Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Meet physicians, ask questions, learn about local labs and diagnostic centers, hospitals – any and every thing to do with your health and well-being - during the 6th Annual Puerto Vallarta Medical Matters Conference at the CasaMagna Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa on February 15, 2016, from 9 am to 5 pm.

The day will feature a vast array of health care-related providers like international insurance representatives, local private hospitals, clinics, physicians, spas, diagnostic centers, labs – to name a few. In addition, a non-stop speakers program will feature local physicians covering a wide variety of general healthcare and specialty topics, including:

Dr. Antonio Matilla was born in Barcelona, Spain. He moved with his family to Mexico City when he was 10 years old. He studied medicine at the Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City and did his residency in Internal Medicine at Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI and the IMSS in Mexico City. He just recently completed a residency fellowship in Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, Spain in auto immune disease. He says he loves internal medicine because "you can incorporate all of the medical knowledge into one specialty and that is what makes you a more complete and versatile physician." He is happily married (to Dra. Leslie Swindle - cardiologist) and has two sons, Santiago and Daniel. Dr. Matilla enjoys running, swimming, bicycling and soccer. (We also call him "Dr. House.") Dr. Matilla will be speaking on "Everything You Need to Know About Vaccines" at 12:00 noon in Salon Vallarta VI-VIII.

Dr. Jose Riva Palacio ("Dr. Pepe") was born in Mexico City and grew up in Cuernavaca. He returned to Mexico City to study medicine at the Escuela Superior de Medicina del Instituto Politecnico Nacional. After graduating from medical school, he was an active air ambulance crew member for a non-profit Mexican foundation for children who were burn victims, accompanying them on flights to the United States for treatment. He chose radiology and did his specialty at Hospital Medica Sur in Mexico City. Dr. Pepe has been happily married for 11 months! He enjoys sports cars, swimming, boating and dogs, especially his dog Rad. Dr. Riva will be speaking on: "Medical Imaging for Dummies" at 2:30 pm in Salon VI-VIII.

Dr. Jaime Zayas was born in Guadalajara and attended medical school at the University of Guadalajara. He did his social service in a tiny village in Tomatlan, Jalisco and performed his specialty of pediatrics in Hospital Civil in Guadalajara. He says that he chose pediatrics because "The concept of publicly serving others while constantly learning and growing as an individual is a wonderful part of being a pediatrician, and of being a physician in general. You feel great knowing you are providing a cheerful service to others as your skills and knowledge grows. In this respect, medicine is a wonderful profession." Dr. Zayas is the Director of the State of Jalisco Health Department for Puerto Vallarta (Director VIII Sanitary Region). He is married and has a teen-age daughter. Dr. Zayas will be speaking on: "The Private versus Public Health System in Puerto Vallarta: What are the Differences?" at 2:30 pm in Salon Vallarta I-III.

Mari Torres is a complementary medicine specialist and was born and raised in Puerto Vallarta - a true Vallartense! She attended the University of Guadalajara and performed her social service and professional practices at the Clinic of Acupuncture and Biomagnetism in Puerto Vallarta that is affiliated with the University of Guadalajara. When asked why she chose her particular specialty, she says, "Because of my interest in knowing more about alternative and complementary medicine and the amazing results." She is married and has two children, a daughter who is a sculptor and a son who is a veterinarian, specializing in horses. Mari's approach looks at the totality of the person and she attempts to find the best healing options for their specific circumstances. She enjoys her job because, "I am able to help people recover their health and I grow through my patients." Mari will be speaking on "The Importance of Diagnostics in Acupuncture" at 2:30 pm in Salon Mexico-Cozumel.

Dr. Armando Joya was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco but grew up in the Puerto Vallarta area with a large family. He attended medical school at the University of Guadalajara. He did his social service in Las Palmas, Jalisco and then he did his specialty in General Surgery at Centro Medico Nacional in Torreon, Coahuila. He chose this specialty because he was always attracted to surgical procedures. He received further specialty training in laparoscopic surgery at Baptist Hospital Surgery Center in Miami, Florida. Dr. Joya has a multi-specialty practice as a gastroenterologist/gastric surgeon, having performed thousands of gastric surgeries, laparoscopic surgeries, endoscopies and colonoscopies. Dr. Joya enjoys his job because "He helps his patients to recover a healthy life." He enjoys travelling, golf, exercising... and chocolate! Dr. Joya will be speaking on "Parasites - All About Them!" at 1:15 pm in Salon Vallarta I-III.

Mark your calendars now for Friday, February 15th, so you won't miss this year's Puerto Vallarta Medical Matters Conference!

Note: We suggest that you visit each speaker at their exhibit to ask questions and obtain further information, not at the talk. This is so we can continue to run on time.

No pre-registration or reservations are required for the talks, just look for the Medical Matters Volunteers, who will direct you to the various salons.

For a detailed description on more speakers and their topics, keep checking this page on BanderasNews.com. As the date draws nearer, we'll be publishing complete bios on all of the speakers and further details on their talks.