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 Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

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 Drug rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and street drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin or amphetamines. The general inte ...

. His

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

is channeled throughout his organization, Iniciativa Comunitaria (Community Initiative) which provides free health care to

drug addict Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

s in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. In 2016, Vargas Vidot became the first independent candidate elected to the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control th ...

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), ...

. 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'') ...

. 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 The Inter American University of Puerto Rico (Spanish: ''Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico''; often abbreviated to ''UIPR'' or ''Inter'') is a private Christian university with its main campus in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It also has c ...

. 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: Me ...

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

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

. 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