Athena Ramos

Thoughts for the Day

athenakramos — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:44:39 +0000

Focus on Strengths

athenakramos — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 02:13:05 +0000

I love to read. I believe that self-discovery is based on our awarenss and openness to life-long learning. As I prepare for yet another transition, I have been focused on how to develop and build stronger relationships.

I just finished reading Strengths Based Leadership, by #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. It is yet another step in the strengths dialogue. This book reveals three key findings about leadership: (1) Know your strengths and invest in others’ strengths; (2) Get people with the right strengths on the team; and (3) Understand and meet the four basic needs of those who look to you for leadership.

These types of lessons are not only good for professional relationships but also for personal relationships … strengthening families and maximizing friendships. I try to be a positive person and pass along that positivity to all that I come into c0ntact with. I believe that everyday I can make someone’s day. If you know how people work, what they value, and what makes them tick making someone’s day becomes just a little bit easier.

So today’s the day – focus on people’s strengths, assign tasks to allow people to excel, value each unique individual, and watch the change in your world.

Today, I leave this blog post and share a poem that epitomizes my beliefs, The Optimist’s Creed by Christian D. Larson.

The Optimist Creed

I promise myself:

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, & prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything & make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, & to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times & give a smile to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, & too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself & to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

I hope you can promise yourself the same thing. Cheers! Until next time.

Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) Conference 2011

athenakramos — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:31:04 +0000

PAMA welcomes attendees for the 2011 Annual Conference

Today and for the next few days, I have the opportunity to attend and participate in the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA)’s annual conference held in Snowmass Village, Colorado. Day one – complete. And WOW! so much information that I learned.

So many times, we don’t think of the arts as professions and/or workplaces. We treat them as hobbies. Did you know that according to a recent student by Dr. Bronwen Ackermann in Australia as part of the Sound Practice Project, 84% of musicians surveyed reported pain or injury that interfered with their performance? If these people were working in a factory, it would be shut down because of hazardous conditions.

Today, we also learned about the stress disease connection from Dr. Gabor Mate. He is the author of a number of books including “When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection.” He emphasized that we need to look at people as parts of their environments and as not just a body, but a body and a mind. Health is very much related to our social and emotional lives. So often in Western medicine, we have forgotten this fact and tend to treat symptoms in a silo rather than in a holistic approach. Dr. Mate described how we develop our personality as children as a defense mechanism for the situations and environments in which we live. He provided relevant case studies and also described anger. Anger is a powerful emotion; however, we can have healthy anger that is more or less a boundary defense that is in the moment and very specific or we can have unhealthy anger that is based on past experiences. One thing is clear that self-expression through the arts is needed; and furthermore, self-expression must translate through all parts of a person’s life.

Today, we also heard from the Dancer Wellness Project (www.dancerwellnessproject.com). This is a very interesting collaboration of organizations using technology to build profiles for and of dancers to help promote dancer health and wellness.

The afternoon was spent discussing neuroscience and neurorehabilitation using music from Dr. Gottfried Schlaug. He showcased through neuroimaging how making music changes brains and their structure. For artists/musicians, a combination of both mental and physical practice is much more effective than just physical practice alone. He described motor imagery and the benefits of using such techniques including: facilitating learning, preventing injury, making practice opportunity any time, and making practice possible even after one has sustained an injury. He also provided an overview of melodic intonation therapy and auditory-motor mapping training. All of these types of interventions that Dr. Schlaug discussed have rehabilitation usages that can improve lives for people who have had strokes, children with autism, and many others. He closed by saying that therapeutic effects seem to last when changes are made in the brain.

The Cuba and the Arts Crew 2011

This day was packed full of information. I’m excited for tomorrow’s lectures, and now preparing for our panel presentation on Saturday about our recent trip to Cuba to work with health in the arts. Good to see part of the Cuba Crew 2011: Dave Hinkamp, Mary Burns, Charlie Barrett, and Marc Brodsky!

Thoughts On Our Present

athenakramos — Thu, 19 May 2011 18:46:35 +0000

Sometimes we go through life, and we look, but we do not see. We observe, but not explore. We pass through life, but do not live. We have special moments but fail to recognize their significance until other circumstances in our live’s highlight that once past time.

As one matures, it becomes more apparent that every moment is a special moment and that the significance of each moment lies in the thought and reflection of the experience. All feelings, all thoughts, and all that we call “real” is only as real as the value that we give or place upon those feelings, thoughts, and ideas. We live a dream which we control. We are the masters of our own dream – our own reality – own destiny.

Love, life, and harmony are tools of navigating our purpose and our future. Reflect to understand and move forward with what feels natural with what advances your goals and your vision and leave behind the things, people, and places that don’t assist you in reaching your potential.

Omaha Science Café: Health Disparities: What do WE have to do with it?

athenakramos — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:46:53 +0000

Omaha Science Café: Health Disparities: What do WE have to do with it?.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak last night at the UNMC Science Cafe! I had an awesome time last night talking with everyone about what we can do to help eliminate health disparities. We can take action and all of our efforts together will lead us to better and brighter tomorrow.

Take Action on Health Disparities

athenakramos — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:25:55 +0000

On March 31, 2011, I had the distinct pleasure to host and coordinate a visit from Harvard Professor, Dr. David R. Williams, a leading authority on health disparities and the social inequalities of health. We spent the day talking with different groups about the systems change that would be necessary to make a more socially just society where health is not just a “right” that we talk about, it is a tangible outcome that all people can feel in their daily lives. We also discussed the importance of policy and the fact that, “All policy that affects health is health policy.” It doesn’t matter if it is housing policy, or community development policy, or education policy, all of those types of policies that have an impact on health are in essence health policy.

Athena Ramos with Dr. David R. Williams, Harvard Professor and Leading Authority on the Social Inequalities of Health

Cuba, Cuba, Cuba!

athenakramos — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:26:36 +0000

Cuban Flag

In February 2011, I was privileged to be able to visit Havana, Cuba for a week as part of a medical health research team. We had the wonderful opportunity to work with artists, musicians, dancers, and many other people that form part of the arts, culture, and health sectors within Cuba. We had got the chance to talk with many of these artists and work with them to improve their immediate workplace surroundings to improve their occupational health and safety practices.

In the Ceramics Lab at La Escuela Superior de Arte (ISA)

We visited some world-renowned people and places including: Jose Fuster, Instituto Superior de Arte, Lester Campos,

: Painting by Jose Fuster

Callejon de Hamel, National Hotel, Lizet Allonso Ballet Folkorico, Old Havana, the International Film School, Casa de Amistad, and much much more. Cuba was definitely a beautiful place filled with so much history. I am happy that I had an opportunity to see Cuba first-hand, and I hope to be able to establish some partnerships with organizations and individuals so that I can go back again soon!

With Downtime Creativity Can Flow

athenakramos — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:27:37 +0000

I’m in Jemez Springs, New Mexico with some wonderful collegues at a workshop called “The Practice of Seeing in Place: Zen, Culture, and Communication.” This afternoon we had an assignment to explore the site where we are at by sensing the place and creatively depicting this space.

So I wandered to a nearby river and sat by the banks. I felt a calmness and clarity come over me. So here’s my thought to share with you today…

“A Thought”

River flows by me
Understanding it’s to be
Today is the day

I’m learning to see
Visualizing serene peace
I’m part of this world

Bubbles of water
No longer a mystery
Life – humanity

We are who we are
Atoms, vibes, energy, sunlight
Specks in time and space

Trees in the fall breeze
Snowflakes through a small window
Blossoms and radiant love

Seek to comprehend
Look at the edges of the frame
Live life purposely

And you will know what it is to know.

UNMC Spirit Week 2010 – Pillars of a vital mission

athenakramos — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:20:40 +0000

UNMC, with its four-pillared mission, is a vital force in Nebraska. by Chuck Brown, UNMC public relations

During our inaugural Spirit Week, we celebrate the essential work our employees do in research, education, outreach and patient care.

Below, we profile four employees who embody the pillars of UNMC’s mission.

Gurudutt Pendyala, Ph.D.

Name: Gurudutt Pendyala, Ph.D.
Title: Instructor in the department of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience
Vital contribution: Dr. Pendyala is a lauded post-doc researcher who works in the field of neuroscience. He looks for ways to protect the brain from damage caused by diseases such as HIV/AIDS as well as from toxic substances such as methamphetamine, a drug that has a high prevalence in rural states such as Nebraska.

Education

Name: Carol Lomneth, Ph.D.

Carol Lomneth, Ph.D. (right)

Title: Associate professor of genetics, cell biology and anatomy
Vital contribution: Dr. Lomneth teaches gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy to medical students. Her work with the students helps lay the solid educational foundation they need in their journey toward becoming physicians.

Outreach

Athena Ramos

Name: Athena Ramos
Title: Program coordinator in the College of Public Health’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities
Vital contribution: Among her many efforts to fight disparities, Ramos helped power an initiative to make all public places in Omaha smoke-free and she works to promote smoking cessation among youth and minority populations, which have proven to be vulnerable to targeted marketing of tobacco companies.

Patient care

Name: Charles Enke, M.D.

Charles Enke, M.D.

Title: Chairman and professor in the UNMC Department of Radiation Oncology
Vital contribution: Dr. Enke specializes in the use of radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer. Using cutting edge technology and techniques, Dr. Enke and his team have provided care and hope for thousands of patients and their loved ones.

Celebrating El Día de los Muertos y la vida de mi querido papá, Angel

athenakramos — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 03:14:43 +0000

As we are nearing the end of October, we prepare for the Day of the Dead, a time for welcoming the spirits. This is a holiday which has a complex history. The ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico and Latin America believed that the souls of their dead returned each each year to visit with the living relatives – to eat, to drink, and to celebrate with each other. November 1 (All Saints Day) and November 2 (All Souls Day) are still celebrated to remember the dead that have now past on with decorations on their graves or by being honored with their favorite foods and personal belongings. These days are happy days to commune with those who have gone on before us.

As many of you know, my Daddy, Angel R. Ramos, died on April 16, 2009. Lost in the pain of losing my father, I needed a way to focus my energy and to honor all that he has been and all that he is in my life. Last year, I was honored to be able to make an “ofrenda” or altar offering for him that was on display at Galeria Las Artes thanks to Jose & Linda Garcia for allowing me the opportunity. This year, I am pleased to be able to honor my Daddy once again with an ofrenda display at the Intercultural Senior Center at Sokol Hall, 2021 U Street in Omaha. This Day of Dead celebration is part of the Intercultural Senior Center’s Open House. Everyone is welcome to stop by on Friday, October 29, 2010 between 10:30am – 8:00pm.

Ofrenda display para mi Papa, Angel: “Esperándote con Amor”

Daddy will always be in my heart, in my mind, and in my soul. My life is a tribute to him and I celebrate his lasting memory. I invite you to stop in and see the display.

Below is the tribute to accompany the display:

Angel R. Ramos, my father, was a man that touched my life in countless ways. He was my Daddy, my friend, my confidant, my biggest fan, and so much more. I was his life, his universe, and his dream.

A Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, he fought in Korea and in Vietnam. A humble man, who believed that “your character reflects in your work.” He was dedicated to service to his family and to the community. He strived to be involved in anything he could. He spent many years in Boy Scouts, and he was even my Girl Scout “Cookie Mom” – we walked in parades – we volunteered together – read books and discussed them – went to community classes together…we laughed – we fought – we LOVED.

Daddy grew up in Rincon, Puerto Rico. He faced many trials in his life, but he taught me about the good things in life. He taught me to be proud of who I am, what I stand for, and my family history. He always told me, “If you’re going do something, do it right or don’t do it at all.” My dad’s legacy is not just the good deeds that he did, but his legacy is me. His best work wasn’t work – it was passion – it was us, it was me, and it was all of the things that we did together. Wherever I was, he was, and wherever I am, I know he is.

Daddy, I know that you are watching over me. I had so much more to learn from you, to share with you, and so much life that I wanted to spend with you. But today I celebrate all that you have given me, instilled in me, and what your spirit will continue to bestow upon me. Your memories are alive within me and those who love you.

I found an old Valentine that I gave to you when I was 6 years old saying “I’d be lost without you.” And it’s still true, Daddy. I love you more than you will ever know. The car rides, the ice creams, the bedtime stories, singing me “Lolita” to sleep, TV dinners sitting on the floor in front of the TV watching Three’s Company, daily phone calls, hugs, kisses, me singing karaoke to you (even though my singing isn’t that good), Hawaiian Punch mixed with orange juice, summer vacations, cooking you dinner, washing your clothes, and taking care of you. No one will ever love me more than you did. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be my Dad’s daughter.

My Daddy es mi ángel, mi protector, and just because he is not here physically doesn’t mean that he is not here. He will live on in my heart, in heaven, and in spirit – his soul forever connected to mine – keeping us safe and shining down his love. Thanks for the great memories and being part of my life. This exhibit is to celebrate your life and wish your soul a safe return on El Día de Los Muertos. I await you with open arms con todo el corazón. The boys and I miss you. We honor you. And we love you, Daddy!

“Y mi vida se va. Ya la muerte me llama. Y no quiero morir. Alejado de ti. Puerto Rico del alma. Adiós… Borinquén querida. Tierra de mi amor. Adiós. Mi diosa del mar. Mi reina del palmar. Me voy pero un día volveré a buscar mi querer a soñar otra vez en mi viejo San Juan. Adiós”