Lives of Consequence
Chad M. Ramsey '96
Vice President of Policy, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance
As Vice President of Policy for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance, Chad Ramsey ’96 leads the organization’s public policy initiatives, developing and implementing a national agenda for ovarian cancer.
“There are many hurdles women face with ovarian cancer -- limited treatment, no real preventative screening options -- so it’s important to ensure that research dollars go toward finding treatment options and cures,” Ramsey says. “If I can help get more research dollars, get more treatment for more women, I’ll feel like I’ve done a good job.”
In 2016, the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance joined together to form the OCRFA, the largest global organization dedicated to advancing ovarian cancer research while supporting women and their families. The organization has invested more than $65 million in research through 237 grants to scientists at nearly 70 leading medical centers, and promotes education and support to families living through an ovarian cancer diagnosis.
Since Ramsey joined the organization in 2015, he has been working with policymakers on Capitol Hill and organizational allies to implement the policy agenda and achieve OCRFA priorities. He also serves as a staff liaison to the Congressional Ovarian Cancer Caucus and monitors efforts within federal agencies, including the CDC, FDA, NIH and CMS as they relate to the OCRFA’s policy agenda.
Ramsey was inspired to take on policy and advocacy work while he was a student, during the HWS Washington, D.C. semester program.
“I had an internship with the nonprofit, Common Cause, and one of the first things I did was deliver an ethics complaint to Newt Gingrich in the Capitol Building,” he recalls. “I actually handed it to the speaker as he was walking out of his office -- I couldn’t believe it. It gave me an appreciation for speaking truth to power.”
An English major and member of the Statesmen football team, Ramsey graduated from Hobart with honors and notes that between the classroom and the field, “the liberal arts education I received was so important for me. In Professor of Media and Society Linda Robertson’s rhetoric class I had the opportunity to debate and practice drawing in an audience to effectively convey your points. I took Shakespeare courses with Professor of English and Comparative Literature Peter Cummings that taught me that you can read a text and get one thing out of it, but if you look at it another way you can find totally different threads. And playing for Coach Bill Maxwell and Coach Mike Cragg, I learned how to rely on others and the politics of teamwork.”
Ramsey went on to earn his master’s degree from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Prior to joining the OCRFA, he was the director of legislative relations for the National Marrow Donor Program, where he worked to ensure that patients in need of a bone marrow donor were able to fund a suitable match. He also served as director of federal legislation for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and has more than 18 years of experience in public policy and advocacy in the non-profit sector.
“There are so many issues that require advocates to come forth and make sure Congress understands what they need and want,” Ramsey says. “You can get cynical spending time in D.C. working with Congress, but I’m continually inspired by the advocates that I represent. It makes you want to work a little bit harder to try and bring about change in the right direction.”