Carlos R. Mellado López

Carlos R. Mellado López, MD, FACEP, Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Health, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, studied his bachelor's degree in pre-medical studies at the Interamerican University in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Later, he graduated from the Universidad del Noreste (UNE) in Tampico Tamaulipas, México, where he completed his doctorate degree in medicine. Upon returning to Puerto Rico, he completed an internship at the Dr. Isaac González Martínez Oncological Hospital in Río Piedras, where he received the distinction of Intern of the Year 2002.

As part of his professional career, he served as director of the Canóvanas Health Center and the Caribbean Medical Center in Fajardo. He has also worked in various medical institutions and health centers in the metropolitan area. Additionally, Mellado López served from 2011 to 2015 as the Puerto Rico Patients Ombudsman, where he stood out to be a fierce fighter enforcing patients' rights.

Mellado López, a health worker with 20 years of experience, served in 2005 as a medical advisor to the Senate in the Health and Women's Affairs Commission, and as an honorary member from 2005-2006 of the Joint Commission of the Legislative Assembly for the Implementation of the Right to Health. Furthermore, the Secretary stands out for his humanitarian missions, especially for the non-profit organization Haiti Stands Up, which emerged after the 2010 earthquake that affected this country. He is president of the Board of Directors. Because of his willingness to help those in need, he enlisted orthopedic surgeons, general practitioners, prosthetics specialists, and physiotherapists to attend to the most vulnerable.

Mellado López, a passionate primary care physician, continues to be immersed in non-for-profit work. Precisely, after Hurricane María impacted the Island in September 2017, he helped provide thought Puerto Rico Stands Up medicines and medical services to the 78 municipalities. On October 5, 2019, he assembled a team of doctors to help those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Fundación Forjadores de Esperanza.