Juan Tapia Mendoza

Dr. Juan Tapia-Mendoza is the founder, CEO and president of Pediatrics 2000. He was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York. In 1978, he returned to Santo Domingo and enrolled in medical school at Universidad Central del Este. In the 1980's, Dr. Tapia enrolled at the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City and began training as a pediatrician at the Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez in Mexico City. Dr. Tapia completed his post-doctoral studies at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine at Elmhurst City Hospital Center. While at Elmhurst Hospital, Dr. Tapia became the first Dominican to hold the position of “Chief Resident in the Department of Pediatrics”. He was the first Dominican appointed coordinator of the hospital's Pediatric HIV clinic. Dr. Tapia is also the first Dominican to be named Chief of Pediatrics at a hospital in Manhattan (St. Clare's Hospital).

Dr. Tapia is a founder and advisor to the Dominican Medical Association. Currently, Dr. Tapia is the Director of Pediatrics 2000. He is a former faculty member at Columbia University, a former Community Affairs advisor to the New York State Psychiatric Institute and a former Pediatrician at Babies and Children's Hospital of New York. Dr. Tapia is currently affiliated with the Mount Sinai Hospital St. Luke's.

Dr. Tapia has received numerous awards for his community work. They include a citation by the New York State Assembly, The Evangelist Church, and his work with Corazones Unidos in the Dominican Republic and in New York City. This led him to receive the New Yorker of the Week Award given by New York 1 Television station to outstanding citizens.