About Luz

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Luz is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and an obstetric registered nurse in California. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine, June 2024 with a Doctorate in Nursing and a Family Nurse Practitioner degree. In 2013, Luz obtained her bachelor's degree in science of nursing at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. 

Shortly after becoming a nurse, Luz founded a 501 (c) 3 in Maryland called HOCHA Foundation Inc., which stands for Helping Our Communities Honor Aging. HOCHA created a unique intergenerational program that connected college and university students with retired senior citizens. The program fostered an exchange of wisdom and reminiscing therapy through storytelling and life review interviews. This activity enhanced the well-being of the senior adult participants while bridging the intergenerational gap that exists in our modern society.  After three years, the program closed when Luz relocated to California.

Luz has over twelve years of experience working as a perinatal nurse in high-performing hospitals. In this position, she developed a passion for advocating for women and children's health. She is enthusiastic about helping mitigate the burden of chronic disease in the obstetric population through quality care and effective education, as well as helping patients navigate the challenges of hypertension, diabetes and breastfeeding. Luz's DNP Project and advocacy work is focused on increasing the breastfeeding rates to improve the overall maternal and child health in the United States. 

Luz's childhood was a unique blend of nature and holistic healing in a small community nestled in the Amazon rainforest. Her upbringing was steeped in the traditions of herbal medicine, mindfulness, and meditation, which formed the foundation of her holistic approach to nursing. 

She started her career as a nurse in South America when she was 18, providing daily care to her elder great aunt, Josefina Chacin Ducharne, whom many called "Tia Jocha" and pronounced "hocha." 

Tia Jocha was a force of nature, a successful entrepreneur in her own right, and she was recognized as the first Venezuelan female entrepreneur at a Washington D.C. business conference. After reaching the peak of her career as a businesswoman in the 1950s, Tia Jocha became a prolific writer. Eventually, she settled in the mountains outside Caracas, where Luz was born. 

Growing up, Tia Jocha was Luz's special great-aunt, motherly figure, and mentor. Her biological mother, Maria Elina Antonini, was the birth doula in the rural community and Luz's later inspiration to become a perinatal nurse. 

As part of her commitment to give back to the community that raised her, Luz founded a new 501 (c) 3 organization in March 2024, HOCHA, to deliver healthcare solutions to rural communities worldwide. 

The Relationship between Exclusive Breastfeeding and Maternal and Child Health

• Human Milk and the Infant Gut Microbiome
• Maternal Postpartum Mental Health and Breastfeeding
• The Impact of Lactation and Chronic Diseases

The Relationship between Oxytocin, Prolactin, and Serotonin Release on Physical Health and Wellbeing

• The Effect of Emotions and Physical Health
• The Effects of Spirituality and Physical Wellbeing
• The Effects of Emotional Repression and Disease

Modern Aging

• Aging in Place
• The Effects of Reminiscence Therapy on Physical Health and Wellbeing