Introducing our first student resident for 2026: please join us in welcoming Lucero Ramos, a first year Physician Assistant student from Augsburg University in Minneapolis. Lucero shared a little more about herself for our community to get to know her better, and her interest in pursuing.

Q: Where are you originally from?
A: I am from Saint Paul, MN although I currently live in Inver Grove Heights. 

 Q: What areas of medicine are you most interested in?
A: Some areas of medicine that interest me include Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine and Neuroscience. I worked as a Psychiatric Associate for almost 3 years at Fairview Riverside and am currently completing my psychiatry rotation at Regions Hospital where the team works very closely with addiction medicine. 

Q: What interests you most about chronic pain medicine and addiction medicine?
A: What interests me the most about chronic pain and addiction medicine is how much it often overlaps with psychiatric conditions and mood disorders. I am currently learning how difficult it can be to separate a patient’s substance use disorder from their current psychiatric presentation in the hospital setting. 

 Q: Any goals you’re looking to accomplish during your rotation at VMW? 
A: Some goals that I have for this rotation include understanding how to treat chronic pain in the setting of potential opioid addiction. I would also like to gain confidence in educating patients on harm reduction methods and learn how to utilize a trauma-informed approach when treating patients. Overall, I would like to practice being able to separate the patient from their addiction when caring for them.   

 Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of school? 
A: Outside of school I enjoy taking my dog to local parks when the weather permits and catching up with friends. I also enjoy cooking and learning how to make new Mexican food recipes.