Pedro J. Greer Jr., MD

Pedro J. Greer Jr., MD, is professor of medicine at Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) in Miami and the chair of the Department of Medicine, Family Medicine and Community Health, as well as associate dean for community engagement. Dr. Greer was honored in 2014 with the National Jefferson award in the category of “Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged.” The award was founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Sen. Robert Taft Jr. and Sam Beard and is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for public service. Dr. Greer was also recognized in 2013 with the Great Floridian award. In 2009 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian award; he had already received the Presidential Service Award in 1997. In 1993 he was named a MacArthur Fellow (“Genius Grant”). He has also received a Papal Medal and has been dubbed a Knight of Malta and Saint Gregory the Great. He has published more than 25 articles and book chapters and authored Waking Up in America, a book about his experiences, from providing care to homeless persons under bridges in Miami, to advising U.S. presidents on healthcare. Dr. Greer currently serves in various capacities for a multitude of national, state and local organizations. He is a trustee at the RAND Corporation (America’s oldest and largest think tank) and is the current chair of the Pardee RAND Graduate School board of governors, the largest PhD-granting institution for policy analysis. Dr. Greer completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida and medical studies at La Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic. He trained in internal medicine and served as chief resident at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami. Dr. Greer completed two post-doctoral fellowships, one in hepatology, the other in gastroenterology. He is board-certified in medicine and gastroenterology.