UAFS to Host Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero Oct. 29

The UAFS Democracy Project will host Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero in a town hall at 11 a.m., Friday, October 29,  2021, in the Reynolds Room of the UAFS Campus Center. Attendees can also join virtually by registering at this link. This townhall is part of the UAFS Democracy Project’s Political Lion Series.

Dr. Romero has served as Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health since August 2020. In this role he serves as a member of the Governor’s cabinet and providing senior scientific and executive leadership for the agency.

Romero will discuss the complexities of the Arkansas Health Secretary’s position, his role in shaping health policy in the state of Arkansas, and the power young Arkansans have when they become involved in the political and health policy making processes in their state. He will also discuss the best health practices to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and answer audience questions.

Dr. Romero served as chairman of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) throughout much of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACIP provides advice and guidance to the Director of the CDC regarding use of vaccines and related agents for control of vaccine-preventable diseases in the civilian population of the United States, and is heavily involved in the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Romero previously served as Chief Medical Officer at the Arkansas Department of Health and was appointed as the interim Secretary of Health by Governor Asa Hutchinson in May 2020. He was Director of the Section of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the Arkansas Children’s Hospital from 2008-2020. He is also a Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at UAMS and has board-certification in Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

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