Born in Portugal and raised by his mother in Cape Verde, Bruno Ramos settled in the United States at age 16 to live with his father and pursue a degree in medicine. Awarded a STEM Scholarship for high scholastic achievement at Rhode Island College, the future doctor also discovered the field of research.
In 2012 Ramos began field studies in ecology and evolutionary biology at the Forest Ecology Lab at Yale, working under RIC Associate Professor Roland de Gouvenain. In 2014 de Gouvenain and Ramos joined a larger research team in one of the most biodiverse hotspots in the world – South Africa. While there, Ramos also carried out his own smaller experiments in biodiversity, which became his honors thesis. The totality of his experiences, Ramos said, sparked within him an interest in medical research.
Ramos has been on the dean’s list every year and is graduating with honors in biology and Portuguese. He is fluent in Portuguese and Creole, and was awarded the John A. and Mary V. Lima Memorial Scholarship in Portuguese Studies. He was also inducted into the Sigma Chapter of Phi Lambda Beta Portuguese Honor Society for “outstanding achievement in the field of Portuguese language and Portuguese, Brazilian and African Lusophone cultures and literatures and their diaspora.”
Ramos is also a member of the U.S. Air National Guard assigned to the civil engineer squadron.
After graduation, Ramos will take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and apply to medical schools.