Classroom Pavilion - Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico - DSC07169

Ana Ríus Armendáriz is a Puerto Rican politician who was Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico in the

Cabinet of Puerto Rico The executive branch of the government of Puerto Rico is responsible for executing the laws of Puerto Rico, as well as causing them to be executed. Article IV of the Constitution of Puerto Rico vests the executive power on the Governor— ...

Education

Ana went to the

University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine The University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, School of Medicine is located in the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's the only medical school in the University of Puerto Rico System. I ...

, with a degree in anesthesiology. Soon after that, she became an intern in the

VA Medical Center The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the healthcare program of the VA through a national ...

, specializing in internal medicine.

Post Graduation

Dr. Armendáriz became a professor of Anesthesiology the

. During her 28-year stint, she managed to teach hundreds of students about the field. After moving on from teaching, she was appointed as executive director of the Puerto Rico Medical Services Administration from November 2002 to February 2009. She then went back to teaching, until she was appointed as Secretary of Health.

Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico

Dr. Armendáriz was appointed as Secretary of Health on September 16, 2013, by Governor Alejandro García Padilla.

Medical Marijuana

On May 4, 2015, Puerto Rico legalized medical marijuana. Dr. Armendariz worked to ensure that there would be appropriate regulations concerning the legalization, including: how it'll be dispensed, what diagnosis will be required, and who will produce it. Dr. Armendariz also drew up a plan as to when marijuana will be allowed into the territory. She issued that suppliers can start their distribution as early as August, 2015.

Zika

In early 2015, the Zika outbreak struck Puerto Rico. She expressed the following views of the Zika Epidemic to Outbreak News Today, "The virus is transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, the same mosquito that transmits dengue and chikungunya. That is why we want to educate the population about their symptoms and prevention measures to be taken"

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Members of the 16th Cabinet of Puerto Rico Secretaries of Health of Puerto Rico Puerto Rican anesthesiologists Puerto Rican women physicians Women anesthesiologists 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians {{PuertoRico-bio-stub