Dr. Sanjeev Arora
Founder of Project ECHO & Director of the ECHO Institute
Biography
Dr. Sanjeev Arora is the founder of Project ECHO and Director of the ECHO Institute. Dr. Arora is a Distinguished and Regents Professor of Medicine with tenure in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Previously, he served as Executive Vice-Chair and Acting Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine, President of the Medical Staff, and for five years on the Board of the Health Sciences Center at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Arora has also served as President of the University Physicians Association.
In 2003, Dr. Arora launched Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico as a solution for helping all patients receive quality care faster. The ECHO Model has since been used to train over 2 million learners in more than 70 disease areas, such as cancer, COVID-19, cardiovascular disease, and mental health. ECHO topics have expanded beyond health care to include K-12 education, climate change, public safety and more. Backed by more than 550 peer-reviewed research articles, ECHO has proven effective across disciplines and geographies.
Today, the ECHO Model is being applied around the globe, with programs at over 1,200 academic medical centers, ministries of health, nonprofits, and other organizations. ECHO’s partnerships with the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are making significant progress toward reversing health care inequity.
Dr. Arora and Project ECHO have received numerous prestigious awards including: the Ashoka Foundation’s Changemakers Award, the Heinz Family Foundation Award for Public Policy, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Disruptive Innovation Award, the Brock Prize for Education, the Presidential Award of Distinction from the University of New Mexico and the American College of Physicians, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) President’s Award, the New Mexico Humanitarian Award and the New Mexico True Heroes Award. Dr. Arora was also recognized by the White House as a leader in advancing efforts to address viral hepatitis.