Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show Ambassador Dr. Román Macaya Hayes - Costa Rica - Scientist, Entrepreneur, Diplomat, Public Servant
Ambassador Dr. Román Macaya Hayes, Ph.D. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rom%C3%A1n_Macaya) is a Costa Rican scientist, entrepreneur, diplomat, and public servant, who most recently served as the Chairman of the Board of the Costa Rican Social Security, Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), the institution that finances and provides universal coverage of public health care services in Costa Rica and manages the largest pension fund of the country. In this role he led the health care delivery response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as spearheaded key priority programs, such as deploying the largest investment in physical and technological infrastructure in the history of the CCSS, promoting innovation throughout the institution, implementing the most ambitious digital transformation agenda, and revamping both the health care delivery and pension system to respond to a rapidly aging population. Prior to leading the CCSS, Ambassador Dr. Macaya Hayes served as Costa Rica's Ambassador to the United States, a post he held from 2014 through 2018. As ambassador, Dr. Macaya Hayes promoted science diplomacy between both countries in biomedical research, space, water, biodiversity, and technology. He also strengthened cooperation in security, migratory matters, environmental conservation, and the arts, in addition to supporting the attraction of foreign direct investment. He also worked with the White House, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and Congress to strengthen Costa Rica´s capabilities in drug interdiction, resulting in the largest multi-year appropriations for Costa Rica in over 30 years. Ambassador Dr. Macaya Hayes has held leadership positions in the fields of health care and agriculture. In the healthcare field, in addition to leading Costa Rica´s single payer/single provider of public health care services, he has served as a biomedical scientist in the biotechnology industry, and as a businessman/entrepreneur in clinical research, private equity, and health care consulting. In the field of agriculture he led the growth and development of a major crop protection company, served on the Board of Directors of Costa Rica's National Chamber of Agriculture and Agro-Industry, and founded and presided over the National (Costa Rican), Latin American, and Global industry associations that engaged with governments and multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization (Geneva), World Health Organization (Geneva), and Food and Agriculture Organization (Rome) on regulatory matters. Ambassador Dr. Macaya Hayes holds an MBA in Health Care Management from the Wharton School of Business (University of Pennsylvania), a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UCLA and a B.A. in Chemistry from Middlebury College.