Board of Directors
Dr. Frinny Polanco, M.D., M.P.H.
Board Member
Dr. Frinny Polanco is a dedicated Pediatrician and Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine specialist with a deep commitment to health equity and community empowerment. She currently serves as the Medical Director at Bowdoin Street Health Center and as Faculty Assistant Director at the Harvard Medical School Office for Culture and Community Engagement.
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Boston, Dr. Polanco proudly identifies as Afro-Latina. Her journey in medicine and advocacy began at Brown University and continued through a prestigious Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellowship in Washington, D.C., where she worked on health policy initiatives impacting underserved communities. She later conducted research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focusing on increasing minority participation in clinical trials.
Dr. Polanco earned her medical degree from New York Medical College, completed her Pediatrics residency at Tufts Medical Center, and specialized in Adolescent Medicine through a fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also holds a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, earned through the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy.
Her professional experience includes leadership roles with the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services and ABCD Health Services. Her areas of focus include antiracism education for healthcare professionals, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and policy advocacy to improve healthcare access for Latino and other marginalized communities.
A passionate advocate, educator, and clinician, Dr. Polanco brings her lived experience and professional expertise to the mission of Somos Amigos. Outside of her work, she enjoys dancing to Latin music, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her two children.