After a long day at St. Luke’s University Health Network, physicians Ashley de Padua, MD, and David Ramski, MD, sometimes sit down at their baby grand piano and play duets of classical favorites or Christmas carols.
It’s a shared pastime the married “physician-couple” has enjoyed over the decades of medical training and treating medically complex patients, sometimes not seeing each other in their Bethlehem home until late at night. That’s the lifestyle each knew they would choose back in 2004 when they met in high school in Florida and fell in love. The magnetic pull of their healing profession is balanced by their long-time commitment to each other, which helps them thrive during their demanding schedules as they continue growing as physicians and as a couple.
David is a trauma/orthopedic surgeon with St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care. Ashley, a physiatrist, 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. Their story shows what is possible career-wise for physician residents who come to St. Luke’s, the region’s top-ranked teaching hospital.
Soon after meeting in the 11th grade, their first date was the junior prom, but they decided not to start officially dating until after final exams, as each was laser-focused on their studies to prepare for college acceptance. As their nascent relationship grew, they shared with each other their dream of going into medicine, identifying the demands it would make on them: time apart, intense training and the stress of absorbing scads of new knowledge on their journeys to become healers of illness and injury.
And they planned how they would nurture their relationship along the way.
Both attended the University of Florida as undergrads, Ashley majoring in psychology with a minor in anthropology, David with a double-major in biology and music, before each secured a place in medical school.
They married in 2011 during their second year of medical school, a time that typically taxes couples’ ability to focus on anything aside from their education.
David trained at Georgetown and lived in Washington, D.C., while Ashley studied at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and lived 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.”
They prioritized their relationship with dinner dates, concerts and vacations, when time permitted. Each became sensitive to their spouse’s needs and signs of struggles, and they grew to support each other by performing household chores even without being asked, which they maintain in their current life together.
“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 professional paths became well-entwined when they “couples-matched” at St. Luke’s, Bethlehem, for their internship (first) year of residency. “We even rotated through the ICU together,” Ashley recalls.
David did his orthopedics residency at St. Luke’s, while Ashley trained in physical medicine and rehabilitation not far away at Jefferson in Philly. Soon, both agreed that St. Luke’s would be their first choice for their eventual employer, the ideal setting for their continued professional growth where the focus is on high-quality care and caring.
“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.”
Each then did a year-long fellowship at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, before returning to St. Luke’s to launch their careers. Ashley specializes in rehabbing patients with spinal cord injuries, and David repairs orthopedic fractures of all kinds and complexities.
Since their expertise overlaps in the continuum of musculoskeletal care, they occasionally treat the same patient at different phases of their 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.”
On off hours, they’re currently having fun researching their next big vacation, a trip to the Maldives islands in Southeast Asia, for David’s 40th birthday in October (Ashley is 38).
Then on New Year’s Eve, they will celebrate their 15th wedding quietly at home, likely tickling the ivories on duets.
