Jose R. Romero, MD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Romero completed residency training in neurology at Boston University Medical Campus and fellowship training in vascular neurology at Boston University Medical Campus. He received his medical degree from the Escuela Cololmbiana de Medicina in Colombia. He also completed studies for a Master in Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health.
Dr. Romero is an active investigator in the Framingham Heart Study since 2006.

Research Interests
Dr. Romero’s research interests center on the study of cerebrovascular disease in subclinical stages, prevention of stroke, cognitive impairment and dementia and use of neuroimaging in the epidemiological study of cerebrovascular disease. His focus is in the interplay of cerebrovascular disease with the neurodegenerative process, and contributions to clinical stroke and dementia. Much of his current work centers on the epidemiological study of brain MRI markers of cerebral small vessel disease, their determinants and clinical consequences. As a board-certified neurologist and vascular neurologist, his clinical interests are in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with stroke, with particular emphasis in racial minority populations. He runs a stroke prevention clinic and is an active member in the Stroke Unit at Boston Medical Center. He is the site PI of several clinical trials for acute stroke treatment and secondary prevention. He has written widely on stroke, cerebrovascular disease in subclinical stages, and epidemiology of stroke and dementia. He has participated as study section reviewer in the NIH- and has obtained grant funding from NIH-NIA for his research support. Dr. Romero has presented the results of his research widely at national and international level and has been invited to participate in several international consortia of experts in cerebrovascular disease. Dr. Romero has contributed significantly to our understanding of cerebral microbleeds in the general population and is now leading the study of enlarged perivascular spaces in the Framingham Heart Study cohorts.

Publications

  • Published 7/24/2026

    Lioutas VA, Fletcher E, Hyacinth HI, DeCarli C, Aparicio HJ, Romero JR, Seshadri S, Beiser A. Stroke-Related Acceleration of Brain Atrophy Beyond Aging in the Framingham Study: Paired Pre and Post MRI Evidence and Cognitive Associations. Cerebrovasc Dis. 2026 Jul 24; 1-20. PMID: 42497104.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 5/4/2026

    Torres MF, Charisis S, Rashid T, Brandigampala SR, Hiatt KD, Ware JB, Whitlow CT, Nasrallah IM, Romero JR, Tanley JE, Seshadri S, Hohman TJ, Heckbert SR, Davatzikos C, Hughes TM, Habes M. Comparative Analysis of Artificial Intelligence-Based Quantification versus Visual Rating of Enlarged Perivascular Spaces in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Cohort. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2026 May 04; 47(5):1259-1265. PMID: 41397892.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/18/2026

    Maher S, Scott MR, Buckley RF, DeCarli CS, Aparicio HJ, Romero JR, Vasan RS, Murabito JM, Bhasin S, Beiser AS, Seshadri S, McGrath ER. Number of Live Births as a Protective Factor Against Clinical and Covert Brain Infarcts: The Framingham Heart Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2026 Apr 07; 15(7):e044037. PMID: 41848034.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 11/6/2025

    Pinheiro A, Aparicio H, Lioutas VA, Beiser A, Ekenze O, DeCarli C, Seshadri S, Demissie S, Romero JR. Higher Burden of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Is Associated With Risk of Incident Stroke in Community-Dwelling Individuals. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Nov 18; 14(22):e040263. PMID: 41195792.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/1/2025

    Toro A, Lara FR, Pinheiro A, Demissie S, DeCarli C, Parva P, Habes M, Charidimou A, Seshadri S, Maillard P, Romero JR. Association of MRI-Visible Perivascular Spaces with Early White Matter Injury. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2025 Oct 01; 46(10):2018-2025. PMID: 40461258.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 127 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Investigator
    Framingham Heart Study

Websites

Education

  • Escuela Colombiana de Medicina, MD

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