Meet Dr. Charlene Borja, DO, Family Medicine Physician
At six years old, an age when some kids ponder the benefits of eating crayons, Dr. Charlene Borja found her life’s calling. She read a children’s book on Florence Nightingale and dreamed of someday becoming a healthcare provider. Her career path was set.
The daughter of Filipino immigrants, Dr. Borja grew up in the leafy suburb of Orangeburg, NY, 25-minutes north of Manhattan. Upon completing residency training, she practiced as a family medicine physician serving residents in rural Colorado. This unexpected path and experience would help shape the doctor she is today.
Dr. Borja has a calming presence. She’s welcoming, gracious and blessed with an ability to relate and empathize with the patients she treats.
Dr. Borja: After I graduated from residency, I had an opportunity to work there and that was the first time I learned what community really means. Patients would volunteer their family members to help fix something, invite me into their homes during the holidays. And I was so touched by that…It was a very special time in my life. I’m so grateful that Pagosa Springs taught me that sense of community and I’ve never lost that. I am instilled with those values and I really feel that it has enriched my practice.