Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir

Contents

Fernando Gonzalez (born 1960) is an American medical doctor, physician and surgeon, board certified in urology.[1] He is also referred to as Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir, especially in Spanish-speaking countries. He was educated at Harvard University and Northwestern University, with residency training at New York University Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital,[2][3] and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[4][5][6] In the medical profession, he is best known for teaching and demonstrating novel surgical and treatment techniques for caring for patients with prostate cancer, in particular brachytherapy, to his Latin American colleagues. Beyond the medical profession, he is best known for his support and advocacy of Jaime Laredo as a cultural ambassador and of the National Geographic Society as a promoter of exploration and protector of Earth's wilderness areas.

Early life and education

Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir was born in La Paz, Bolivia in 1960. He was named after Fernán González of Castile. His parents were Walter González González, a civil engineer, and Nelly Sfeir de Gonzalez (nee Nelly Sfeir Cabero), a lawyer. On his father's side, he is of Spanish and Quechua descent; on his mother's side, he is of Lebanese, Spanish and Quechua descent. He has four brothers. Gonzalez and his family have expressed pride in being partly descended from Inca nobility.[7] His early schooling was at the American Cooperative School of La Paz (Colegio Calvert).[8]

His family emigrated to the United States in 1967 during a time of Bolivian political instability. The family settled in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where Gonzalez attended elementary school.[9] Gonzalez's family returned to La Paz, Bolivia in 1974. During one school year in Bolivia, Gonzalez attended the Colegio LaSalle, at the time an all-boys school of the De La Salle Brothers, a Roman Catholic teaching order.[10][11]

In 1977, Gonzalez graduated from Champaign Centennial H.S. (Illinois), where he was a National Merit Scholar[12][13] and a US national prize winner, 1977 "Century III Leaders" sponsored by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.[14][15][16][17] During his high school years, he played on the varsity tennis team,[18][19] winning team conference[20] and district titles[21] as a sophomore and serving as team captain as a senior.

Gonzalez attended Harvard University's Harvard College from 1977 to 1981, graduating in June 1981 with an A.B. in biology. During his freshman year, Gonzalez lived at Holworthy Hall and during his sophomore year he lived at South House in the Radcliffe Quadrangle (Harvard). For his final two years, he lived at Leverett House.[22] Gonzalez concentrated in biology during college but had a secondary in folklore and mythology.[23] Gonzalez's father Walter Gonzalez Gonzalez died from pancreatic cancer on October 17, 1979, during the first semester of his junior year of college.[24] This reinforced Gonzalez's determination to pursue a career in medicine.[25]

Gonzalez attended the School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois from 1981 to 1985.[26][27][28]At medical school, Gonzalez was mentored by Dr. John T. Grayhack,[29] a "world-renowned physician surgeon, researcher and scholar."[30] Gonzalez has been quoted as saying that "I was able to learn from him and admire him--not just as a teacher but as a doctor--and just as a wonderful human being. He really opened my eyes as someone I could aspire to be."[31]

Medical residency

Gonzalez was a medical resident at the New York University Medical Center from 1985-1991. From 1985-1987 he was a resident in general surgery; from 1987-1991 he was a resident in urology. His training included work at Bellevue Hospital and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[32] Published accounts reference a couple of noteworthy examples of patients expressing their gratitude for care they received from Gonzalez. In one case, a Nobel laureate gifts to Gonzalez an autographed copy of his most well-known book dedicated to Gonzalez; in another case, the grateful patient is a Bolivian immigrant who owns a restaurant in Queens and refuses to take payment from Gonzalez for a meal after he recognizes him as his medical doctor.[33]

Career

Gonzalez was a keynote speaker at the V Congress of the American Confederation of Urology ("Confederacion Americana de Urologia") held at La Paz, Bolivia on March 18-20, 1999.[34][35] He demonstrated for his Bolivian and Latin American colleagues advanced surgical techniques, especially with respect to brachytherapy for prostate cancer.[36] Gonzalez was licensed to practice medicine in Illinois,[37] Indiana[38] and New Mexico.[39] Gonzalez is a peer reviewer for articles on surgery and urology for the Journal of the National Hispanic Medical Association.[40] Gonzalez is a member Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, headquartered in London, England.[41] Gonzalez has been a benefactor to the Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, and Solidarity Bridge, Inc., an Illinois not-for-profit that provides free surgical care and training to underserved communities in Bolivia and Paraguay.[42]

Advocacy

Gonzalez has been an advocate for the international recognition of the Bolivian-born violin virtuoso Jaime Laredo. In January 2026, he authored a commentary in the Bolivian newspaper El Diario (La Paz) describing Laredo as a "most excellent cultural ambassador of the Bolivia Brand," and calling for the Bolivian foreign ministry to launch a diplomatic initiative to support the nomination of Laredo for the 2026 Princess of Asturias Prize in the Arts.[43] On December 24, 2025, Gonzalez visited Laredo in the green room of Carnegie Hall following Laredo's farewell concert of Mozart compositions.[44]

Gonzalez, together with his brother Javier, supported the campaign to obtain international recognition for the Club de Tenis La Paz (La Paz, Bolivia) on its centenary (1925–2025).[45][46]

Gonzalez has a long-standing relationship with The National Geographic Society, being a member of the Grosvenor Council.[47] On June 16–18, 2026, Gonzalez was a guest of honor of the National Geographic Society for the unveiling of its new Museum of Exploration.[48]

Gonzalez is also a benefactor of the "Premio a la Excelencia Academica Ing. Walter Gonzalez" at the Universidad Mayor de San Andres[49][50] and the Colegio La Salle, La Paz, Bolivia.[51]

Personal life

Gonzalez's godson is Rhodes Scholar and Stanford-educated mathematician and statistician Xavier Gonzalez Smith,[52][53][54] who works in the field of Artificial Intelligence in Silicon Valley.

Gonzalez is a naturalized US citizen, who has expressed his gratitude to, and admiration for, the United States of America in connection with the Sesquicentennial in 2026.[55] He has native fluency in English and Spanish, and he studied German in high school.[56] A Roman Catholic, he is also a member of the Order of Saint Sharbel (Saint Charbel Makhlouf).[57].

Family tradition in medicine

Fernando Gonzalez-Sfeir comes from a family with a history in medicine.[58] His mother's great grandfather was Dr. Salvador Cabero Rollano (Tiquipaya), one of the founders of the first general hospital in Cochabamba, Bolivia, the Hospital Clinico Viedma (1880-1884).[59] A maternal uncle was Dr. Jorge Cavero Ugarte, a founding member of the Bolivian American Medical Society.[60] In the early 1990s, the Bolivian American Medical Society received the Order of the Condor of the Andes award from the then president of Bolivia Jaime Paz Zamora.[61] Gonzalez's older brother Walter Ramiro Gonzalez Sfeir, educated at the University of Seville (Spain ), was an intensivist.[62][63]

References

  1. 1."Physician Verification – American Board of Urology". American Board of Urology. Retrieved September 16, 2025. search result for Fernando Gonzalez indicates certification in Urology.
  2. 2.Frusciano, Thomas J.; Pettit, Marilyn H. (1997). New York University and the City: An Illustrated History. Rutgers University Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-8135-2347-7.
  3. 3.Carlisle, Robert J. (1893). An Account of Bellevue Hospital: With a Catalogue of the Medical and Surgical Staff from 1736 to 1894. Society of the Alumni of Bellevue Hospital. pp. 1–17.
  4. 4.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 annos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper.
  5. 5."Fernando Gonzalez-Sfeir, 40 anos de excelencia medica" [Fernando Gonzalez-Sfeir, 40 years of medical excellence] (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia: El Diario newspaper. August 6, 2025.
  6. 6."El Club de Tenis La Paz ya tiene su ladrillo en el "paseo de la fama" del Tenis Internacional" [The La Paz Tennis Club now has its brick on the "walk way of fame" at International Tennis Hall of Fame]. El Diario newspaper (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. August 22, 2025. Los hermanos Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir (medico cirujano urologo) y Javier Gonzalez Sfeir (abogado de empresas), ambos jubilados, de visita en el Casino de Newport, cuna del tenis de los Estados Unidos y sede del Museo del Salon de Honor del Tenis Internacional ("International Tennis Hall of Fame")
  7. 7."Class Notes: Class of 1980 Javier Gonzalez-Sfeir". Harvard Magazine. Vol. 127, no. 5. May–June 2025. p. 60D – via magazine collection of Widener Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. the Inka citadel of Machu Picchu is a world heritage site on the 'must-see' list of most cosmopolitan travelers, regardless of national origin. For my brother Fernando '81 and me, however, Machu Picchu is doubly important, as we are partly descended from Inka nobility. Thus, it was the trip of a lifetime for us to join a Harvard Alumni Travel Tour in June 2024 to Cuzco, the Sacred Valle of the Inka, and Machu Picchu.
  8. 8.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 annos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper. Fernando Gonzalez tambien mostro aptitud sobresaliente para el estudio academico desde temprana edad. Sus primeros anos de primaria estaban a cargo del Colegio Calvert de Calacoto, en La Paz. Hizo un ano de secundaria en el Colegio La Salle de La Paz en 1974. David del Campo era el Hermano Director y El Hermano Jose Antonio Diez de Medina fue su profesor de matematicas. En 1977, egreso de secundaria del Champaign Centennial H.S. (Illinois), donde recibio varios honores academicos tal como el prestigioso National Merit Scholar (por altisimo puntaje en los examenes PSAT y SAT -- 99.5%) y en 1977 el premio nacional "Century III Leaders" con su ensayo sobre nuevas tecnologias para generar electricidad tal como solar y eolica. Estos honores le abrieron la puerta de Harvard University, de la cual se recibio en con el titulo de A.B. Biologia cum laude, promocion de 1981. [Fernando Gonzalez also showed outstanding aptitude for academic study from an early age. His first years of primary school were at Calvert School in Calacoto, La Paz. He completed one year of secondary school at La Salle School of La Paz in 1974. Brother David del Campo was the Head of School and Brother Jose Antonio Diez de Medina was his mathematics teacher. In 1977, he graduated froom Champaign Centennial H.S. (Illinois), where he received various academic honors such as the prestigious National Merit Scholar (for his very high scores on the PSAT and SAT -- 99.5%) and in 1977 the national prize "Century III Leaders" for his essay on new technologies for generating electricity such as solar and wind. These honors opened the doors of Harvard University for him, form which institution he graduated A.B. Biology cum laude, class of 1981.]
  9. 9.Sarah Bush Lincoln (September 6, 2019). "Welcome Urologist Fernando Gonzalez, MD". Sarah Bush Lincoln News. Retrieved September 16, 2025. I was actually born in Bolivia, but I was raised in Champaign-Urbana
  10. 10."El Coliseo de Roma en LEGO" [Rome's Coliseum in LEGO blocks] (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia: El Diario newspaper. May 17, 2024. El modelo fue una donacion al colegio de los ex-alumnos Fernando y Javier Gonzalez Sfeir, que se inspiraron luego de una reciente visita navidena a la "Ciudad Eterna". Los hermanos Gonzalez Sfeir fueron estudiantes La Sallistas precisamente hace 50 anos. [The model was a donation to the school from the alumni Fernando and Javier Gonzalez Sfeir, who were inspired to make the donation following a recent Christmastime visit to the "Eternal City". The brothers Gonzalez Sfeir were students at La Salle exactly 50 years ago.]
  11. 11."Hno. David del Campo Calzada, nota necrologica" [Brother David del Campo Calzada, obituary] (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia: El Diario newspaper. October 24, 2025. A finales de marzo de 1974, cuando el ano escolar ya estaba en marcha, [el Hno. David del Campo Calzada] acogio a dos hermanos provenientes de Illinois, EEUU, que no encontraban cupo en cualquier otro colegio privado de la ciudad de La Paz, cumpliendo asi la ensenanza de nuestro senor Jesu Cristo: Mateo 25:35 "Fui forastero, y me recibisteis." [At the end of March 1974, when the school year had already begun, Brother David del Campo Calzada welcomed two brothers arriving from Illinois, USA, who could not find a place at any other private school in the city of La Paz, following in this way the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ: Mathew 25:35 "I was a foreigner and you welcomed me"]
  12. 12."Scholarship Finalists". Champaign, Illinois: Champaign-Urbana News Gazette. March 11, 1977. p. local news.
  13. 13.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 annos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper.
  14. 14.Century III Leaders National Meeting. Century III Leaders Scholarship Program. Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia: National Association of Secondary School Principals, Office of Student Activities. March 24–28, 1977.
  15. 15.Program for the National Meeting of the Century III Leaders. Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia: National Association of Secondary School Principals, Office of Student Activities. March 24–28, 1977.
  16. 16."Gonzalez Finalist in Competition". Champaign, Illinois: Champaign-Urbana News Gazette. May 7, 1977. p. local news.
  17. 17.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 annos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper.
  18. 18.Van Antwerp, Mike (May 9, 1975). "Centennial netters are district pick". The Courier. Champaign-Urbana, IL. p. 15.
  19. 19."Centennial Spring Sports Honored – Boys' Tennis". Champaign, Illinois: Champaign-Urbana News Gazette. May 21, 1977. p. sports.
  20. 20."Charger Tennis Team Captures Capitol Title". Champaign, Illinois: Champaign-Urbana News Gazette. May 21, 1975. p. sports. Centennial's number two doubles team of Tim Iben and Fernando Gonzalez contributed two key points with an upset victory over a team from Springfield Lamphier in the first round.
  21. 21."Centennial Wins District Tennis Title". Champaign, Illinois: Champaign-Urbana News Gazette. May 11, 1975. p. sports.
  22. 22."Class Notes: Class of 1981 Fernando Gonzalez". Harvard Magazine. Vol. 129, no. 7. September–October 2025. p. 56F. Fernando Gonzalez returned to Harvard on June 6 [2025]to attend the Alumni Day celebrations and took the opportunity to donate to Leverett House a vintage print of a mountain vizcacha from Potosi, Bolivia. Gonzalez first encountered these rabbit-like creatures on a past journey to the Salar de Uyuni (the largest salt flat in the world) and the Laguna Colorada (summer home of the Andean pink flamingo).
  23. 23."Class Notes: Class of 1981". Harvard Magazine. Vol. 128, no. 6. July–August 2025. p. 56D. Now, older and grayer, I was fortunate to have the opportunity (a sixty-fifth birthday gift from my brother Javier '80) to reprise the intellectual and spiritual journey in search of the Greek hero-but this time actually walking along the sacred ways of Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, and the Acropolis of Athens, guided by the ever-youthful and timeless Prof. Nagy (or, 'Prof. Greg,' as he prefers to be addressed)
  24. 24."Centenario Natalicio del Ing. Walter Gonzalez" [Centennial of the Birth of Ing. Walter Gonzalez]. Opinion newspaper (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  25. 25."National Geographic Society rinde homenaje postumo al Ing. Walter Gonzalez" [National Geographic Society pays posthumous homage to Engineer Walter Gonzalez]. El Diario newspaper. La Paz, Bolivia. Segun Fernando, "mi padre es mi heroe, dedique mi vida profesional a la medicina para curar a los enfermos, en gran parte porque mi papa murio demasiado joven de cancer." [According to Fernando, "my father is my hero, and I dedicated my professional life to medicne in order to heal the sick, in great measure because my father died much too young of cancer"]
  26. 26.Sarah Bush Lincoln (September 6, 2019). "Welcome Urologist Fernando Gonzalez, MD". Sarah Bush Lincoln News. Retrieved September 16, 2025. After graduating from Harvard University, Dr. Gonzalez earned his medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, where he discovered an interest in urology. "I had the privilege of meeting one of the fathers of urology, Dr. John Grayhack, and who also had a strong interest in teaching," Dr. Gonzalez said. "I was able to learn from him and admire him--not just as a teacher but as a doctor--and just as a wonderful human being. He really opened my eyes as someone I could aspire to be."
  27. 27."Fernando Gonzalez-Sfeir, 40 anos de excelencia medica" [Fernando Gonzalez-Sfeir, 40 years of medical excellence] (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia: El Diario newspaper. August 6, 2025.
  28. 28.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 annos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper. Son primos hermanos, ambos nacidos en La Paz, pero de padres con raices en Cochabamba que emigraron a los EEUU al final de la decada de 1960. Fueron companeros de curso, promocion 1985, de la prestigiosa facultad de medicina de la Northwestern University de la ciudad de Chicago, estado de Illinois, de EEUU. Segun la revista U.S. News & World Report, la facultad de medicina de Northwestern University es una institucion top-20 de los EEUU. [They are first cousins, both born in La Paz, but with parents with roots in Cochabamba who emigrated de the USA toward the end of the decade of 1960. They were classmates, class of 1985, of the prestigious school of medicine of Northwestern University in the city of Chicago, state of Illinois, in the USA. According to the magazine U.S. News & World Report, the school of medicine of Northwestern University is a top-20 institution in the USA.]
  29. 29.Sarah Bush Lincoln (September 6, 2019). "Welcome Urologist Fernando Gonzalez, MD". Sarah Bush Lincoln News. Retrieved September 16, 2025. After graduating from Harvard University, Dr. Gonzalez earned his medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, where he discovered an interest in urology. "I had the privilege of meeting one of the fathers of urology, Dr. John Grayhack, and who also had a strong interest in teaching," Dr. Gonzalez said. "I was able to learn from him and admire him--not just as a teacher but as a doctor--and just as a wonderful human being. He really opened my eyes as someone I could aspire to be."
  30. 30."John Thomas Grayhack, 1923–2012". European Association of Urology. August 23, 2012.
  31. 31.Sarah Bush Lincoln (September 6, 2019). "Welcome Urologist Fernando Gonzalez, MD". Sarah Bush Lincoln News. Retrieved September 16, 2025. After graduating from Harvard University, Dr. Gonzalez earned his medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, where he discovered an interest in urology. "I had the privilege of meeting one of the fathers of urology, Dr. John Grayhack, and who also had a strong interest in teaching," Dr. Gonzalez said. "I was able to learn from him and admire him--not just as a teacher but as a doctor--and just as a wonderful human being. He really opened my eyes as someone I could aspire to be."
  32. 32."NYU Langone Health Once Again Holds the Most No. 1-Ranked Specialties in the Nation in 'U.S. News & World Report' Rankings". nyulangone.org. August 4, 2026.
  33. 33.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 anos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper.
  34. 34.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 annos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper.
  35. 35."Un interesante curso internacional de urologia se realiza en esta ciudad" [An interesting international symposium on urology is taking place in this city] (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia: El Diario newspaper. March 19, 1999. p. 8. El Dr. Fernando Gonzalez, que trajo la representacion de EEUU a este evento medico, hizo una amplia explicacion sobre la Braquiterapia en cancer de prostata. Tambien dio a conocer detalles relacionados con la cura preventiva de este mal y los metodos que se deben emplear. [Dr. Fernando Gonzalez, who represented the US at this medical conference, gave a comprehensive presentation on the use of Brachytherapy in [the treatment of] prostate cancer. In addition, he made known particulars about the prevention of this malady and the methods that need to be employed.]
  36. 36."Un interesante curso internacional de urologia se realiza en esta ciudad" [An interesting international symposium on urology is taking place in this city] (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia: El Diario newspaper. March 19, 1999. p. 8. El Dr. Fernando Gonzalez, que trajo la representacion de EEUU a este evento medico, hizo una amplia explicacion sobre la Braquiterapia en cancer de prostata. Tambien dio a conocer detalles relacionados con la cura preventiva de este mal y los metodos que se deben emplear. [Dr. Fernando Gonzalez, who represented the US at this medical conference, gave a comprehensive presentation on the use of Brachytherapy in [the treatment of] prostate cancer. In addition, he made known particulars about the prevention of this malady and the methods that need to be employed.]
  37. 37.Sarah Bush Lincoln (September 6, 2019). "Welcome Urologist Fernando Gonzalez, MD". Sarah Bush Lincoln News. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  38. 38."Fernando Gonzalez, MD, Urologist". Today's Nurse. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  39. 39."Fernando Gonzalez, MD, Urologist in Rio Rancho, NM". MD.com. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  40. 40."Journal of the National Hispanic Medical Association". nhmamd.org.
  41. 41."Class Notes: Class of 1981 Fernando Gonzalez". Harvard Magazine. Vol. 128, no. 2. November–December 2025. On a recent trip to London, England, I was fortunate to attend a symposium at the Royal Society of Medicine. The motto of the institution caught my eye NON EST VIVERE SED VALERE VITA
  42. 42."Solidarity Bridge". solidaritybridge.org.
  43. 43.Gonzalez-Sfeir, Fernando (January 10, 2026). "Jaime Laredo, excelentisimo embajador cultural de la Marca Bolivia" [Jaime Laredo, most excellent cultural ambassador of the Bolivia Brand]. El Diario newspaper (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  44. 44."Bolivia en el mundo: el maestro Jaime Laredo en Carnegie Hall" [Bolivia in the world: maestro Jaime Laredo at Carnegie Hall]. El Diario newspaper (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. January 10, 2026. Retrieved May 23, 2026. Los hermanos Fernando y Javier Gonzalez Sfeir con el maestro Jaime Laredo en su camarin luego de su concierto de despedida como director de la New York String Orchestra [The brothers Fernando and Javier Gonzalez Sfeir with maestro Jaime Laredo backstage after his farewell concert as conductor of the New York String Orchestra]
  45. 45."El Club de Tenis La Paz ya tiene su ladrillo en el "paseo de la fama" del Tenis Internacional" [The La Paz Tennis Club now has its brick on the "walk way of fame" at International Tennis Hall of Fame]. El Diario newspaper (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. August 22, 2025. Los hermanos Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir (medico cirujano urologo) y Javier Gonzalez Sfeir (abogado de empresas), ambos jubilados, de visita en el Casino de Newport, cuna del tenis de los Estados Unidos y sede del Museo del Salon de Honor del Tenis Internacional ("International Tennis Hall of Fame")
  46. 46."Tenis Internacional felicita al Club de Tenis La Paz en su primer centenario: Avenida Arce 1925-La Florida 2025" [International Tennis congratulates de La Paz Tennis Club on the occasion of its centennial]. El Diario newspaper (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. August 15, 2025.
  47. 47."Annual Report 2022" (PDF). National Geographic Society. 2022. p. 76. Retrieved 2025-09-09.
  48. 48."National Geographic Society rinde homenaje postumo al Ing. Walter Gonzalez" [National Geographic Society pays posthumous homage to Engineer Walter Gonzalez]. El Diario newspaper. La Paz, Bolivia. Como invitados de honor para la inauguracion del nuevo museo y homenaje postumo al Ing. Walter Gonzalez estuvieron presentes dos de sus cinco hijos, ...Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir y ...Javier Gonzalez Sfeir [As guests of honor for the inauguration of the new museum and posthumous homage to engineer Walter Gonzalez were present two of his five sons, ... Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir and ... Javier Gonzalez Sfeir]
  49. 49.Jaldin, Marcelo (November 13, 2022). "Premio Walter Gonzalez: la Excelencia Académica de Ingenieria Civil" [Walter Gonzalez Prize: Academic Excellence in Civil Engineering]. La Razon (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  50. 50."Fruto de un amor que continua a florecer despues de la muerte" [Fruit of a love that continues to grow after death]. El Diario newspaper (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. November 6, 2024. Desde 1994, el Premio Ing. Walter Gonzalez se concedio ininterrumpidamente durante mas de 30 annos. Entre los presentadores del premio se encuentran...Fernando Gonzalez...
  51. 51."El Coliseo de Roma en LEGO" [Rome's Coliseum in LEGO blocks] (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia: El Diario newspaper. May 17, 2024. El modelo fue una donacion al colegio de los ex-alumnos Fernando y Javier Gonzalez Sfeir, que se inspiraron luego de una reciente visita navidena a la "Ciudad Eterna". Los hermanos Gonzalez Sfeir fueron estudiantes La Sallistas precisamente hace 50 anos. [The model was a donation to the school from the alumni Fernando and Javier Gonzalez Sfeir, who were inspired to make the donation following a recent Christmastime visit to the "Eternal City". The brothers Gonzalez Sfeir were students at La Salle exactly 50 years ago.]
  52. 52.Goldman, Aaron (November 19, 2017). "Rhodes Scholars had help along the way--4 Harvard winners note support of mentors, classmates, family in pursuit of Oxford dreams". The Harvard Gazette. Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  53. 53.Ellis, Lindsay (November 20, 2017). "Native Houstonian Xavier Gonzalez named Rhodes scholar". Chronicle. Houston, Texas.
  54. 54."Xavier Gonzalez gana premio Ingram Olkin de Stanford University" [Xavier Gonzalez wins Ingram Olkin Prize of Stanford University]. El Diario newspaper (in Spanish). La Paz, Bolivia. July 1, 2026. Xavier Gonzalez con su padrino Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir [Xavier Gonzalez with his godfather Fernando Gonzalez Sfeir]
  55. 55."America at 250—retired Carle Clinic physician Dr. Fernando Gonzalez". The News-Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. July 7, 2026. p. B-3. I am an American by choice and conviction who believes in the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." I have great gratitude to our country. I owe my life to great medical care I received at hospitals in Danville and Urbana [Illinois] after I suffered cerebral hemorrhaging and went in to a coma several years ago (I was 20 minutes from death). During my 40-year career as a medical doctor, I saved numerous lives. And then, other doctors saved my life. I thank God for our excellent medical system. May it always be so.
  56. 56.Sarah Bush Lincoln (September 6, 2019). "Welcome Urologist Fernando Gonzalez, MD". Sarah Bush Lincoln News. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
  57. 57."The Order of Saint Sharbel New Members" (PDF). The Maronite Voice. Vol. 21, no. 4. Brooklyn, NY: Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn. July–August 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  58. 58.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 annos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper. Los primos hermanos Sfeir Cabero continuan y renuevan la tradición medica de la familia. En total, 7 de los 17 nietos de Emilio Sfeir y Maria Cabero son médicos y una es enfermera [The Sfeir Cabero first cousins continue and renew the family medical tradition. In total, 7 of the 17 grandchildren of Emilio Sfeir and Maria Cabero are medical doctors and one is a nurse]
  59. 59.Del Valle, Galeno (August 6, 2025). "Nietos del matrimonio Sfeir Cabero, primos hermanos festejan 40 anos de carrera medica" [Grandchildren of the Sfeir Cabero marriage, brother cousins celebrate 40 years in the medical profession] (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia: Opinion newspaper. El abuelo paterno de Maria Cabero fue Salvador Cavero Rollano, uno de los medicos fundadores del primer hospital general de Cochabamba, el Hospital Clinico Viedma (comienzo de construccion en 1880, inauguracion en 1884). [The paternal grandfather of Maria Cabero was Salvador Cavero Rollano, one of the medical doctors who founded the first general hospital in Cochabamba, the Hospital Clinico Viedma (beginning of construction in 1880 and completion in 1884]
  60. 60.Cavero, Raleigh. "Our Latino Heritage: Why Chicago Became Home to Many Bolivian Doctors". Latino Reports. NBC News.
  61. 61.Cavero, Raleigh. "Our Latino Heritage: Why Chicago Became Home to Many Bolivian Doctors". Latino Reports. NBC News.
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