Mara I. Ramírez-Ruiz

Mara I. Ramírez-Ruiz is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez where she received a B.A. in Psychology. She is a Post-Baccalaureate Research and Education Program (PREP) scholar at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. As a post-baccalaureate, she was a Health Equity Ambassador at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity where she conducted research on the biopsychosocial effects of chronic diseases specifically, diabetes and hypertension. In regards to her primary care behavioral health integration, as a member of the Mind Body Institute Beyond, she has administered neuropsychological testing protocols ranging from neurocognitive functioning, intelligence testing, academic abilities testing, mental status examination testing, and personality assessment. Mara has taken a lead role in coordinating journal club meetings, in attending conferences, in assisting with writing critiques for high impact journals, and in providing support to undergraduate students working in our clinical research program. One of her main goals is to motivate young girls to achieve greater emotional resilience and emotional skills using mental health techniques. Upon completion of the PREP Program, Mara will begin pursuing her M.S. Clinical Psychology at Virginia State University with the goal of applying research-based findings in the psychological approaches to prevent and treat the lasting effects of medical conditions on neurocognitive health.