Ramon Riojas, M.D., Ph.D., is currently a Thoracic Surgery fellow at UCSF. He began his education at Austin College in Sherman, TX earning a BA in Biochemistry. He pursued a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio, TX working in the lab of Dr. Feng Liu and Dr. Lily Dong. His research included characterizing the insulin signaling pathway and the role of PDK-1 phosphorylation. He joined the United States Air Force and attended the Uniformed Services University Medical School in Bethesda, MD. After earning his MD in 2010, he continued his training at Keesler Medical Center, Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS. He did a research fellowship at Keesler in 2011-2012 and was chief resident in 2015-2016. He remained on staff at Keesler as a General Surgeon for two years, during which time he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2017. He transferred to Travis AFB, CA as a general surgeon and the Surgery Disaster Team Chief. He is currently taking a hiatus from active duty in the USAF while undergoing fellowship training.