In March, Dr. Kenneth Ramos will begin his time as assistant vice chancellor for health services for the Texas A&M University System, leading the Institute of Biosciences and Technology in Houston.
Currently, Ramos is the associate vice president for precision health sciences and the executive director for the Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine for the University of Arizona Health Sciences. Ramos will enter the university system through an initiative Governor Greg Abbott enacted four years ago. The Governor’s University Research Initiative was created to bring acclaimed researchers to Texas.
Ramos received his undergraduate degree from the University of Puerto Rico, his M.D. from the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center and his Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin.
“My immediate goal is to leverage existing strengths and identify areas where future ventures need to be made and then address the knowledge gap in ways that will position us to be competitive, which means growing the enterprise as well as overcoming the health challenges of the future,” Ramos said.
He plans to use his background in precision medicine to advance medical breakthroughs during his time with the A&M system.
“I’m interested in utilizing this platform to help identify solutions for individuals with lung disease who may be at risk of progressing into malignancy,” Ramos said. “Right now, we have very limited ways of identifying people of higher risk, and I utilize precision medicine to identify those individuals and then give them targeted therapy that might better help change the trajectory of the disease.”
Dr. Carrie Byington, dean of the college of medicine and senior vice president of the A&M Health Science Center, said Ramos will be a major asset in A&M’s research efforts.
“For Texas A&M, we’re bringing in recognized leaders in medicine and science to our organization,” Byington said. “He is a National Academy of Medicine member, which adds distinction to Texas A&M. We will be able to expand our research and expand our improvement in [the Institute of Biosciences and Technology].”
For Ramos, his new appointment means he has an increased ability to address health needs in Texas.
“I’m extremely excited to be returning back to Texas to contribute to the growth and extension of programs in medicine as well as biomedical research, and I look forward to my interactions with Texas A&M University and beyond,” Ramos said.