Dr. Romeo Galang

Clinician outreach and guidance/leadership/pregnant women/CDC’s COVID-19 Response/inpatient obstetric healthcare

Nomination for Dr, Romeo Galang for his exemplary service as a subject matter expert and leader of CDC’s COVID-19 Response. Dr. Galang has served in CDC’s COVID-19 Response since January 2020 performing in various roles including an obstetrical subject matter expert for the Core Clinical Unit, a co-lead for the Special Investigations Unit, and a co-lead for the Pregnancy and Infant Linked Outcomes Team within the Epidemiology Studies Task Force. He has contributed 4,920 hours of service to CDC’s COVID-19 Response since January 2020.

More specifically, Dr. Galang delivered five invited presentations on COVID-19 in pregnancy to clinical audiences including Massachusetts General Hospital Ob/Gyn Departmental Grand Rounds; Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Region 4 Primary Care Association Meeting; National Medical Association (NMA) Annual Meeting and Scientific Assembly; Western Regional Alliance for Pediatric Emergency Management (WRAP-EM); and for the Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA).

In his leadership role, Dr. Galang convenes a recurring coordination call to foster information sharing and collaboration across CDC teams – both within the COVID-19 response and CDC home divisions – who conduct COVID-19 maternal and infant health surveillance and research activities. He has led discussions with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine around new scientific findings from CDC and developments in public health messaging for pregnant women and their providers.

As a subject matter expert, Dr. Galang developed and updated clinical guidance and FAQs about COVID-19 management and treatment for 12 major guidance documents. This guidance includes:

1. Interim Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

2. Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions and Disposition of Patients with COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings (Interim Guidance)

3. Interim Guidance for Implementing Home Care of People Not Requiring Hospitalization for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

4. Discontinuation of Isolation for Persons with COVID-19 Not in Healthcare Settings

5. Information for Clinicians on Investigational Therapeutics for Patients with COVID-19

6. Considerations for Inpatient Obstetric Healthcare Settings

7. Evaluation and Management Considerations for Neonates At Risk for COVID-19

8. Information for Pediatric Healthcare Providers

9. Clinical Questions about COVID-19: Questions and Answers

10. Vaccination Considerations for People who are Pregnant or Breastfeeding

11. Ten Clinical Tips on COVID-19 for Healthcare Providers Involved in Patient Care

12. Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Caring for Newborns

One of his most noteworthy accomplishments was a March 2020 Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call that he coordinated and presented along with 2 other clinical experts – “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Update—Information for Clinicians Caring for Children and Pregnant Women.” During this call he shared current information about COVID-19 as it related to children and pregnant women, specifically covering infection prevention and control measures in inpatient obstetric healthcare settings. This information was based on CDC Interim guidance and other available resources he helped create. The call broke an all-time attendance record with 17,228 Zoom lines accessed and an additional Facebook reach of 64,000. The target audience included obstetricians, pediatricians, maternal fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists, nurses, and other health care providers.

https://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2020/callinfo_031220.asp