Marícela P. Moffitt, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P.

Dr. Maricela P. Moffitt completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston in 1986. She completed residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas in Houston in 1989 and was selected as a chief resident in 1990. She joined the faculty in the Department of Medicine at Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) in Phoenix Arizona in June of 1990 and remained there until 2005. She has held many academic and administrative positions including: Internal Medicine Clerkship Director, Associated Program Director in Internal Medicine Residency, Co-Program Director Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency, and the Director of Medical Education and Academic Affairs of MIHS. During her tenure at MIHS she was elected president of the Medical Staff and served as a medical staff officer from 1998-2003 and held many administrative positions including Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee (GME), Chair of the Peer Review Committee, Chair of the Continuing Education Committee (CME), Chair of the Performance Improvement Committee. She has received numerous teaching and service awards. She left MIHS in 2005.

Currently, she is the Director of the Doctoring Curriculum at the University of Arizona College of Medicine- Phoenix. She is responsible for the curriculum and education of the preclinical students (1st and 2nd year medical students) in communication and physical exam skills. She holds the Academic rank of Associate Professor of Medicine.

Tuberculosis and Public Health have always been interests. Dr. Moffitt obtained a Masters in Public Health from the University of Arizona in the Charter Class 1993-94. As part of an internship project she responded to an RFP from the CDC. She was subsequently funded over one million dollars for a five year project in ‘Clinical trials of new methods for the treatment of Tuberculosis’, in addition she participated in the CDC’s Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (TBTC.) She has founded or work in many advocacy groups, including TB Free Coalition (of the American Lung Association) serving as Co chair in 2005 and as president and founder of the Tuberculosis Action Committee (TAC) from 1998 -2007. During her time with TAC she developed the model for Monroe House (a Homeless Housing Project for TB patients.) She secured the initial and longitudinal funding for and demonstrated the need and viability of this project. She has also served as member of National Association of County and Public Health Officials (NACCHO) on the Health Equity and Social Justice Strategic Direction Team in 2005-07.

She has always remained clinically active. She has practiced and taught Internal Medicine as faculty at Maricopa Integrated Health System and now at the Carl T. Hayden VA in Phoenix. She continued to provide TB healthcare service at Maricopa County Public Health, Tuberculosis Control which she had done for 16 years leaving in 2006 to join the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix fulltime. She also served as the Chief Medical Officer, TB Control at Maricopa County Department of Public Health (16 years) and as Deputy State Tuberculosis Control Officer in Arizona (12 years).

In response to ethical and moral issues within her work she sought additional training in bioethics. A Certification in Catholic Bioethics training was completed in 2006 with the National Catholic Bioethics Center (NCBC).

She currently serves on the 1st Way (a crisis pregnancy center) Board of Directors as Past President, Secretary for the Phoenix Diocesan Council of Catholic Women and Secretary for the Catholic Physicians Guild of Phoenix, and as Treasurer of the National Catholic Medical Association. She teaches with her husband in the RCIA program at Corpus Christi parish. She is married to Dr. Robert A. Moffitt; they have three children.