Borderplex Baby Champion
A Champion for the Tiniest of Patients: Dr. Kris Nicole De Guzman Mendoza
Brings World-Class Neonatal Expertise to Our Borderplex
Dr. Kris Nicole De Guzman Mendoza’s medical journey took her across the globe, but it was El Paso that felt like home.
A board-certified pediatrician and neonatal care specialist, Dr. Mendoza earned her medical degree from the University of Santo Tomas in her home country of the Philippines. However, her residency at Texas Tech Health El Paso inspired her to build her life and career caring for newborns in our Borderplex.
After her residency at Texas Tech Health El Paso, she had one more professional goal to achieve: She traveled to Rochester, New York, to complete a three-year fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
A home at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso
Fellowship in hand, she came back to our Borderplex, joining Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso’s pediatric department in 2024. Dr. Mendoza is one of five neonatal pediatricians at TTP El Paso, and an attending neonatologist at El Paso Children’s Hospital, where she cares for the region’s most vulnerable newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICUs). She also serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Foster School of Medicine, training our future physicians.
"I learned that the people in our Borderplex are so welcoming, genuine, and grateful," said Dr. Mendoza, and added, "I knew I wanted to give back to this wonderful community, so I came back."
Dr. Mendoza is board certified in general pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics. During her educational journey, she received the Resident of the Year Award at Texas Tech Health El Paso for three consecutive years (2019-2021) and the ICARE Bronze Star from the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2022.
A quality improvement specialist
During the course of her career, Dr. Mendoza has been a leader and team member of several pediatric quality improvement projects. One project involved educating families with premature newborns in the NICU to become active partners in the care of their babies.
“We taught parents how to help their baby's brain and nervous system develop through simple yet powerful actions like skin-to-skin care (holding the baby directly against their chest), and giving the baby oral breastmilk swabs,” Dr. Mendoza said. “We are part of the High Risk Clinic at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso that sees our NICU graduates and there we continue to monitor their growth and development.”
Now the experience and talents of Dr. Mendoza are available for Borderplex families in need of world-class pediatric-neonatal care. To contact the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso at Alberta, visit ttpelpaso.com/departments/pediatrics.aspx or call 915-215-5700.
“My long-term goal is to provide the best care possible to the infants in our community,” Dr. Mendoza said.
About Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso
Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso is the clinical practice of the Foster School of Medicine. It’s the region’s largest multispecialty medical group practice, with over 250 specialists providing world-class patient care for the entire family at several locations across El Paso. The clinics also serve as the active learning space for Texas Tech Health El Paso resident physicians and students.
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso serves 108 counties in West Texas and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of health care heroes. Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a uniquely innovative destination for medical, nursing, biomedical sciences and dental education.
Focusing on excellence in health care education, research, and clinical service, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,600 professionals since 2013, including its first cohort of dental graduates in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.