Dr. Trinidad Solis (in black) accepts a proclamation Tuesday by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Video screengrab

A Fresno County health professional and Selma native has been recognized as Physician of the Year by the National Hispanic Medical Association.

Dr. Trinidad Solis, deputy public health officer since January 2022, was honored by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors Tuesday with a proclamation recognizing her achievements.

Beginning her career with the Department of Public Health in 2020, Dr. Solis was part of the team offering the new Covid-19 vaccine to farmworkers in January 2021 via the Rural Mobile Health Program. The daughter of Mexican immigrant farmworkers, Dr. Solis was promoted to deputy public health officer in January 2022.

Dr. Solis graduated from Selma High School in 2003 with a 4.3551 grade-point average, going on to earn an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her medical degree from UCSF’s School of Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency at UCLA Medical Center and earned her Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University.

David Luchini, director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health, said it was the first time to his knowledge an employee was recognized on a national level. The nonprofit National Hispanic Medical Association represents 50,000 licensed Hispanic physicians in the U.S.

Dr. Solis previously worked as a family medicine physician in Los Angeles, as well as an assistant clinical professor with the UCLA family medicine department. Her electing to return to Fresno County to serve the community was not lost on Fresno County Supervisor Sal Quintero.

“You came back home — and that’s very meaningful to all of us,” Quintero said.