Pedro José Greer Jr. (born June 15, 1956, in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Florida) is an American physician of Cuban descent. He is Founding Dean for the Roseman University Health Sciences College of Medicine. He was awarded a MacArthur "genius grant" in 1993, the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

in 2009, and the Great Floridian Award in 2013. He has been a board member of the American charity for the homeless,

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...

.Comic Relief Website, http://comicrelief.org

Early life and career

Born to parents who emigrated from Cuba, Greer graduated from Christopher Columbus High School, and then from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

with a BS in chemistry in 1978. In 1984, he earned his MD from the

Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra The Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra ''(Mother and Teacher Pontifical Catholic University)'', named after Pope John XXIII's encyclical ''Mater et magistra'', which means ''Mother and Teacher'', (PUCMM for its Spanish acronym), ...

. He specialized in

gastroenterology Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- “belly”, -énteron “intestine”, and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract ...

and

hepatology Hepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Although traditionally considered a sub-specialty of gastroenterology, rapid expansion ...

during his residency at

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital (also known as "Jackson" or abbreviated "MJMH") is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine, and the largest hospital in the United States with 1,5 ...

. His 1999 autobiography is ''Waking Up in America: How One Doctor Brings Hope to Those Who Need It Most.'' He has a joint practice with his father, Dr. Pedro Greer Sr. He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity and has been awarded the Order of Constantine and Significant Sig awards from that organization.

References

* https://medicine.roseman.edu/home/leadership/
FIU bio

White House Press Office bio
* ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2009. Reproduced in ''Biography Resource Center''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. 1956 births American gastroenterologists Living people MacArthur Fellows Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients University of Florida alumni Christopher Columbus High School (Miami-Dade County, Florida) alumni {{US-physician-stub