Rafael Rodriguez Mercado MD, Neurocirujano

Since 1997, 24 years ago dedicated to Endovascular Neurosurgery, he obtained a bachelor's degree in Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), Rio Piedras Campus, and a doctorate in Medicine at the School of Medicine of the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus. As a student, she received research and student leadership awards, as well as recognition from the House of Representatives in 1988. After completing his graduate studies, he trained for seven years at the UPR School of Medicine until he obtained a specialty in Neurosurgery.

He then obtained a subspecialty in endovascular neurosurgery at New York University. In September 2017, he was appointed Associate Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences of the Armed Forces of the United States.

With this appointment, he joined the faculty of this prestigious military university. Until then, he held the position of Commander of the United States Army Reserve in Puerto Rico, first mission support command, a military force to which he has belonged since 1988. He is an attending physician as a neurosurgeon at Walter Reed Medical Hospital and Brooke Army Medical Center. His life has been surrounded by excellence and achievement. His Endovascular Surgery program is recognized worldwide.

In addition, due to his qualities and vast administrative experience, he was unanimously elected in 2010 as Chancellor of the Medical Sciences Campus, a position that ended in 2013. He continued his clinical and academic work until January 2017 when he was appointed by Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevarez as Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico, a position that ends in March 2020.