Member Spotlight

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Gladys Ramos, MD

San Diego, California

Background:

  • Name: Gladys (Sandy) Ramos
  • Institution: University of California, San Diego Health System
  • Title:  Clinical Professor, MFM Fellow Program Director, Director of Diabetes and Pregnancy Program, Vice Chair for Education
  • Medical School (if applicable): University of California, Irvine
  • Residency (if applicable): Kaiser Permanente Northern California, San Francisco
  • Fellowship Training Institution (if applicable): University of California, San Diego Health System

Personal and Family Background:

Tell us about someone who had an influence on you as child.

 My grandmother (abuela) was considered a healer (curandera).  I grew up watching her heal and nurture through her delicious cooking, brewing of teas, cupping and listening.   I was also the recipient of many of her cures and always felt safe and well cared for in her hands.   She was also the best storyteller particularly about her childhood in the Amazonas region of Peru.  Her stories also served to “heal” through parables, examples and to distract her “patients”.  She was incredibly humble and extremely proud of me, her first grand daughter, and the first to graduate from college in her family.  

Medical Training (if applicable):

Was there a mentor(s) inspired you?

 I have three mentors who helped shaped my career trajectory.  Dr. Robert Resnik, believed in my clinical acumen and trusted me with complex patients.  He was my biggest supporter as I became fellowship director, a fellowship he founded in 1974 at UC San Diego.  Dr. Thomas Moore is a wonderful mentor to countless trainees. He saw that I had a strong commitment to improve the care of patients with Diabetes (many of whom are LatinX) and supported my clinical and research goals. Lastly, Dr. Dolores Pretorius taught me the skill of ultrasound interpretation but also modeled the harmony involved in clinical, academic and personal goals.  All three continue to be valuable mentors.

MFM Practice (if applicable):

How has your cultural background shaped you as an MFM?

As an immigrant to this country, I have faced many challenges including lack to access to and difficulty navigating the health care system in the United States.  I have watched my family struggle to be understood and to have health related concerns be taken seriously.  This led to my eventual role as a physician advocating for families like mine who are underinsured, marginalized, and have complex social determinants of health.  I hope to be an advocate and do my part to help reduce the disparity in care that many experience.

In your spare time:

If you had to live one day in your life over and over (think Groundhog Day 1993 Movie), which would you pick?

The day I graduated from Medical School.  My whole Peruvian family came including both sets of grandparents and my family from New York.  They were loud and proud that day.  I could relive that day over and over.

SMFM Mad Libs:

If I could solve one problem in MFM it would be reducing racial disparities in care.

My MFM colleagues would be shocked to know that I have started to watercolor which has helped to make me more attentive to the beautiful details that surround us.