José Antonio "Chaco" Vargas Vidot (born May 22, 1954), better known simply by his two last names Vargas Vidot, is a Puerto Rican
doctor of medicine,
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
, and politician focused on
drug rehabilitation. His
community service is channeled throughout his organization,
Iniciativa Comunitaria (Community Initiative) which provides free health care to
drug addicts in
Puerto Rico. In 2016, Vargas Vidot became the first independent candidate elected to the
Senate of Puerto Rico.
Early life and education
José Vargas Vidot was born in
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
* San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province
* San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province
* San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
,
Puerto Rico. He was raised in the communities of
La Perla and
Puerta de Tierra
Puerta de Tierra is a ''subbarrio'' (subdistrict) occupying the eastern portion of the Islet of San Juan and the ''barrio'' of San Juan Antiguo in the municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The name Puerta de Tierra (Spanish for ''land gate'') d ...
. Vargas Vidot completed his
pre-medical
Pre-medical (often referred to as pre-med) is an educational track that undergraduate students in the United States pursue prior to becoming medical students. It involves activities that prepare a student for medical school, such as pre-med course ...
studies at the
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. In 1986, he obtained the degree of doctor of medicine in the school of Medicine of the
Universidad Eugenio María de Hostos Universidad Eugenio María de Hostos (UNIREMHOS) is a university in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Is named after Eugenio Maria de Hostos.The school was founded in 1984.
The university provides instruction in various different fields: Med ...
in
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Career
Near the end of the 1980s, José Vargas Vidot worked for the public health system, in the Immunology Center of the Family Health Center in
Cataño. From 1986 to 1991, he worked as coordinator of experimental clinical trials, while also collaborating with the Office for AIDS Affairs. He was also part of an investigation program destined to define the prevalence of the illness in Puerto Rico. In 1990, Vargas Vidot and a group of AIDS patients started a project to educate fellow patients about alternative treatment.
Political career
In 2015, Vargas Vidot announced he would run for the
Senate of Puerto Rico. On November 8, 2016 Vargas Vidot was elected as the first independent senator in the history of Puerto Rico with a total of 157,788 votes, garnering the most votes of any legislative candidate for a total of 10.76% of the votes.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidot, Vargas
1970 births
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico alumni
Members of the Senate of Puerto Rico
Living people
Puerto Rican philanthropists
Puerto Rican immunologists