Gran Caiman of the Year
Pedro Jose Greer Jr., M.D.
2006 Gran Caiman
Pedro J. Greer Jr. is a physician, professor, author, father and husband. Dr. Greer Jr. takes his Hippocratic oath seriously, his concern for those without access to health care have fueled his passion and allowed the creation of various free clinics for the homeless, undocumented, migrant and poor of Miami. As a medical intern (1984) he founded the Camillus Health Concern, now serving over 10,000 homeless patients a year. The clinic also serves as a model clinic for the poor, as well as a rotation for medical students. Due to the increasing number of undocumented aliens in the Miami area he founded the Saint John Bosco clinic in 1991 and serves as its medical director. Medical students also rotate thru this clinic. The clinic is located in the back of the Catholic Church by the same name in Little Havana. Currently he is Assistant Dean at the University of Miami School of Medicine (adjunct faculty), Chairman of the Bayside Endoscopy and Ambulatory Center at Mercy Hospital in Miami, where he practices Hepatology and Gastroenterology with his father. He has been an advisor to both the Clinton and Bush Sr. administration.
Better known as “Joe”, he has written a book entitled “Waking up in America”, published by Simon and Schuster. It is an autobiographical account of his early years, recounting stories from under the bridges in Miami to the White House. The book is currently being made into a movie with Andy Garcia and HBO. He has published over 25 articles and book chapters ranging from digestive disorders to issues of policy and poverty in America. He has been featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox Family Channel, PBS, hosted a segment for the Travel Channel, HBO’s documentary “AMERICANOS”, the PBS/BBC series “Medicine at the Crossroads” and has been a guest on various talk shows, including the Rosie O’Donnell show promoting his book.
He has been honored with three Papal medals “Pro Ecclesia ET Pontifica” and knighted as a Knight of Malta and the Order of Saint Gregory the Great. He is the recipient of many awards, including the highly prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, the Presidential Service Award, presented by Presidents Clinton, Bush, Carter and General Powell at the 1997 Presidential summit in Philadelphia. In 1994 he was named by Time magazine as one of Americas 50 young American leaders under 40.
The following year he received the CBS/Newsweek Achievement Award at the Kennedy Center. He was named the 1996 Doctor of the year for teaching by the magazine Hippocrates: Heath and Medicine for Physicians. Hispanic Magazine named him Hispanic of the year in December 2002.In 2005 he was honored as the Health Care Hero of the Americas by Pan American Health Organization in Washington, DC. He has lectured at such prestigious academic institutions as Harvard, Emory and the University of Florida to name a few and has been commencement speaker for New York Medical College, University of Miami (Law and Business Schools) University of Florida Medical School, East Tennessee State Medical School and Stonehill College as well as other undergraduate institutions.
He currently serves as a Trustee at the RAND Corporation (Americas oldest and largest think tank), a board member at the Mellon-United Bank of Florida, Chairman of the Hispanic Heritage Awards Foundation in Washington, D.C. (a Kennedy Center event and scholarships for Hispanic youth), Comic Relief and other national organizations. He has served on the Board of Dr. Pepper/7-UP, Physicians for Human Rights, The Cuban –American National Council to name a few. Dr. Greer did his undergraduate studies at the University of Florida, Medical studies at La Universidad Catolica Madre and Maestra and all his postdoctoral studies at the University of Miami where he was Chief Medical Resident and a fellow in Hepatology (at the Center for liver Diseases under Eugene Schiff, MD), a fellowship in Gastroenterology earning two post-doctoral fellowships, a member of AOA (Honor Medical Society) He is currently in Fellow in the American College of Physician and the American College of Gastroenterology. He has received various Honorary Doctoral degrees. He is married to Janus and they have two children Alana and Joey, a cat and a dog and live in Coral Gables, Florida.
Gran Caiman of the Year
Related Links
- Past Recipients
- Manny Fernandez, 2007
- Pedro Jose Greer Jr., M.D., 2006
- Juan Carlos Galan, 2005
- Selection Process
- Description of Award