Joe Alcock, MD

Alburqueque, NM

As an educator and an emergency physician at the University of New Mexico, I have a unique lens on the extraordinariness of the human condition, brought into even sharper focus during this global pandemic. Unlike many of my peers, I had no plan to become a doctor as a young person. I trained to become a field biologist before changing course and applying to medical school at UCLA. Perhaps because of this, I have always taken an inter-disciplinary approach to my career and life, enriched by friends and collaborators in the arts, humanities, and science. I teach and study evolutionary medicine at the medical school, and I have a passion for science communication. My current research has focused on the effect of work stress and the microbiome on health, disease, and wellness.