18 Memorial Medical Milestones • Winter 2023 A life devoted to service At a young age, Rafine Moreno-Jackson, MD, knew she wanted to commit her life to helping others. Inspired by her eighth-grade biology teacher, she began to love studying science and the human body and decided to become a physician. Dr. Moreno-Jackson spent much of her young adult life traveling the world doing volunteer work. She has visited 55 countries to date and is fluent in both English and Spanish. For her quinceañera in honor of her 15th birthday, she took a trip to Honduras to do volunteer work. That was the start of many years of serving in her home of Puerto Rico and all over the world. Dr. Moreno-Jackson and her sister’s love for serving others was cultivated by their parents. Her father is a musician, a teacher and a Methodist pastor (now a bishop), and her mother studied social sciences and has spent most of her life serving others as well. “It was important for me to help others with whatever means and skills I had at the moment. I have always wanted to share the blessings that I have received,” says Dr. Moreno-Jackson. While serving abroad, she worked in several capacities, including construction work, teaching, cleaning, visiting sick patients at hospitals, cooking, providing food, and hosting workshops to help communities rise up and become more sustainable. She even met her husband, Favio, during a trip to Panama. Besides caring for others, she has learned through her travels that diversity deeply enriches the human experience. “The more diversity I experience, the more I understand how incredible humankind is,” says Dr. Moreno-Jackson. After living in Lake Charles for almost a year, Dr. MorenoJackson, her husband, and daughter Naria are most thankful for the way the community has welcomed them and given them a new home to continue growing their family. This hospitality is especially important as they are expecting their second child. Dr. Moreno-Jackson received her undergraduate degree in biology and anthropology from the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras, where she developed a special interest in honeybees. Furthering her education, she received her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences campus in San Juan, graduating magna cum laude. She then moved to New York to complete her OB/ GYN residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. Dr. Moreno-Jackson is a board-certified obstetrics and gynecology physician with Memorial Medical Group. Her professional interests include prenatal care, general gynecology and gynecologic surgery, and she has a keen desire to serve patients of Hispanic descent. Looking for an OB/GYN? To make an appointment with Dr. Moreno-Jackson, call 337-284-8454.
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