Gomez Chosen for SUNY Hispanic Leadership Institute

HLI is an initiative that develops and supports the next generation of executive-level Hispanic/Latinx leaders across the SUNY system.

Gomez is one of 14 faculty and staff members in leadership positions at 10 SUNY institutions to be selected to take part in six- or 12-month fellowships at HLI.

Gomez is honored by the selection.

“I want to have the opportunity to share information with my peers at other institutions, to learn from mentors in high-level leadership positions and to learn new leadership skills that I can incorporate in my health care, research and teaching environment,” he says.

Over the course of the program, fellows — who come from home institutions that range from community colleges to Research 1 institutions like UB — participate in individualized mentoring and assessment and development programs to support their success. The program is based on active participation, conversations and exchange of ideas related to leadership.

“It is of utmost importance that our students feel welcome and represented when they join our campuses, and ensuring that our faculty and staff are as diverse as our student body is a way to achieve that goal,” SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson says. “The Hispanic Leadership Institute provides its fellows with the skills to achieve success in their own professional lives but also how to be a role model to their peers and students.”

“The groundwork laid through the institute is crucial and will have a positive effect on the lives of students and our campuses for generations to come,” Johnson adds.

Gomez, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases, oversees patient care services, infection control and antibiotic stewardship programs as division chief. He also serves as infection diseases director at Oishei Children’s Hospital.

He established and leads the International Enteric Vaccines Research Program (IEVRP), a global health research program focused on the epidemiology, pathogenesis and development of vaccines for childhood gastrointestinal infections. The program is dedicated to biomedical research, scientific training and international collaborations in Latin America, Southeast Asia and the U.S.

His work with IEVRP includes developing rapid diagnostic tools for diarrheal disease surveillance, identifying the most prevalent diarrheal pathogens and detecting emergent intestinal pathogens.

Gomez and colleagues also are working on vaccine development for pediatric infectious diseases associated with a high burden of disease. A long-term goal of these studies is to facilitate public health interventions for managing and preventing common infectious diseases in children.

Gomez earned his medical degree at the National University of Columbia School of Medicine and his doctoral degree in microbiology and immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.