Dr. Benavidez grew up in Sacramento, California, and attended the University of California at Davis for his undergraduate degree in human physiology. He then moved to Boston to attend Harvard Medical School. Before completing his medical degree he obtained a Masters of Public Policy Degree  at the Harvard university Kennedy School of Government. He attended pediatric residency at the Boston combined residency program at Boston Children's Hospital/Boston Medical Center. After residency, he attended a cardiology fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital followed by a senior fellowship in noninvasive cardiac imaging. He then joined the cardiology faculty at Boston Children's Hospital for approximately nine years as an attending before moving to MassGeneral Hospital for Children where he is now Division Chief of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology. He is also the Medical Director for Diversity and Equity for the MassGeneral Hospital for Children. His clinical interests lie in advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging including fetal echocardiography cardiac MRI,  transesophageal echocardiography, three-dimensional echocardiography, and outpatient pediatric cardiology. Dr. Benavidez is involved with health services research and has published on topics related to patient safety and quality as it pertains to the care of patients with congenital heart disease. Dr. Benavidez also enjoys spending time with his wife who is the Chief of General Pediatrics at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children and coaching soccer for his two beautiful children.