Mauricio Romero-Gonzalez, MD, MPH, CAC

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry  Director, Subdivision of International Initiatives

Dr. Romero-Gonzalez is the Director of International Initiatives of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry and Assistant Professor in Psychiatry. Dr. Romero-Gonzalez is originally from Colombia and after receiving his Medical Degree, he trained in psychiatry at the Universidad Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, School of Medicine in Bogotá-Colombia. He obtained his Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Connecticut and is a certified alcohol and drug counselor from Connecticut Certification Board. During the time he was working in Colombia, he was appointed as the special advisor in Mental Health, Addiction Behavior and HIV/AID for the Colombia Ombudsman Office, and he was the Director of the Human Behavior Program in the Ministry of Health of Colombia. In addition, he was a visiting Assistant Professor at Yale University Department of Psychiatry where he worked on evaluating the impact of the 1990 Health Reform on Mental Health delivery in Colombia. He also worked as Clinical Trial Coordinator for the development of medications for cocaine and heroin dependence at Yale University. He has worked as a psychotherapist with people living with HIV/AIDS in Hispanos Unidos, Inc. and with people suffering with addictive disorders in The Connection, Inc.

He joined the Department of Psychiatry at UMass in October 2012, and since then he has promoted the International initiatives for the Division of Addiction Psychiatry. He is working with Dr. Gonzalez in the development of collaborations with the Ministry of Health and with the Universidad Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Senora del Rosario in Colombia. The goal of this work is to develop collaborations with an array of potential international allies seeking to enhance the knowledge or expansion of pharmacological, psychosocial and Public Health interventions that can impact globally the problem of substance use disorders. Dr. Romero-Gonzalez is currently Invited Professor at University Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Senora del Rosario y Associate professor at Post-graduate Health School at Escuela de Administracion y Negocios (UniEAN). In association with The Medical and Health Sciences of Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero (UNSE), is currently developing a Masters program in prevention, mitigation and overcoming of addictive disorders.

Dr. Romero-Gonzalez is an active participant in Human Rights movements with emphasis, but not exclusively, for the minorities and people in disadvantage. His main interests include issues related to Mental Health, HIV, Addictive Behaviors, and the welfare of minority populations. He is a Co-founder, and currently CEO of Mapiripana-Yurupari of New England, also known as MAYU of New England, which is a non-profit organization actively working in favor of minorities populations and persons in disadvantage situations. Dr. Romero-Gonzalez is author of many scientific papers and books, and a frequent speaker in National and International Scientific and Human Rights Conferences.