Project documents experience of healthcare professionals during pandemic
Alexis Ramos, MD, board-certified family medicine physician, assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and assistant clerkship director for the Family Medicine Clerkship in the Joe R. and Teresa Lozao Long School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), was awarded an oral history grant from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Foundation’s Center for the History of Family Medicine (CHFM).
The program offers an annual grant of up to $3,000 to support the development of oral history interviews that explore and document family medicine. Ramos’ award is being administered through The University of Texas Foundation to UT Health San Antonio. The grant is intended to encourage rigorous research projects that use oral history as a central methodology and contribute fresh insights into the field.
Eligible applicants include physicians, educators, historians, students and nonprofit organizations. Applicants submit a proposed project abstract, description and timeline along with a budget worksheet.
Through her project, “Healing Beyond Crisis: The Lasting Legacy of a Pandemic on the Health Community in an Underserved Population,” Ramos and her team of residents, medical students and premedical students will interview, document and analyze the experiences of family medicine practitioners and other healthcare workers who worked in an underserved urban community during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Through recorded interviews, the project aims to capture the innovative strategies these professionals used to navigate limited resources, as well as the lasting personal and professional impact of that time.
“Starting my training during a global pandemic was something none of us could have anticipated. We were placed in the unimaginable and navigated hard challenges, both professionally and personally. This award is a powerful reminder that those experiences mattered — that someone recognizes what we endured and believes it’s worth remembering. It affirms that the stories of family medicine practitioners during those unprecedented times are not forgotten but honored and preserved. I am grateful to the AAFP and CHFM for giving me the opportunity to do so,” said Ramos.
Ramos earned her bachelor’s degree with honors in biology from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). While at UTSA, she was a UTSA Terry Scholar and participated in the Facilitated Acceptance to Medical Education (FAME) program. Ramos received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from UT Health San Antonio in 2020. She remained with UT Health San Antonio for her family medicine residency and was the administrative chief resident during her last year. Following residency, Ramos joined the UT Health San Antonio faculty, where she now provides full-spectrum family medicine care, teaches medical students, supervises residents and engages in outreach to under-resourced communities.
Ramos provides patient care at the Robert B. Green Family Health Center, family medicine inpatient service, newborn nursery and Kennedy prenatal clinics. Her dedication to medical education was recognized in 2021 when she won the AAFP Family Medicine Emerging Leadership Institute Scholarship Award and in 2022 when she was recognized with the Outstanding Resident Teacher Award for Family Medicine Clerkship. Ramos is active in community service and volunteers with Student-Faculty Collaborative Practices at SAMMinistries and Alpha Home.
“I was born and raised in San Antonio and UT Health San Antonio has been a constant source of support throughout my journey. From medical school to residency and now as a faculty member, the UT system has shaped my growth at every stage. Staying within this community is a testament to the mentorship, educational opportunities and sense of purpose I’ve found here,” said Ramos.