As a child, Dr. Marco A. Uribe used to accompany his grandfather and uncles on house calls and to treat the injured bull fighters and boxers in his hometown. His family has been given a strong proclivity toward the medical profession. Perhaps it is a genetic trait, as Uribe is a third-generation doctor and has nieces and nephews who are already the fourth. Uribe was born in the border town of Laredo, Texas, to hard-working parents. His mother, Rebecca, a University of Texas graduate, worked as pharmacist, and his father, Marco, was a businessman and rancher.
Uribe is the third of eight children and has seven sisters. Uribe jokes that he went into obstetrics and gynecology because he was exposed to seven women while he was growing up. After his father died in a plane crash when Uribe was 16, his mother continued to run their family pharmacy and raised eight children.
“There was a wonderful blend in my family as a child with the juxtaposition of two different, yet very loving and nurturing philosophies,” Uribe said. “My father had a real passion for life, and lived every day with that passion. He was both a cowboy and charro, skilled in both American and Mexican rodeos. He hunted, fished, he worked hard, and he had many close friends. Every day was a happy day. I never heard him raise his voice. He was very kind and always calm. He was a larger than life role model and hero to me.
“My other hero was my mother, who as a single mom and pharmacist, raised eight children and provided all of them an education. Four of us attended medical school, two are nurses and two are bankers.”
Uribe left for Yale University after high school, accompanied by his cousin, Dr. Francisco Cigarroa. Every summer, they attended summer school at UT with a number of other cousins. Uribe credits his uncle, Francisco Gonzalez de la Vega, a law professor and author in Mexico, with influencing his decision to matriculate at Yale and helping fund his enrollment. Cigarroa is now the chancellor at UT.
After Yale, Uribe attended Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, where he received his medical degree. He chose Baylor because of its strong foundation as a clinical and research institution with a large patient volume offering extensive hands-on clinical experience.
“At the time, Jeff Davis Hospital was the busiest obstetrical facility in the country and was involved in over 16,000 deliveries during my senior year,” Uribe said. “I was selected as chief resident and was privileged to supervise many medical students and residents in training. It provided an excellent learning and teaching opportunity with exposure to almost every imaginable clinical scenario. Very few clinical crisis events intimidate you after such an extensive experience.”
Uribe had practiced medicine in Houston for eight years when he was invited to join Austin Area Obstetrics, Gynecology and Fertility. He has maintained a practice in obstetrics, gynecology and infertility there for the past 16 years. Uribe continues to focus on patient care, and he believes in giving all of his patients the time they deserve.
“It was my mentor and uncle, Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa, who taught me the importance of spending quality time with patients, explaining everything and always choosing words carefully,” Uribe said. “I’ve learned that how you phrase things, the words you choose and the sentiment with which they are conveyed can have a significant impact on how effective your counsel is. It can influence patient compliance and even prospective outcomes and prognosis.”
Uribe is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the Travis County Hispanic Medical Society, the American Medical Association, Travis County Medical Society, the Texas Medical Society and Travis County Obstetrics and Gynecology. Uribe has continued to volunteer at Houston’s Ben Taub Charity Hospital throughout the years, teaching residents pelvic prolapse surgery and receiving numerous faculty-teaching awards.
Uribe is bilingual and able to provide care to patients in Spanish, which is something Uribe feels is helpful when treating a patient who does not speak English. That way, nothing is lost in translation, according to Uribe.
Kym Crowe, a registered nurse and clinical manager from California, has been working for Uribe for the past 13 years. When Crowe’s mother needed surgery, Crowe brought her mother from San Diego to see Uribe because he was the only one she trusted.
“Dr. Uribe is probably the most intelligent and compassionate physician that I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with,” Crowe said. “I’ve been in the health field for 20-plus years and came out from California, and [I] have worked with many physicians. Dr. Uribe brings to the table a sense of compassion that patients feel he treats them like they’re family. He is an exceptional surgeon and clinician.”
Uribe spends a lot of time at work and focuses on giving all of his patients adequate time, since he considers it a privilege as a physician to be entrusted with their care. He also spends extensive time with his family. Uribe has three children: Marco, Marisa and Dylan.
His oldest child, Marco, has just completed his second year in pre-med at the University of Colorado. His daughter, Marisa, who has had brain cancer since birth, has been making rounds with her father since she was 2 years old. His youngest child, Dylan, who announced at age 2 that he “needs to be a doctor,” requests books on anatomy and pleads to watch surgical videos.
Uribe has a love for the outdoors and ranching that he inherited from his father, and he loves to raise and work with horses. He enjoys deep-sea fishing, trick roping, running and hunting. His family is always around him wherever he goes.
Uribe says he will continue to focus on providing quality medical care irrespective of what happens with health care reform. “Medicine is a beautiful profession,” Uribe said. “I consider it a privilege to be entrusted with the health care of my patients.” For more information regarding Austin Area Obstetrics, Gynecology and Fertility, call 512-451-8211, or visit www.aaobgyn.com.
