Two St. Luke’s University Health Network physicians who first met as high school students more than two decades ago have built their medical careers alongside their marriage, eventually returning to St. Luke’s to care for patients in overlapping specialties.
Dr. Ashley de Padua and Dr. David Ramski met in 2004 while attending high school in Florida. Their first date was their junior prom, although the two waited until after final exams to officially begin dating as they focused on preparing for college.
Both attended the University of Florida, where de Padua majored in psychology and minored in anthropology, while Ramski double-majored in biology and music.
They married in 2011 during their second year of medical school. Ramski trained at Georgetown and lived in Washington, D.C., while de Padua attended the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia.
“We spent as much time as possible together during weekends, but inevitably medicine came up in conversations,” said Ashley. “Still, we learned to be present with each other even when training competed for our attention.”
The couple said they found ways to prioritize their relationship through dinners, concerts and vacations while also helping each other manage responsibilities at home.
“David knows I don’t like doing laundry, so he’ll do that if I’m having a hectic day,” Ashley says.
“Ashley’s a great cook, so she does most of the cooking,” David responds.
Their medical careers came together when they couples-matched at St. Luke’s in Bethlehem for their internship year of residency.
“We even rotated through the ICU together,” Ashley recalls.
Ramski completed his orthopedic residency at St. Luke’s, while de Padua trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Jefferson in Philadelphia.
“When I trained here, I liked how collegial and friendly everyone was, while still maintaining excellent quality,” said Ashley. “Dave’s first experience at St. Luke’s was as a medical student, and some of those attendings he worked with then are his colleagues now.”
Both later completed yearlong fellowships at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland before returning to St. Luke’s to begin their careers.
Ramski is now a trauma and orthopedic surgeon with St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care. De Padua is a physiatrist and serves as section chief of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and medical director of St. Luke’s Acute Rehabilitation Center at Bethlehem, Lehighton and Sacred Heart.
De Padua specializes in rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord injuries, while Ramski treats orthopedic fractures. Because their specialties overlap, the two occasionally care for the same patient during different stages of recovery.
“We do talk about a patient at home from time to time,” said David, “but really try to prioritize our life outside of medicine, on spending and planning our time together.”
Outside work, the couple shares an interest in music and sometimes plays classical pieces and Christmas carols together on their baby grand piano.
They are also planning a trip to the Maldives for Ramski’s 40th birthday in October. On New Year’s Eve, the couple will mark their 15th wedding anniversary.
