Alma Ramic, MD is the Treasurer of ISAM. She received training in Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She is Board Certified in Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Ramic has been serving as Director of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Loyola University in the past and Program Director for Addiction Medicine/Psychiatry, at Hines VA. 

 

Dr. Ramic has worked on improving addiction treatments within the VA system; improving access to care especially in rural areas, expanding access to care for Veterans already engaged in OUD treatment; improving care for incarcerated populations and medication safety in the hospital; increasing the workforce in the Addiction Specialty care clinic and integration in primary care and other disciplines through VA fundings. She has received Diffusion Excellence Funding for training and distribution of naloxone to police officers and medical/non-medical staff at the Hines VA campus, as well as the community-based outpatient clinics including the Veteran Justice Outreach Program. She has been an integral part of the opioid safety and pain committee at Hines VA and is Chair of the Ethics Committee. Dr. Ramic has worked with Human Resources as a Medical Review Officer and received different Grants from the VA to improve the program, educating supervisors on the importance of prevention and early intervention with employees to ensure a safe and drug-free work environment. Dr. Ramic has been involved in different research programs at Hines VA and in the community in the past.

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She has been teaching and collaboratively working with medical education leaders on improving education in addiction to medical students, residents, fellows, and other disciplines (nursing, social work, psychology) and developing curricula for trainees and students. She served as a mentor for the Schwartz Foundation Scholarship Program and Addiction Interest group for Loyola students and trainees.

 

Dr. Ramic has been involved in different ASAM committees; for example, Vice Chair of the Physician in Training Committee, Chair of the LOCC subcommittee, Member of the ASAM Criteria Strategy Steering Committee, Withdrawal Management Workgroup, and ASAM representative in the NAATP Foundation. She also has been serving as a consultant and trainer for NADCP.

 

Outside of the Department of VA, she has worked at the Cook County Department of Correction, where she provided daily addiction and mental health treatment in different settings within the Cook County Correctional System, together with multi-disciplinary teams.

 

Dr. Ramic was born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She moved with her family to the United States in 1995 as a refugee. She completed her undergraduate education at Loyola University, a B.S. (Biology major), and Medical School at Ross University Medical School, Portsmouth, Dominica. She loves to travel and read.

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