DUSON Student Spotlight highlights the diverse background of our nursing students and their personal stories of dedication, leadership, perseverance and academic or community achievements.

DUSON shines a spotlight on MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner student Vincent Guilamo-Ramos from New York City, NY. Guilamo-Ramos will graduate in 2017.

Q: What would people be surprised to know about you?

A: I think the thing that is most surprising about me is that nursing is second career. I started my professional training and trajectory as a clinical social worker working with adolescents and their families. Working as a social worker gave me a first hand understanding of how social determinants of health shape health and overall wellbeing. Working as a social worker led me to want to pursue nursing as a second career.  

Q: What is a cause you're passionate about?

A: I am deeply committed to supporting adolescent health and wellbeing. However, my nursing practice is within community health and family focused care. In short, I support adolescent health by engaging their parents as a mechanism to deliver adolescent focused health interventions through their families.

Q: Tell us about a project, service group or organization that you are involved with at DUSON, Duke University or in the community.

A: I currently lead a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded project focused on engaging adolescent boys in teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention. The project is novel in that it targets the fathers of adolescent boys and seeks to reduce sexual and reproductive health disparities within resource limited settings such as the South Bronx.

Q: What have you learned (or are learning) that's made a difference for you?

A: I have learned that nurses can be instrumental in addressing population health within disadvantaged communities. Seeing the value of nurses both within the contexts of the bedside and in the community has been an extremely valuable lessen for me.

Q: How does your nursing degree fit into your life's plans?

A: My Duke nursing degree fits into my life's plans by allowing me to provide primary care to adolescents and their families. In particular, I am studying within the Family Nurse Practitioner HIV/AIDS specialization which will prepare me to provide health care to HIV infected individuals- particularly, adolescents. 

Student Spotlight Submissions: If you are a DUSON student and would like to be featured or know someone who deserves to be featured, click here to complete the DUSON Student Spotlight Questionnaire.