Pedro José Greer

Dr. Pedro José Greer
Greer in August 2009
Born	June 15, 1956 Miami, Florida
Nationality	Cuban American
Education	BS & MD
Alma mater	University of Florida
Occupation	Academic Administrator

Dr. Pedro José Greer, Jr. (born June 15, 1956 in Miami, Florida) is an American physician. He is currently Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Chair of the Department of Humanities, Health and Society at the Florida International University School of Medicine. He is founder of the Camillus Health Concern, a Catholic charity sponsored by the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd which delivers health services to thousands of homeless people in Miami-Dade County, and the St. John Bosco Clinic, which serves disadvantaged people in Little Havana. He was awarded a MacArthur "genius grant" in 1993 and was the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Early life and career

Born of parents who immigrated from Cuba, Greer graduated from the University of Florida with a BS in chemistry in 1978 and got his MD in 1984 from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra. His specialized in gastroenterology and hepatology during his residenty at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He is the author of a 1999 autobiography called 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.

References

• FIU bio
• White House Press Office bio
• Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2009. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009.

Dr. Pedro José Greer Jr. is a distinguished Cuban-American physician who was born in Miami, Florida. He was recently appointed assistant dean of academic affairs at Florida International University’s College of Medicine. The experience and vision he brings to the medical world is groundbreaking and inspirational. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Dr. Greer’s family settled in Miami, where he attended Christopher Columbus High School and the University of Florida. He earned his medical degree at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic. During his residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he completed specialties in gastroenterology and hepatology, Dr. Greer encountered an unidentified homeless man in an isolated bed who was dying from tuberculosis in the mid-1980s. It seemed incredible to him that such a devastating disease was taking a life during modern times in Miami. This encounter, coupled with the spirit of his deceased sister, inspired Dr. Greer to start a free clinic for the homeless of Miami. He started offering free medical consultations in the Camillus House, a homeless shelter, and later after applying for several grants, was able to fully finance a clinic in which over 100 physicians currently serve.

Dr. Greer has cared for those who nobody wanted to look upon, much less lend a helping hand. His medical skills as well as his human touch have made to Miami a better place to live. Celebrated with many papal awards and the recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award, Dr. Greer continues his life long quest to better the world in which he lives