Dr. Romanelli received both his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston.  He completed both a Pharmacy Practice and Critical Care residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center where he also served as Chief Resident.   Subsequently, he received a master’s degree in public health from the University of Kentucky.  

He was named the inaugural Paul F. Parker Endowed Professor of Pharmacy in 2014 and holds joint appointments with both the Colleges of Medicine and Health Sciences.  He also serves as Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Chief Academic Officer for the College of Pharmacy.

Dr. Romanelli has received several commendations by various groups for outstanding teaching.  In 2003 he was selected by the University of Kentucky Alumni Association as a ‘Great Teacher’.  In 2004, he received the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Innovations in Teaching Award and in 2008 the UK Provosts Award for Outstanding teaching by a Tenured Faculty member.  Dr. Romanelli has also been recognized as an Outstanding Professor of the Year by both the UK College of Pharmacy and College of Health Sciences.  From student nominations, Dr. Romanelli has been recognized by the UK College of Education as a “Teacher Who Made a Difference.”  In 2012 he was inducted as an honorary member of Pi Alpha, the National Physician Assistant Academic Honor Society and in 2013 he was inducted into Delta Omega, the honorary academic society for Public Health.  In 2018 he was named by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy as a “Distinguished Teacher Scholar.”  In 2019, Dr. Romanelli was named an Academic Leadership Fellow by the Southeastern Athletic Conference (SEC) and received the American College of Clinical Pharmacy National Clinical Education Excellence Award.  In 2023 he received the American Association Colleges of Pharmacy Rufus A. Lyman Award for the best annually published paper within the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education.  In 2024, he was recipient of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy highest award for teaching excellent – the Chalmers Distinguished Educator Award.          

Dr. Romanelli is board certified in pharmacotherapy and recognized by the American Association of HIV Medicine as an HIV Pharmacist.  In 2009 he was elected a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association and in 2021 as a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.  Dr. Romanelli has served on the editorial team of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education since 2013 as Associate Editor and presently Executive Associate Editor.  Additionally, he is the section editor for HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections for the Annals of Pharmacotherapy.    

Dr. Romanelli maintains a practice in HIV/AIDS at the UK Bluegrass Care Clinic and his research interests include pharmacy education and pedagogy.