Dana Foundation Names Khara Ramos, Ph.D., as Vice President

The Dana Foundation is excited to announce the hire of Khara Ramos, Ph.D., to the new role of Vice President of Neuroscience within Society, effective January 18, 2022. Ramos, a neuroscientist with extensive scientific management and communications expertise, will oversee the Foundation’s strategy and programs in that area.

“Khara Ramos joins the Dana Foundation at a critical juncture, as we launch programs that advance the intersections of neuroscience with areas such as ethics, law, humanities, arts, and public engagement. Her expertise in the ethical and societal implications of neuroscience will be integral to our mission,” said Caroline Montojo, president of the Dana Foundation. “I look forward to partnering with Dr. Ramos to realize the potential of the Foundation’s work in this new and important direction.”

Ramos comes to the Dana Foundation from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she was the director of the neuroethics program and chief of neuroscience content and strategy in the Office of Neuroscience Communications and Engagement. Ramos was instrumental in establishing the rapid growth of neuroethics efforts for the NIH BRAIN Initiative, positioning the NIH as a global leader in the emerging field of neuroethics. She managed a neuroethics research program, an expert working group, partnerships, bioethics and biomedical integration, and other initiatives. She also served as co-chair of the NIH Coordinating Committee for Bioethics Research and Training.

“I could not be more thrilled for the opportunity to partner with Dr. Montojo to lead the Dana Foundation into its next chapter,” said Ramos. “One of the most valuable lessons I learned while at NIH is that human health and our scientific enterprise cannot be separated from societal context. I see enormous potential in the creative freedom available to the Dana Foundation, along with its renown and extensive network, for innovative programs in neuroscience that will help ensure the field advances with consideration to societal goals and human values.”

Prior to NINDS, Ramos worked as special assistant to the deputy director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. She originally moved from academia to federal service through the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship Program, following a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she studied the role of non-neuronal cells of the central nervous system in chronic pain and opioid-induced central sensitization. Ramos holds a Ph.D. in neurosciences from the University of California, San Diego, and a bachelor’s degree with honors in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University.