Health Center Hero Spotlight: Azucena Villalobos, CRNP
When Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner Azucena Villalobos walks into Delaware Valley Community Health (DVCH) each morning, she brings with her a deep sense of purpose shaped by her own family’s journey, her commitment to service, and her passion for building healthier communities. In just over a year with DVCH, Azucena has become an essential part of the team—especially to the patients who know they can rely on her to listen, understand, and advocate for them.
Azucena grew up in Lompoc, California, a small-town north of Santa Barbara. Watching her parents, who were originally from Mexico, navigate the healthcare system with limited English deeply influenced her. She saw firsthand how language, cost, transportation, and other barriers could delay care and diminish trust. Those early experiences planted a seed: one day, she wanted to help families like her own receive the compassionate, dignified healthcare they deserved.
At UCLA, she found the pathway. Through volunteer work with Chicanos Latinos for Community Medicine, she conducted health screenings, spoke with community members about their unmet needs, and learned about the non-medical drivers of health affecting populations with limited access to care. It was during these experiences that she first encountered nurse practitioners and saw how comprehensively they cared for patients.
“I realized nursing allowed me to approach healthcare the way I wanted to,” she shared. “Hands-on, relationship-based, rooted in community.”
After earning a double major in Psychology and Spanish and working in mental health research, Azucena pursued her second degree in nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. She initially planned to work as an RN before starting her NP program—until she learned about the Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program, a fellowship program at the University of Pennsylvania that provides full tuition support for students committed to working in rural and urban communities with limited access to care. The program, she says, was “life-changing,” opening doors that might have otherwise been out of reach.
After being accepted into the program, she completed some of her clinical rotations at Esperanza Health Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) serving the north Philadelphia community, which solidified her desire to work in community health. There, she learned not only clinical skills but also how to navigate the realities of caring for patients facing housing instability, food insecurity, or lack of insurance.
“It gave me a deep dive into what it really means to work at an FQHC,” she explained. “It prepared me to serve patients who need someone in their corner.”
FQHCs, commonly known as Community Health Centers (CHCs), make up the largest network of primary healthcare providers in the Commonwealth, serving nearly a million patients annually at over 400 sites in underserved rural and urban areas. These mission-focused health centers provide integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care services for all patients, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status.
Upon completing her Nurse Practitioner program, Azucena landed a position at Delaware Valley Community Health and provides full-scope primary care—managing chronic conditions, supporting acute needs, and building long-term relationships with patients from all over the world. An estimated 90% of her visits take place in Spanish, which allows her to communicate with patients in their preferred language and develop trust quickly.
That trust is her biggest motivation.
“When patients come back, when they’re vulnerable with me about their health—that’s a huge privilege,” she said. “Being referred to by other patients warms my heart and reminds me why I do what I do.”
Azucena collaborates closely with community health workers, pharmacists, referral coordinators, medical equipment teams, and other providers to address the broad scope of patient needs. Some days, that work includes tracking down specialists, solving insurance barriers, or simply making sure a patient isn’t lost to follow-up. When miscommunication arises due to language barriers, she takes extra time to clarify and ensure patients feel confident in their care plan.
Though the workload can be heavy, she finds joy in celebrating small wins—especially in chronic disease management. “When we accomplish a goal together, like improving an A1C, it’s a big deal. These are tough conditions. Every step matters.”
While her current focus is becoming the strongest primary care provider she can be, Azucena sees potential paths toward research, policy work, or systemic change—areas where she believes she could make an even wider impact. Mentors at Penn have encouraged her to explore academia and health research, possibilities she’s keeping in mind for the future.
For now, she’s exactly where she wants to be – enriching her community, uplifting patients through responsive care, and proving every day that representation matters.
If you would like to explore a rewarding career in one of Pennsylvania’s Community Health Centers, the Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center is here to help. The PA Primary Care Career Center, part of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers and funded by a generous grant from the Department of Health, serves as a free resource to match primary care providers and staff, such as physicians, dentists, medical assistants, and front office staff, with compatible job opportunities at Community Health Centers and other safety net facilities. For more information, visit the Career Center’s website at https://paprimarycarecareers.org/.