This week's Young Professional Dr. Martha Ramirez. Photo: VINO

Dr. Ramirez was also Miss BVI 2006 and is also a model with UMI Fashions. Photo Courtesy: Island Sun

Our young professional this week, Dr. Martha J. Ramirez, is a Medical Doctor who has been employed at the Peebles Hospital for the past year.

Now, don’t get her wrong, she loves being a doctor and this is something she dreamt about being from a very early age, but thinking about being a doctor and being a doctor are totally different things.

In an exclusive interview with the young medical practitioner, she told this news site that her love for the health field is beyond any other, and for this, if she could have done it all over again, she would have considered another field in health.

“At times I wish I was in a different profession, but it’s difficult to say because sometimes I think that maybe this profession doesn’t suit me. There are aspects of it that are difficult to handle and sometimes I think if I was doing something different in the health field I would be happier.”

Apart from being a medical doctor, she is also interested in dabbling in the field of Physical Therapy.

Despite the disadvantage, it is safe to say our young profession is no quitter. Dr. Ramirez has trained for her profession and does not believe that this training should go to waste.

Our Young Professional, who is also Miss BVI 2006, stated that being a Medical Doctor is important to her because of her interest in how the body works and her love for interacting with people and making a difference in her community.

“As a doctor I am responsible for the health and well being of others, where I provide healthcare.”

Dr. Ramirez, a Belonger to the Virgin Islands whose Nationality is of the Dominican Republic, attended the Althea Scatliffe Primary School. She received her secondary education and graduated with a certificate from class 5 Science at the BVI High School where she attended during the years of 1996-2001.

Our Young Professional then went off immediately after high school to Atlanta in the United States, where she received her Associate Degree in Biology from Spellman College. She currently also holds a Bachelors Degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of the West Indies.

The young doctor, who currently resides in Mac Namara, Tortola, said that on her journey toward becoming a doctor, there were many challenges, but she also noted that there are challenges in everything. “It was a long programme, a long time between year beginning and earning my degree.”

Despite her challenges, she told this news site that she is thankful for her mom being there through her ups and downs and for giving her encouragement. She added that her mom is responsible for who she is and where she is today.

Other than working, Dr. Ramirez is interested in doing anything that is healthy for the body and mind. She loves exercising, eating healthy, cooking, dancing, modelling, reading and spending time with her son, 4-year-old Luca Castillanos.

Dr. Ramirez is well grounded in a local non-profit organization called ‘Hands on Volunteers’, a group that does many things to support and raise money for a charity in Haiti.

To the youths of the Virgin Islands, she advises “Don’t do drugs, focus and be prepared as well as educate yourselves for the working world.” She encourages them to explore outside of the Virgin Islands, for them to be able to learn about the world and other countries.