Two Texas A&M Health faculty named 2025 University Distinguished Professors

Texas A&M University has announced the 2025 University Distinguished Professors, the highest achievement a faculty member can earn at the university. Among them are two faculty members from the Texas A&M Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health), Kenneth Ramos, PhD, and William Sage, MD, JD.

The University Distinguished Professor designation is bestowed upon faculty members who are preeminent in their fields and have made at least one transformational contribution in their discipline. These recipients’ accomplishments are demonstrated by exemplary teaching, research, mentoring and service.

Ramos, a highly accomplished physician-scientist, specializes in clinical research in chronic disease management. He has been a pioneer in human genome research, with groundbreaking studies on LINE-1 jumping genes and their roles in genome reprogramming. His research team was the first to discover that retinoblastoma proteins play a key role in turning off certain jumping genes (LINE-1).

Ramos has been internationally recognized for his contributions to genomics, precision medicine and toxicology, with numerous awards and honors such as a Lifetime Associate of the National Academy of Sciences and being an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Ramos joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1989 until he left the university in 2003, before returning in 2019 to join the College of Medicine faculty. He also serves executive director of the Texas A&M Health Institute of Biosciences and Technology.

Sage is an expert on health law and policy with both a medical doctorate degree and a juris doctor degree from Stanford University. His work in medical malpractice law has helped transform it into a well-theorized, data-driven engagement with how liability influences core concerns of quality, access and cost, which advanced innovative approaches to medical error that are more effective and humane.

Sage has published more than 200 articles and authored or edited four books, including the Oxford Handbook of U.S. Health Law, a cornerstone in the field. His thought leadership has helped shape national health policy, including discussions on patient empowerment, market competition, and the ethical obligations of health care professionals. His impact extends beyond academia through his membership in key national organizations, including the National Academy of Medicine and the American Law Institute. He is also a fellow of the Hastings Center on Bioethics and a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Université Paris Descartes.

Sage has been with Texas A&M since 2022 as a tenured professor in the schools of medicine and law with a courtesy appointment in the Bush School of Government and Public Service. He is also the founding faculty director of the Texas A&M Health Institute for Healthcare Access.