S. Raquel Ramos, PhD, MBA, MSN, FNYAM, FAHA, FAAN

About

Dr. S. Raquel Ramos, PhD, MBA, MSN, FNYAM, FAHA, FAAN is an Associate Professor at the Yale University School of Nursing. She is jointly appointed at the Yale School of Public Health in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Ramos has over a decade of direct patient care experience as a nurse clinician in the areas of critical care, interventional cardiology, SGM health, long-term care, and HIV clinical research as the protocol nurse for The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). MACS was the longest running study on the life course of HIV. It was in this role, where Dr. Ramos observed the connection between HIV and cardiovascular disease risk.

Dr. Ramos was awarded NIH R01 grants by NIMHD and NIMH to test behavioral interventions aimed at preventing chronic conditions in adults across the lifespan. She is currently funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to develop a large language model that will deliver personalized CVD prevention education in the clinical setting. Ramos’ program of research has been supported by several prestigious development awards, including attendance at the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (ABMR) Summer Meeting, the Summer Institute on Randomized Behavioral Clinical Trials, and the UCLA mHealth Summer Institute. Additionally, she has received subawards from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), the Research Education Institute for Diverse Scholars (REIDS) Program, and the PRIDE CVD Summer Institute.

Dr. Ramos is the Associate Director of the Clinical Health Services Research Core at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. Ramos is also an Associate Editor for the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (JANAC) and the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR). She serves on the Editorial Boards for Annals of Behavioral Medicine and BMC Public Health. In 2016, Dr. Ramos was awarded the 40 Under 40 Leader in Health Award from The National Minority Quality Forum. In 2023, Ramos was recognized by the AARP, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Campaign for Action, and American Academy of Nursing as the inaugural Equity-minded Nurse Researcher. This award is recognition of her scholarship and body of research that advances health optimization. Dr. Ramos is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Nursing. She was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and also Sigma Xi International Honor Society for Science and Engineering. Ramos was recognized by the Fred Hutch Cancer Center in their Atlas of Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists.

Ramos was a Postdoctoral Associate at the Yale School of Nursing. She earned her PhD from Columbia University and her MSN, MBA, and BSN from Purdue University.

Research Interests

Dr. Ramos’ program utilizes technology-driven research to examine behavioral, cardiovascular, and brain health outcomes in persons with HIV across the lifespan.

Selected Books/Chapters

Xiao C, Gaffey A, Vela A, Pondugula N, Ramos SR. (2025). AI for Health: Benefits of AI in Healthcare. Healthy Living Series. Society of Behavioral Medicine. https://www.sbm.org/healthy-living/ai-for-health-benefits-of-ai-in-healthcare

Ramos SR. (2024). Positive Ways to Use Technology in Nursing Research. Campaign for Action. AARP. https://campaignforaction.org/positive-ways-to-use-technology-in-nursing-research/

Ramos SR, Gaffey A, Rabbani MS, Kang B, McCall T. (2023). Sleep: A Mind, Body, & HEART Experience. Healthy Living Series. Society of Behavioral Medicine. https://www.sbm.org/healthy-living/how-sleep-affects-mind-body-and-heart-health

Gaffey A, Ramos SR, Nishimuta K. Intimacy, Sexual Health, and Wellbeing in Heart Disease. Healthy Living Series. (2023). Society of Behavioral Medicine. https://www.sbm.org/healthy-living/how-heart-disease-affects-intimacy-sexual-health-and-wellbeing

Uribe JS, Boyar K, Ramos SR. Bringing Research to Life for Undergraduate Nursing Students Using a Design Thinking Model. In Innovative use of concept care planning in a large class. Innovative strategies in teaching nursing: Exemplars of optimal learning outcomes 2020. Springer.

Selected Publications/Presentations

Publications

Kang B, Chin L, Camacho-Rivera M, Garza M, de Jesús Espinosa T, Cong X, Fraser M, Boutjdir M, Ramos SR. Intervention mapping for systematic development of a community-engaged CVD prevention intervention in ethnic and racial sexual minority men with HIV. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025 Feb 26;13:1529152.

Ramos SR, Reynolds H, Johnson C, Melkus G, Kershaw T, Thayer JF, Vorderstrasse A. Perceptions of HIV-Related Comorbidities and Usability of a Virtual Environment for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Education in Sexual Minority Men With HIV: Formative Phases of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2024 Aug 22;26:e57351.

Ramos SR, Kang B, Jeon S, Fraser M, Kershaw T, Boutjdir M. Chronic Illness Perceptions and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Behaviors in Black and Latinx Sexual Minority Men with HIV: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Nursing Reports. 2024 Aug 8;14(3):1922-36.

Ramos SR, Lardier DT, Bond KT, Boyd DT, O’Hare OM, Nelson LE, et al. Participatory Design of a Web-Based HIV Oral Self-Testing Infographic Experiment (HOTIE) for Emerging Adult Sexual Minority Men of Color: A Mixed Methods Randomized Control Trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021;18(22):11881.

Ramos SR, Lardier DT, Warren RC, Cherian M, Siddiqui S, & Kershaw T. Substance use, general health, and health literacy as predictors of oral health in emerging adult sexual minority men of color: A secondary data analysis. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2021 Jan;18(4):1987.

Ramos SR, O’Hare OM, Colon AH, Jacobs SK, Campbell B, Kershaw T, Vorderstrasse A, Reynolds HR. Purely Behavioral: A Scoping Review of Nonpharmacological Behavioral and Lifestyle Interventions to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease in Persons Living With HIV. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. 2020 Sep 1;32(5):536-47.

Ramos SR, Paintsil E, Ofori-Atta A, Kusah JT, Amissah AA, Ofori IP, Reynolds NR. Prototype development, usability, and preference of a culturally relevant pictorial aid to facilitate comprehension of Likert-type levels of agreement in caregivers of children living with HIV in Ghana. Computers, Informatics, Nursing. 2020 Jan;38(1):45

Ramos SR, Warren RC, Shedlin M, Melkus G, Kershaw T, and Vorderstrasse A. A framework for using eHealth interventions to overcome medical mistrust among sexual minority men of color living with chronic conditions. Behavioral Medicine. 2019; Apr 3;45(2):166-76.

Ramos SR. User-Centered design, experience, and usability of an electronic consent user interface to facilitate informed decision-making in an HIV clinic. Comput Inform Nurs. 2017; Nov;35(11):556-564.

Ramos SR, Gordon P, Bakken S, Schnall R. Sociotechnical analysis of health information exchange consent processes in an HIV clinic. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. 2016; Nov - Dec;27(6):792-803. Epub 2016 Aug 16.

Presentations

Ramos, SR (2024, November). Designing Behavioral Interventions to Reduce CVD Risk among SGM Individuals. Podium Presentation 2024 American Heart Association’s Centennial Scientific Sessions, Chicago, IL.

Ramos, SR (2024, April). Technology as a Tool to Facilitate Trust, Access, and Reach of Behavioral Interventions in Historically Marginalized Populations. Keynote Speaker. 2024 Urban Health Research Conference. Wayne State University College of Nursing. Detroit, MI.

Ramos SR. (2023, January). Formative and technology-enabled strategies to prevention of chronic conditions in sexual minority men of color: Lessons learned & opportunities for the future. University of Washington / Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research.

Ramos SR, Beauchamp G, Wheeler DP, Wilton L, Whitfield DL, Boyd DT, Hightow-Weidman L, Fields SD, and Nelson LE. (2021, May). An Examination of Perceived Autonomy Support, Care Coordination Quality, and PrEP Discontinuation among Black MSM in Three US Cities: HPTN 073. Podium presentation at the 2021 HIV Prevention Trials Network Annual Meeting.

Ramos SR, Boyd DT, Guillaume G, Camacho-Rivera M, and Fraser M. (2021, April). Formative development of a multi-level, community-engagement protocol to prevent CVD in sexual minority men of color living with HIV: The gaming protocol study. Abstract presentation at the 2021 NHLBI Program to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Health-Related Research Annual Meeting.

Ramos SR. (2016, June). User-centric design of a health information exchange eConsent for Persons Living with HIV: results from a mixed methods study. Podium presentation at: AcademyHealth 2016 Annual Research Meeting. Boston, MA.