Medical Director of FirstWatch Solutions

Silvia Rita Verdugo serves as the Medical Director of FirstWatch Solutions, a technology company that provides real-time data analysis to public safety and public health agencies across the United States and Canada. She began her career in Emergency Medical Services at age 18 as an Emergency Medical Technician and later trained as a Paramedic, becoming one of only two women to enroll and complete the course from a class of 43 students.

While working as a Paramedic, she funded her education and earned her MD from the University of Baja California, Mexico. She went on to complete a Master of Public Health through a joint program between UC San Diego and the University of Baja California, graduating summa cum laude. Silvia has been awarded three postdoctoral research fellowships at UC San Diego, where she conducted studies on opioid overdose, substance use, and HIV prevention.

In addition to her full-time role as Medical Director, she continues to practice as an Emergency Medicine Physician at the County Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. Silvia immigrated to the United States at age two and is the first in her family to earn a graduate degree.