ARHP Announces New In-coming Board Chair, Pablo Rodriguez, MD

Contact:
Ann McCall
communications@arhp.org
(202) 466-3825  

WASHINGTON , DC – The Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), the leading source for medical education and information on reproductive and sexual health, is pleased to announce that Dr. Pablo Rodriguez has been elected chair of the ARHP board of directors. Dr. Rodriguez is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist with three busy clinics in Rhode Island, a clinical assistant professor of ob/gyn at Brown University School of Medicine, a Planned Parenthood ® medical director, and a prominent Hispanic media personality and spokesperson with a radio talk show that airs in Rhode Island each weekday morning. Dr. Rodriguez serves as chair elect through 2007 and will transition to the chair position in January 2008.

“Dr. Rodriguez is an outstanding physician and patient advocate in the reproductive health field,” said Wayne Shields, ARHP president and CEO. “He understands that the nature, direction, and the tone of reproductive health advocacy must be more inclusive and thoughtful if we are to improve patient care.”

Dr. Rodriguez is an advocate for equitable, culturally competent health care, for embracing and enhancing the positive values associated with diversity, and for making science a real and valued part of life for all Americans.

“A truly informed public must be educated on the full range of reproductive health services, including the value its adds to their lives, and the importance of science in determining reproductive health innovations and policies,” says Dr. Rodriguez. “This must be done carefully, over time, while recognizing the true diversity of cultures, values, and belief systems that make up our societies.” Dr. Rodriguez is also chair of ARHP’s Values Project, a long-term initiative designed to communicate the highly moral attributes of the field of reproductive health to the public so it is well understood and used to inform healthcare practice and policy development at all levels.

Dr. Rodriguez is the associate chief of obstetrics and gynecology and a member of the clinical staff at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. He is also a lecturing professor at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urenas in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Dr. Rodriguez has received numerous honors and awards for community leadership, including the first Dr. Pablo Rodriquez Community Leadership Award given by the Office of Minority Health, Rhode Island Department of Health and the Leadership Award for Health Professionals given by Progreso Latino of Rhode Island. He is a member of several regional, national, and international organizations that pertain to the health and care of women. Dr. Rodriguez has presented many lectures on a variety of reproductive health issues and continues to work to improve the health of minority populations.