Gustavo Román, MD, DrHC

JAD profile

Affiliation(s): 

Houston Methodist Research Institute

Areas of Interest: 

cerebrovascular disorders

Biography & Research: 

Gustavo Román is the Jack S. Blanton Presidential Distinguished Endowed Chair for the Study of Neurological Disease at the Houston Methodist Hospital, Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Full Member of Houston Methodist Research Institute. Previously, Dr. Román was Professor of Neurology, Internal Medicine, and Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), and Neurologist at the Veterans Administration Audie L. Murphy Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Dr. Román is a medical graduate from the National University of Colombia with training in Neurology at the Salpêtrière Hospital, University of Paris, France, and at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. Dr. Román was Interim Chairman of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. He served as Chief of the Neuroepidemiology Branch at the prestigious US National Institutes of Health. At the NIH, he organized the international workshop that defined the criteria for Vascular Dementia for research studies (NINDS-AIREN Criteria). He created an international research network in neuroepidemiology, with participants from Latin America, Europe, India and China that to this day continues to yield data. Dr. Román received the Commendation Medal of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Distinguished Alumnus Medal of his Alma Mater. He is Honorary Member of the neurological societies of France, Spain, Panama, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela, and Austrian Society of Tropical Medicine. He was elected Fellow of the American Neurological Association, American Academy of Neurology, American College of Physicians, Royal Society of Medicine (London), Royal Society of Tropical Medicine (London) and the Colombian Academy of Medicine. In 2014, he was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa from the National University of Colombia. Dr. Román is Honorary President of the Pan American Society of Neuroepidemiology, and Honorary Professor, Universita degli Studi di Ferrara (Italy). He has participated in the International Affairs Committee of the American Academy of Neurology and is Chairman of the Neuroepidemiology Section. In 2008, Dr Román was elected Trustee to the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Neurology. He has served as Associate Editor of The Journal of the Neurological Sciences, official journal of the WFN, Ad Hoc Member of the Continuing Education Committee, Chair of the Research Group (RG) on Neuroepidemiology, Secretary for the Americas of the RG on Tropical Neurology, member of the RGs on Dementia and Environmental Neurology. He is Director of the WFN Latin American Initiative. Dr. Román is fluent in Spanish, English and French, and has published 16 books, 35 chapters in books and more than 300 journal articles. He organized the International Congress on Vascular Dementia (Geneva, 1999, Salzburg 2002) and Vas-Cog 2007 (San Antonio, Texas, USA). He is past Editor-in-Chief of Neuroepidemiology (2000-2007) and editorial board member of Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, Revista de Neurología, Neurología, Gaceta Médica de México and ad-hoc reviewer for numerous journals. Dr. Román is an internationally recognized expert in Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, cognitive neurology, neuroepidemiology, nutritional neurological disorders and tropical neurology.