Faces of Family Medicine: Algele “Cid” Sumulong, MD

From a young age Dr. Sumulong felt a calling to serve those in need and make a difference in his community through the gift of health. His passion stemmed from seeing underserved populations in desperate need of healthcare while serving on mission trips to his ancestral home in the Philippines. Growing up in Southern California, he attended California State University Fullerton (CSUF) where this passion further flourished. After witnessing his aunt undergo difficulties in accessing inclusive healthcare due to physician biases and misconceptions, he felt it was paramount to train future healthcare professionals to provide empathetic compassionate care. To do so, he founded and directed  Project GRACE, a collaborative project with Orange County Heartland Hospice which fostered relationships between volunteer CSUF students and terminally ill patients. As a premedical student, he saw the value in connecting with patients and actively listening to their concerns. By fostering communication, he worked collaboratively to find solutions, striving to ensure patients felt more comfortable than the day before. The project inspired him to embrace the mantra, “How do you make today better than yesterday?” This philosophy became a guiding force throughout his undergraduate career and beyond in medical training. 

After graduating summa cum laude from CSUF with a bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in chemistry, Dr. Sumulong went on to attend University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine where he continued to develop not only his clinical reasoning but skills to care for underserved populations. While balancing the rigors of medical school, he continued to be active in the community. Eager to serve the vast needs of the Spanish-speaking community in Los Angeles, Dr. Sumulong spent his free time developing his Spanish skills. On weekends, he volunteered to care for the unhoused LGBTQ+ patients on the streets of Venice with UCLA’s mobile clinic. This experience honed his ability to quickly analyze medical situations and deliver excellent care even when in low-resource settings. These skills would later prove invaluable during his rural medicine residency training, though the path to this training was far from linear.

Dr. Sumulong continued his medical education upon graduating from UCLA at the Kaiser Permanente Family Medicine Residency Program in Orange County, California. Despite the fantastic training at Kaiser, he wanted a more procedure oriented training to do more independent medical mission work in the future. So it came to pass that before the beginning of his third and final year at Kaiser, he would have to make a pivotal choice: complete his training in California after one more year of training or extend his residency for an additional two years through joining a rural program in New Mexico. This turning point ultimately tipped, leading him to become one of the first graduates of the Family Medicine Residency at Hidalgo Medical Services in Silver City. Although this decision did not come without its drawbacks, such as being away from his family for over a year, it proved to be deeply rewarding for both Dr. Sumulong and the community. He has become one of the most highly rated family medicine physicians in Las Cruces, making a lasting impact during his time at La Clinica de Familia and now at Mountain View Medical Center. His dedication to providing holistic care led him to earn a second board certification in obesity medicine guiding patients on lifestyle modification, building healthy relationships with food, and designing meal plans that are inclusive of patient’s traditional cultural meals. 

Dr. Sumulong’s care for the community travels beyond the clinic and into the classroom from hosting mentorship sessions for other young Filipino medical students at Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine. During which he provides guidance on excelling in clinical presentations and national board exams. For all students he provides this sage advice, “Find a field you love and immerse yourself in it. But do not lose sight of your own well-being or the moments that truly matter—like watching your children grow.”

He also encourages medical students to consider family medicine, challenging misconceptions about the field stating, “Family medicine is not a fallback—it’s a calling. We are the frontline of care, solving problems and improving lives every day. The breadth of our knowledge makes us versatile, not simply generalists.” However he acknowledges the burden of medical student loans deterring students from exploring primary care. For this reason, Dr. Sumulong continues to be an advocate for physician loan forgiveness programs and expresses gratitude towards the New Mexico Health Profession Loan Repayment Program. He highlights how the loan repayment program eased the financial burden of his medical education allowing him to focus on his mission rather than his debt, ultimately leading to his commitment to practicing in the region.

Overall, Dr. Cid Sumulong’s journey in medicine highlights a physician’s commitment to being a lifelong learner and advocate for the community. From supporting the next generation of physicians to collaboratively working with patients on their health goals, his unwavering commitment to making the world a better place shines through.