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Adriana Ramirez, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Surgery (Oncology, Endocrine)
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About

Titles

Assistant Professor of Surgery (Oncology, Endocrine)

Biography

Adriana Ramirez, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Surgery (Endocrine). Dr. Ramirez attended the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her general surgery training, including a post-doctoral research fellowship, at the University of Virginia. During her training, she received a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health focused on health policy and systems analytics. Most recently, Dr. Ramirez completed an American Association of Endocrine Surgeons-accredited fellowship in Endocrine Surgery through Emory University.

Dr. Ramirez cares for patients with benign and malignant thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal tumors, as part of the multidisciplinary Endocrine Tumors Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital. Her clinical and research interests are focused on identifying health disparities among vulnerable populations and eliminating inequities in access, care, and outcomes. She has served on multiple departmental, institutional, and national Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees. She and her team at the University of Virginia were the recipients of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health System Award for embodiment of values and teachings in cultural competence, healthcare disparities, and in fostering an environment of inclusiveness. She is a member of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, the Latin Surgical Society, the American College of Surgeons, and the Association of Women Surgeons.

Dr. Ramirez joins Dr. Courtney Gibson and Dr. Jennifer Ogilvie in the Section of Endocrine Surgery. All three surgeons are fellowship-trained to manage surgical patients with complex thyroid and parathyroid tumors, including patients with low risk to advanced thyroid cancers, benign thyroid and parathyroid tumors, and rare parathyroid carcinomas. Dr. Gibson and Dr. Ramirez care for all patients with benign and malignant adrenal tumors, most of which are treated with minimally invasive laparoscopic or retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

MPH
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Health Policy and Management (2017)
MD
Medical University of South Carolina (2013)
BS
Emory University , Physical Anthropology and Human Biology (2009)

Research

Overview


Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Adriana Ramirez's published research.

Publications

2021

2020

2019

2018

Clinical Care

Overview

Adrianna Ramirez, MD, MPH, is a surgeon who specializes in treating thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal tumors, including those that are benign (noncancerous) and malignant (cancerous).

Dr. Ramirez says she couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to become other than a doctor when she was growing up. She would visit family in Venezuela each summer, where she was exposed to social injustice in the form of socioeconomic gaps that affected people’s health. “That drew me to be interested in public health and service, in addition to medicine,” Dr. Ramirez says.

After obtaining her medical degree, she pursued a master’s in public health. “I get a sense of appreciation and satisfaction from individual interactions with patients, but I also like to understand the processes that impact their health,” she says. “A common reason a patient will come to see me is because of a thyroid nodule or a newly diagnosed thyroid cancer. I need to understand not only their presentation symptoms and what we are going to do about it, but understand their social circumstances and their health literacy. Many of the diseases I work with can have a genetic component, which leads me to wonder if this person has other family or community members we need to screen.”

Dr. Ramirez says she was drawn to endocrine surgery in part because of how it involves multiple organ systems. “The field itself is multidisciplinary. I love that I get to work with colleagues from medical oncology, radiology, and pathology very closely,” she says.

The best part of her job, she says, is working with patients. “There’s just this incredible trust between a patient and a provider, and I respect that relationship so much,” she says.

Dr. Ramirez’s research focuses on issues related to access to endocrine surgical care. “Generally, that involves looking at large, population-based studies to see timelines of where patients are accessing care, where there might be delays, and where there are opportunities for improvement,” she explains. “I want to identify disparities in access as well as in outcomes. It’s not just treating the thyroid cancer, but treating the community, and empowering the community to engage in their health.”

Clinical Specialties

Endocrine Surgery

Fact Sheets

Board Certifications

  • Surgery General

    Certification Organization
    AB of Surgery
    Original Certification Date
    2021

Get In Touch

Contacts

Administrative Support

Locations

  • FMB130

    Academic Office

    Farnam Memorial Building

    310 Cedar Street

    New Haven, CT 06510

  • Patient Care Locations

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