Women’s History Month Spotlight: Lt. Cmdr. Fae Ramirez, Head of the Navy’s Blood Program

Story by André B. Sobocinski, Historian

U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, it’s important to recognize the extraordinary contributions women make in every sector, often playing unsung roles while quietly improving the world we live in. This year, we turn a spotlight to an individual whose quiet dedication to her craft ensures a life-saving blood supply for our nation’s military personnel around the globe.

Lt. Cmdr. Fae Ramirez serves as the Head of the US Navy’s Blood Program, based at the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) in Falls Church, Virginia. In this role, Ramirez acts as the Navy representative to the Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP), oversees policies to ensure compliance with regulations and provide technical oversight and policy guidance to ASBP blood establishments to ensure compliance with blood regulatory or accrediting agencies and higher HQ policies and directives.

For this New Bedford, Massachusetts native, the path to the US Navy was anything but straightforward. While attending Salve Regina in Newport, Rhode Island, Ramirez took an interest in the Navy and explored joining upon graduation. But as it has been said, “Sometimes life is what happens when you are making plans.” Following graduation came motherhood and an opportunity to pursue blood banking at a major civilian trauma center in Boston, Massachusetts. Fifteen years later, as a single mother working endless days as a technical supervisor at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Ramirez’s career took an unexpected turn. A colleague introduced her to a Navy officer program offering an opportunity to obtain a graduate degree from The George Washington University, a clinical fellowship in Immunohematology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), and the chance to earn the prestigious Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) certification through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

“I decided to speak with my children and ask if they thought joining the Navy was a good idea,” related Ramirez. “They said ‘yes.’”

Within six months Ramirez had spoken to a recruiter and started Officer Development School (ODS) back in Newport.

“I was excited to be given this opportunity for my future and also to show my children that it was never too late to change your path,” said Ramirez. “All you need is a desire to make that change, the passion to give it your all and lots of dedication and hard work. Anything is possible, no matter the obstacles you think may be impossible to overcome.”

After a tour as the division officer of clinical microscopy at WRNMMC, Ramirez was selected for the Armed Services Specialist Blood Bank Fellowship. Following her SBB Board Certification, she rose to Deputy Director of the Armed Services Blood Bank Center, National Capital Region. Ramirez then transitioned to Naval Medical Center Portsmouth as Department Head of Blood Services, where she served as both the SBB and Mid-Atlantic Blood Officer, supporting the fleet out of Norfolk, Virginia.

In 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramirez deployed to Okinawa, Japan, as the Director of the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDO-PACOM) Armed Services Blood Donor Center at Camp Foster. She led a critical role in ensuring the collection, manufacturing, storage, and distribution of blood products throughout the Pacific Area of Operations. Her efforts directly supported military operational readiness and health for over 236,000 personnel across Okinawa and the Western Pacific region.

“It was challenging but rewarding at the same time,” said Ramirez. “The people I met and worked with helped make it manageable. This was a busy Tri-service donor center operated by hard-working individuals accomplishing the ‘impossible’ everyday by collecting live saving blood products during a time where no one wanted to leave their homes. Not having all my family and all my friends with me was hard but having my husband there and my co- workers who supported me was a special time.”

In 2023, Ramirez reported to BUMED to oversee worldwide operations of the Navy’s blood program. Each day she faces a relentless stream of information requests (RFIs) from individuals from across the service and Armed Forces, seeking leadership on projects, policy clarification, guidance on specific tasks and walking blood bank procedures.

“When I first joined the Navy in 2013, I wanted to be in the exact seat I hold today as the Head of the Navy Blood Program,” related Ramirez. “To me, this is the epitome of what an SBB, 60V (Blood Bank Officer – Specialist in Blood Bank) in the Navy would be.”

While serving as executive agent for coordination and management of all NBP matters including operational, research, training, and quality assurance issues, each day Ramirez provides operational blood guidance to US Fleet Forces (USFF), US Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), component commands, type commands (TYCOMS), as well as Marine Expeditionary Forces. She also assists in determining training and manning requirements for enlisted laboratory technicians and laboratory officers serving in operational blood missions.

Although she takes immense pride in these roles, she states that the most rewarding part is the opportunity to mentor young officers and enlisted as well as “leading by example.”

“Leading by example has always been my passion and I believe the most effective leaders are those who demonstrate their values and expectations through their actions,” said Ramirez. “By consistently embodying the behaviors I teach my junior staff, I set a clear standard from the top. It’s not about ‘do as I say’ – it’s about inspiring them to emulate what I do. Those I’ve worked with, from young enlisted to senior officers, will tell you I take immense pride in leading this way.”

She deflects praise, attributing her successes to her team, her mentors, her family—especially her children Jared and Ryan—and all of the individuals who support the blood program.

Today—11-years into her Navy career—Ramirez stands as a testament to the power of leadership and pursuing one’s dreams. Her story is not just about quiet dedication to her craft or organizational excellence, it’s also about a deep commitment to serving others. And for those who like Ramirez have that interest to enter the Navy, but are unsure if their window for a career has closed, she has one piece of advice:

“Never give up on your dreams,” says Ramirez. “Anything is possible if you work hard enough!”