Dr. Alvarez obtained a bachelors of science in Pre-Med and Chemistry from the University of Dayton, Ohio (1974). He received his doctorate in Nutritional Biochemistry from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ in 1979. He was an NIH Postdoctoral fellow and a Wound Healing Fellow at the Department of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine from 1979-1982. Dr. Alvarez has been the recipient of more than 90 research grants and awards. Among them, The National Institute of Health Training Award to study dermal-epidermal interactions during wound repair, U. S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Award to study epidermal migration in partial-thickness wounds and National Institute of Health grant to study Emotional Stress and Wound Healing in Diabetics.

Dr. Alvarez served as a member of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, a panel for guideline development in the prevention and management of pressure ulcers. Dr. Alvarez is the Founder and Chairman of FRAIL (for the recognition of the adult immobilized life). FRAIL is a panel seeking solutions for skin-related complications of adults with chronic illness. Dr. Alvarez also served as a panel member of S.C.A.L.E. (an expert group to build a consensus proposal on Skin Changes at Life’s End. Dr. Alvarez has held faculty positions with: The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Cornell University Medical College; Rockefeller University and New York Medical College. Dr. Alvarez is a founding editor of the journal WOUNDS. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications relating to wound care. Dr. Alvarez has also been principal investigator in more than 60 major clinical trials.

Currently, Dr. Alvarez is Professor (Adjunct) in the Department of Surgery at Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ. and Voluntary Associate Professor, Depertment of Dermatology University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL.