Women in Science Conference 2023

Dr. Athena Ramos, Associate Professor

Department of Health Promotion, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Dr. Athena Ramos, MBA, MS, CPM, is affiliated with the Center for Reducing Health Disparities, the Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH), and the Global Center for Health Security at UNMC in Omaha. She leads a Latino outreach and engagement team and serves as principal investigator for multiple community-based health and social research and education initiatives in such areas as occupational health and safety within the agrifood system, immigrant integration, and community well-being. She has over 20 years of experience developing and implementing social, health, and human service programs with culturally diverse populations. She strives to bring a sense of hope and vitality to the work she does both professionally and personally.

Ramos has been honored numerous times for her commitment and dedication to making Omaha and Nebraska a healthier, more inclusive, and vibrant place to live, work, and play. She was recognized as one of the “40 Under 40” by the Midlands Business Journal, one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahans, the American Heart Association’s Advocacy Volunteer of the Year, the Nebraska Latino American Commission’s Inspiration Award recipient, and a WCA Tribute to Women Honoree. Recently, she was awarded the Carruth J. Wagner Faculty Prize in Public Health from the UNMC College of Public Health for her work during the pandemic. Ramos is married and is the mother of four children.

Dr. Eileen Hebets, Charles Bessey Professor

School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Hebets is at the forefront of arachnid and animal behavior research, having uncovered the science behind several previously unexplained phenomena Hebets is also a pioneer of informal science education, capitalizing on spiders’ natural charisma to help students of all ages engage and persist in science. As part of her National Science Foundation-funded Eight-Legged Encounters project, Hebets has developed a variety of hands-on activities intended to bridge the gap between academia and the public. She’s driven by a desire to help students use their innate creativity and inquisitiveness to learn in a fun and engaging way.

Hebets, who joined the university in 2005, has appeared in more than 100 publications and has three active grants totaling around $1 million. She’s heavily involved in outreach, having developed youth summer camps that have impacted hundreds of Nebraska students in the last decade, as well as the university’s Community Science Through Outreach course, in which Husker students create interactive programs for after-school science clubs. In 2017, she received the University of Nebraska’s Innovation, Development and Engagement Award, the system’s most prestigious award for using academic expertise to enrich the broader community.