UA’s Dr. Kenneth S. Ramos Elected to Prestigious National Academy of Medicine

TUCSON, Ariz. – Kenneth S. Ramos, MD, PhD, PharmB, associate vice president for precision health sciences at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Dr. Ramos is one of 70 new regular members and 10 international members announced Oct. 19 at the inaugural annual meeting of NAM, which was established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences.

Membership in NAM is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievements and commitment to service. Current active NAM members elect new members from among candidates nominated for their accomplishments and contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

Dr. Ramos is internationally recognized for his research in genomics and predictive biology, environmental and molecular medicine and toxicology. He has provided senior leadership in scientific and strategic research planning at the local, regional, national and international levels. He recently was appointed director of the new Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine at the UA Health Sciences.

“We are immensely proud of Dr. Ramos for this much-deserved recognition and noteworthy honor,” said Joe G.N. “Skip” Garcia, MD, UA senior vice president for health sciences. “Ken is one of the world’s foremost experts in the study of gene-environment interactions and personalized and genomic medicine. Since his arrival at the UA Health Sciences, he has been capably leading our precision health efforts that will transform the field and tailor health care to the individual. On behalf of the University of Arizona, I want to express our congratulations to Ken for this tremendous achievement.”

“Our newly elected members represent the brightest, most influential, and passionate people in health, science and medicine in our nation and internationally,” said NAM President Victor J. Dzau, MD, in a news release. “They are at the top of their fields and are committed to service. The expertise they bring to the organization will help us respond to today’s most pressing health-related challenges and inform the future of health, science and medicine. It is my privilege to welcome these distinguished individuals to the National Academy of Medicine.”

Other UA faculty members who have been elected to NAM (formerly IOM) include:

• J. Lyle Bootman, PhD, ScD, dean, UA College of Pharmacy; professor of pharmacy, medicine and public health; executive director, Center for Health Outcomes and PharmacoEconomic (HOPE) Research (elected 1998)
• M. Paul Capp, MD, professor emeritus, Department of Medical Imaging, UA College of Medicine – Tucson (elected 1988)
• Setsuko K. Chambers, MD, Bobbi Olson Endowed Chair of Ovarian Cancer Research, professor and vice-chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UA College of Medicine – Tucson (elected 2009)
• Joe G.N. “Skip” Garcia, MD, UA senior vice president for health sciences; Merlin K. DuVal, MD, Endowed Chair for Leadership and Innovation; and professor of medicine (elected 2011)
• Arthur B. Sanders, MD, MHA, professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, UA College of Medicine – Tucson; and a member of the Arizona Emergency Medicine Research Center and the UA Sarver Heart Center (elected 2012)

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About the National Academy of Medicine
Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering and medicine. With their election, members make a commitment to volunteer their service in the Academies’ activities. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln. For more information, please visit http://national-academies.org

About Dr. Ramos
Kenneth S. Ramos, MD, PhD, PharmB, is associate vice president for precision health sciences at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, and professor of medicine in the UA Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, where he directs his highly competitive and innovative research program in translational and clinical genetics and genomics. Dr. Ramos is the director of the UAHS Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine and is the director of the MD-PhD Program at the UA College of Medicine – Tucson.

Prior to joining the UA Health Sciences in 2014, Dr. Ramos was with the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, where he served as distinguished scholar and professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. He also was director of the Center for Genetics and Molecular Medicine and the Center for Environmental Genomics and Integrative Biology (a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences core center), and chief scientific adviser for the Clinical Trials Laboratory. Dr. Ramos also has held faculty positions at Texas A&M University; Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Drexel University and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

During his career, he has received more than $50 million in research funding, including R01, P01 and P30 grants, and has made seminal contributions in the areas of molecular toxicology, gene-environment interactions and personalized and genomic medicine. As a senior scientist, he has been responsible for leading diverse research teams conducting independent and collaborative research in these and other areas.

Dr. Ramos has been a highly sought after expert reviewer for state, federal and international governments, and has served as an adviser to the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, among others. He has received numerous awards in recognition of scientific excellence, including designation as Associate of the National Academy of Sciences, the Achievement Award for Scientific Excellence in Toxicological Sciences, Astra Zeneca European Traveling Lectureship and Leading Physician of the World.

About the University of Arizona Health Sciences
The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. The UA Health Sciences includes the UA Colleges of Medicine (Phoenix and Tucson), Nursing, Pharmacy and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the growing Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, the UA Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona and the greater Southwest to provide cutting-edge health education, research, patient care and community outreach services. A major economic engine, the UA Health Sciences employs almost 5,000 people, has nearly 1,000 faculty members and garners more than $126 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: http://healthsciences.arizona.edu

Media Contact: Jean Spinelli

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