Dr. Luis Ticona really enjoys the relationships that he is able to build as a primary care physician. “I really love the chance to get to know my patients. For me, primary care is not just a way to keep people well in terms of their health, but also to keep them happy and help see them through really meaningful events in their lives. I truly enjoy taking care of whole families – from the grandparents to the grandchildren – and trying to keep them as healthy as possible.”

In his practice Dr. Ticona says he tends to think of his patients as partners who play an important role in their care. “I tend to shy away from telling patients what to do. I’d rather focus on explaining why I think it’s important. I try to share the facts and why I believe it’s helpful. I always respect people’s autonomy and why they want to manage their own health. I really value patients who want to collaborate and work together on improving their health. LGBT health is also something I am pretty savvy with, and have a lot of experience in.”

Dr. Ticona believes that to be a doctor, you need to provide more than medical care. “I think that’s one of the interesting aspects of working in primary care. A lot of people come in and say they want to work on improving their blood pressure or diabetes but then some people come in and say they just want to be healthier. You can’t do that by just providing a medication, you have to understand what they need beyond that. So I try to try to support people as much as I can around the issues that affect their life.”

In his spare time Dr. Ticona enjoys traveling to locations like Mexico, and loves going to the beach and scuba-diving. He also enjoys spending time with his family.