated to ever since.

In 2007, he joined Insulet (a DME company) as a patient reimbursement (inside sales) specialist, aiding in procuring Insulin Pumps for patients with type I Diabetes. In 2012 after five years at Insulet, Fernando transitioned to the rare disease sector, working for Shire (Takeda) as a Senior Case Manager. In this role, he managed different orphan disease drugs and was involved in the Thoughtful Leaders initiative, focusing on developing new patient service approaches.

In 2017, Fernando joined Sarepta Therapeutics, where, as a case manager, he played a pivotal part in supporting patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and removing barriers that hindered their access to needed drugs and therapy. In 2021, he briefly worked at Ardelyx before joining Sanofi's rare blood disease group for over a year, contributing to patient support services efforts. In 2022, Fernando returned to Sarepta as a case manager and was involved in the launch of the first gene therapy drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Currently, Fernando is a Patient Education Manager at Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, supporting patients and families affected by obesity and living with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome.