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Rafael Rodríguez Mercado

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Rafael Rodríguez Mercado
Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico
In office
January 2, 2017 – March 13, 2020
GovernorRicardo Rosselló
Wanda Vázquez Garced
Preceded byAna Ríus Armendáriz
Succeeded byConcepción Quiñones de Longo (interim)
Lorenzo González Feliciano
Personal details
Born1961
Ponce, Puerto Rico
Children1
Alma materUniversity of Puerto Rico (B.S.)
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (M.D.)
State University of New York at Buffalo
Colegio San Conrado
OccupationNeurosurgeon
ProfessionPhysician
Military service
AllegianceUnited States United States of America
Branch/service United States Army Reserve
Rank Colonel
UnitCommand Surgeon 1st Mission Support Command

Rafael Rodríguez Mercado is a Puerto Rican neurosurgeon and military officer. He was the Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico from 2017 until his resignation in 2020. Rodríguez Mercado previously served as chancellor of the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus.

Early life and education

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Rodríguez Mercado was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[1] He graduated from High School at Colegio San Conrado.[2] Rodríguez Mercado earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico, and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, and completing a Residency in Neurological Surgery. He completed studies in Endovascular Neurosurgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo.[3]

Academic career

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Rodríguez Mercado was the first to practice Endovascular Neurosurgery in Puerto Rico since 1997. Currently (2018) he is Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and director of the Endovascular Neurosurgery Program of that institution. He also leads the same program at ASEM Stroke Medical Center and, since 2001, is the director of the Fellows Training Program in Neuroendovascular Surgery at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine. There, he has trained physicians from many countries in this specialty as well had lecture conferences in many countries and published papers in peer review journals.[citation needed]

Rodríguez Mercado is a member of 15 international medical societies and has participated in several scientific research projects. Currently (2018) he is licensed to practice medicine in New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico.[citation needed]

In 2010, after a year as Interim Chancellor at the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, he was named Chancellor of the Medical Sciences Campus of The University of Puerto Rico. In January 2017, Ricardo Rosselló, Governor of Puerto Rico, appointed Rodríguez Mercado as Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico.[4] In September 2017, he was appointed as Associate Professor of Surgery initially and them promoted in February 2019 to Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. In April 2019, was appointed Professor of Surgery at Ponce Health Sciences University as part of his academic and military career.[citation needed]

Rodríguez Mercado is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurological Surgeons.[3]

Military career

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Rodríguez Mercado began his military career in 1988. He served in the United States Army Reserve, Medical Corps, as Command Surgeon in the 1st Mission Support Command at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico. He served in Puerto Rico National Guard as Assistant Surgeon and Field Surgeon at Camp Santiago. He was from 2000 to 2006 also a staff neurosurgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Brooke Army Medical Center. He was Commander of the 369th Army Reserve Hospital Surgical Unit. Currently (2017), he was Associate Professor of Surgery and promoted in February 2019 to Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Bethesda, Maryland on an IMA position. In 2022 he received the Legion of Merit medal.[5]

Military decorations

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A light blue ribbon with five white five pointed stars
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze star
1 Legion of Merit
2 Meritorious Service Medal Army Commendation Medal
with three bronze oak leaf clusters 		Army Achievement Medal
with one silver oak leaf cluster
3 Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal National Defense Service Medal
with one bronze service stars 		Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
4 Armed Forces Reserve Medal
with bronze Hourglass Device 		Army Service Ribbon Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon

Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico

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On 12 January 2017, he was appointed as 22nd Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico by Governor Ricardo Rosselló. His tenure as Health Secretary was marred with criticism over the Health Department's handling of mayor emergencies which affected Puerto Rico such as Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria,[6] the 2020 earthquakes[7] and the agency's botched handling of the COVID-19 outbreak[8] as well as questionable Health Department contracts given to people associated with the governor's political campaign.[9]

COVID-19 Outbreak Response

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As COVID-19 cases were increasing in other states and countries, Rodríguez Mercado seemingly downplayed the urgency of the situation stating that the probability of a COVID-19 outbreak in Puerto Rico was unlikely.[10][11][12][13] As suspected COVID-19 cases on the island grew, the agency resisted performing tests and sending them to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by setting a high bar on whom the tests should be performed. In one particular instance, an island doctor managed to convince the agency to test a patient only after pleading with CBS reporter David Begnaud @DavidBegnaud (March 8, 2020). "Puerto Rican Doctor says department of health refuses to test patient which doctor believes has signs of coronavirus" (Tweet) – via Twitter., after the Health agency denied requests to test his patient.[14]

Resignation

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On March 13, 2020, under public pressure and at the behest of governor Wanda Vázquez Garced, he immediately resigned to the position of Secretary of Health. His resignation came after the confirmation of several cases of COVID-19 on the island which included the case the agency had initially resisted on testing,[15][16] as well as findings that the test samples were sent later than had been publicly announced, and that there had been documentation errors that caused subsequent delays in reporting.[17] He was succeeded by interim secretary Concepción Quiñones de Longo.[18][19]

Personal life

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Rodríguez Mercado is married to medical technologist, Wanda Santiago Pimentel. He has one son.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Panelist Biographies" (PDF). Kaiser Family Foundation. March 2018.
  2. ^ Conferenciantes: Sr. Rafael Rodríguez Mercado, MD, FAANS, FACS, Rector Recinto de Ciencias Médicas de la UPR, 2009-2013 y Stroke Center Director. Cumbre Empresa Privada, Gobierno y Academia. Cámara de Comercio de Puerto Rico. 2013. Accessed 21 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Biography" (PDF). Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce.
  4. ^ Article in “Noticel”
  5. ^ "1st MSC Command Surgeon nominated as Secretary of Health for Puerto Rico".
  6. ^ "Rafael Rodríguez Mercado: el secretario ausente".
  7. ^ "Puerto Rico sin coordinar respuesta masiva de trauma ante riesgo de nuevos terremotos".
  8. ^ "Puerto Rico no ha enviado ni una sola prueba de coronavirus a los CDC".
  9. ^ "Millones a diestra y siniestra en Salud para vinculados a los estrategas de campaña de Rosselló Nevares".
  10. ^ "Salud asegura que es poco probable que el coronavirus llegue a la isla".
  11. ^ "Salud no espera llegada del coronavirus".
  12. ^ "Noticel: Piden la renuncia del Secretario de Salud tras expresiones sobre coronavirus".
  13. ^ "Metro: Piden la renuncia del secretario de Salud".
  14. ^ "Salud hará prueba a paciente del doctor Cabanillas con síntomas de coronavirus".
  15. ^ "Renuncia el Secretario de Salud".
  16. ^ "Gobernadora acepta renuncia del secretario de Salud".
  17. ^ "Pruebas de coronavirus en PR fueron enviadas tarde al CDC".
  18. ^ "Renuncia la secretaria interina de Salud, Concepción Quiñones de Longo". Telemundo Puerto Rico (in Spanish). March 26, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  19. ^ Serrano-Román, Angélica (March 27, 2020). "PR Went Through 3 Health Secretaries This Month As COVID-19 Spread; Chief Epidemiologist Resigns". CT News Junkie. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
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