Jose Romero, M.D., professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) who also serves as the Arkansas Secretary of Health and director of the Arkansas Department of Health, recently received the Ohtli Award, the highest award given by the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs to persons residing outside of Mexico. Rodolfo Quilantan Arenas from the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock, who presented the award to Romero, said he received the award because of his relentless commitment to ensuring equal and free access to COVID-19 vaccines.
He attended medical school at the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (UAG) and had internships at Centro Medico Del Noroeste Program in Tijuana, Mexico and at SUNY at Stony Brook State University in New York.
In 2008, Dr. Romero moved to Arkansas to work as Director of the Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and served as Director of
Clinical Trials Research at Arkansas Children’s Research Institute from 2008 to 2019.
The name of the award comes from the Nahuatl word meaning “path,” alluding to the idea of opening a path for others. The OHTLI Award recognizes individuals who have aided, empowered or positively affected the lives of Mexican nationals in the United States and other countries.
Romero also is board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases. He is the immediate past chairman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is providing guidance nationally on the use of COVID-19 vaccine.
He previously served as chief medical officer at the Department of Health and was appointed as the interim Secretary of Health by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in July 2020. He was director of the Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s from 2008-2020.
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