Leadership Trailblazer Spotlight: José R. Romero, CDC Director of NCIRD
March 21, 2023 | ASTHO Staff
ASTHO is spotlighting public health trailblazers who are reshaping the world of public health. José R. Romero is among these remarkable leaders. In a conversation with ASTHO, Romero discusses his accomplishments as the former Arkansas secretary of health and his role as acting director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. He also shares tangible steps to increasing diversity in the public health workforce, reflecting on his own professional experience.
Transcript
Some answers have been edited for clarity.
What are you most proud of from your time as Arkansas’ health secretary?
There's not one single area, but I can tell you two or three areas I am very proud of. The first is that I headed a group of extremely dedicated public health professionals who dealt with COVID-19 at a local level—not just at the state level.
I'm also very proud of the work that was done by the health department to assure equitable access to vaccine in a rural state and get it to all areas of the state.
And, lastly, a personal accomplishment is that we managed to put before the legislature a bill making it part of the routine screening of pregnant women for hepatitis C. These women could then access treatment for hepatitis C, and more importantly for me as a pediatrician, we could identify infected babies and follow them through to treatment.
What tangible steps can leaders take to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion in public health?
I think I am an example of this, so let me go ahead and say what I believe is important here. To bring underrepresented minorities, ethnic and racial minorities, into public health, we as leaders need to reach out a hand to them.
I think my trajectory was an example of that. I was encouraged to apply for this position at CDC. I think that had this position come before my desk, I probably would’ve said, “Hey, that’s really interesting. I wonder who will get that job.” I wasn’t even considering myself as a candidate.
If we want to get more diversity and equity in public health and recruit more racial and ethnic minorities, it is up to us to reach out and encourage the application of individuals for these positions. That way, we can select individuals most appropriate for the position and increase the ranks of diversity in public health.
Why is it important to form a diverse workforce in public health?
So, taking those steps allows us to form this diverse workforce that can reach out and resonate with the population we serve across the United States. Each of us has a unique experience that relates to the populations that we come from, both ethnic and racial minorities and urban versus rural. By increasing that diversity in our workforce, we can better serve our populations across the United States.
What about your role continues to surprise or excite you?
As someone who has been in this role for barely five months, I think everything in this role still excites and surprises me. Every day I come to work and learn something new or surprising.
As a physician, we can impact the lives of 100,000 people if we're really, really lucky. When I became the secretary of health for Arkansas, I realized that my decisions would impact the lives of three million people in the state. And now, through this position at CDC, I can influence the healthcare and health of several hundred million people in the United States. It's a wonderful escalation of my sole desire to become a physician—that is, to help people. I probably couldn't get into medical school today because I couldn't write a good essay other than to say I just want to help people.