Dr. Jose Romano Named Chair of Dept. of Neurology
The esteemed clinician and researcher has overseen the department’s expansion and cresting U.S. News & World Report ranking as its interim chair.
Following an extensive national search, Jose Romano, M.D., has been named chair of the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Romano has served as the department’s interim chair since January 2023, following five months as acting chair. The experience thoroughly prepared him for the chair position and demonstrated his ability to navigate its challenges and ambitions. Under his leadership, the department ascended from 25th to 20th in the esteemed U.S. News & World Report rankings.
Dr. Romano joined the Miller School faculty in 1997, when he became an attending physician at Jackson Memorial Hospital after completing a residency in neurology and fellowships in neuromuscular disorders and cerebrovascular diseases, all at the University of Miami and Jackson Health System. In 2008 he was named director of Jackson’s comprehensive stroke program and, in 2011, medical director for neurology. His commitment to passionate, patient-centered care resulted in Dr. Romano becoming the interim chief of service for the Jackson Health System in 2022.
Clinical Neurology Excellence
As chair, Dr. Romano will continue to lead a department that provides the highest-quality patient care, stands at the forefront of research of neurological disorders and boasts outstanding training programs for future clinical and academic neurologists. The department staffs 15 service lines across four South Florida hospitals and provides a combined 76,000 inpatient and outpatient visits each year. It operates a Joint Commission-certified comprehensive stroke center at Jackson Memorial Hospital and primary stroke centers at UHealth Tower and Jackson South Medical Center. The department is designated as a Level 4 epilepsy center and the South Florida treatment center for spinal muscular atrophy.
National Leader in Neurology Research and Education
The Department of Neurology is also a national leader in neurology research, ranking 21st in funding from the National Institutes of Health, with more than $15 million dollars in NIH grants in 2023. Its state-of-the-art research programs include investigations into the pathological mechanisms of memory, ALS, stroke, cerebral vascular disease and myasthenia gravis. Research prominence reflects the emphasis Dr. Romano—Florida’s principal investigator of the NIH StrokeNet program and principal investigator for the Florida Stroke Registry—places on scientific discovery.
Dr. Romano embodies the Miller School’s mission to provide a world-class education to the next generation of physician-scientists. A tenured professor of neurology and director of the vascular neurology fellowship program, he has mentored trainees in clinical and research tracks and oversees a large and effective neurology residency program, with 44 residents and 23 fellows in a variety of subspecialties.
A Program Builder
Dr. Romano’s facility for program building will guide the Department of Neurology on its path to becoming one of the top 10 programs in the United States. In less than two years he has more than doubled the size of its stroke program and increased neurology coverage in the Jackson Health System from one hospital to three, with plans for a fourth. The Department of Neurology has hired 17 faculty members, including clinicians and clinician-scientists, and expanded the research faculty roster with two new hires and three promotions in the research track.
Tags: Dr. Jose Romano, neurology, neuroscience