Congratulations to Dr. Erika Cordova Ramos on the Harold Amos Award: Highlighting BU CTSI KL2’s Crucial Contribution to Her Research Journey

The Boston University Clinical and Translational Science Institute (BU CTSI) is dedicated to empowering our research investigators by providing seed funding. This enables them to conduct research and resolve key challenges in translational science, particularly those affecting our urban communities’ health.  Through backing our investigators in developing and implementing innovative tools, methodologies, and procedures, we accelerate clinical and translational research. Together, we confront various hurdles, such as funding shortages, data accessibility, collaboration opportunities, and securing adequate team members for data analysis and management. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Ramos for her remarkable achievement in securing the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program. Dr. Cordova Ramos, who was previously funded by the BU CTSI, has been at the forefront of pioneering research, showcasing her dedication and expertise in her field. We take immense pride in sharing this outstanding accomplishment with the community. 

Erika  Cordova  Ramos,  MD  is  an  Assistant  Professor  of  Pediatrics  at  the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine,  where  she  also  serves  as  a  clinical neonatologist at Boston Medical Center. With a focus on implementation science, her research aims to reduce racial/ethnic and linguistic disparities in perinatal outcomes within safety-net settings.

Dr. Cordova Ramos co-leads multi-site quality improvement initiatives targeting social determinants of health in the NICU. Her research interests lie in using implementation science methods to improve the health of low-income families with high-risk infants, engaging communities, and understanding context to design and test implementation strategies. Specifically, she investigates caregiving practices such as breastfeeding, safe sleep, and skin-to-skin contact, as well as family engagement in the NICU.

Dr. Cordova Ramos  is  a  recipient  of  the  Harold  Amos  Medical  Faculty Development Program, with a project titled “Multi-level determinants of receipt of community resources following social needs screening and referral in the NICU,” spanning from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2028. This project seeks to investigate factors influencing the receipt of resources after a referral in safety-net NICUs across the United States. Leveraging a parent trial, the study aims to qualitatively and quantitatively examine individual, health system, community, and policy-level factors influencing resource receipt.

Dr. Cordova Ramos credits her CTSI KL2 award as instrumental in jumpstarting her research career, providing protected time, resources, mentored research experiences, and opportunities for collaboration within a supportive community of junior research faculty.