Dr. Christopher Romero earned a combined MD/PhD degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. His dissertation work in the Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology investigated the phenomenon of immuno-modulation and its therapeutic potential for sepsis, which was supported by NIAID. During his tenure at UTMB, Dr. Romero was the recipient of the McLaughlin Fellowship, the Blocker Scholar Award, and multiple NSRF awards for his work in Immunology and Vaccine related research. He has completed the Intensive Course in Tropical and Travel Medicine through the UTMB Center for Tropical Diseases.

Dr. Romero is a graduate of the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, California. At the end of his training at Scripps he was awarded the Edmund L. Keeney, MD Award for Leadership in Medicine, and the Charles and Virginia Feld Award for demonstrating humanistic qualities in Internal Medicine.

After residency training, Dr. Romero returned home to the Rio Grande Valley to practice medicine in one of the most underserved communities in the United States. As an attending physician his passion for education was recognized with numerous teaching awards. He has experience in treating emerging and neglected tropical infectious diseases along the border region including Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue, murine typhus, and Hansen’s Disease.

Dr. Romero went on to join the administration at Valley Baptist Medical Center (VBMC) where he oversaw the Medical Staff, Clinical Informatics, and Research departments. He was named the Physician of the Year in 2019 at VBMC. In this role he was instrumental in the response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, helping orchestrate the hospital response in collaboration with local, State, and Federal resources.

Dr. Romero joined PanAmerican Clinical Research, LLC as their Medical Director for USA Operations. He served as the Principal Investigator for multiple clinical trials, with a heavy focus on novel therapeutics for COVID-19 and Phase I-III vaccine trials. He also worked closely with the Public Health sector, and US-Mexico Border entities to facilitate mass vaccination efforts to combat COVID-19 in binational events.  Dr. Romero served on the steering committee of The Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard, where he contributed to efforts to expand inclusivity and diversity in clinical trials.

He is a member of multiple medical organizations and societies, including the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and has been appointed as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Romero serves as Principal Investigator at Headlands Research Brownsville, where he continues to focus on expanding diversity and inclusivity in clinical research and strives for excellence in the development of tomorrows therapeutics and vaccines.