"When I arrived in Watertown, New York, I knew I was stepping into something unique — a crossroads that few psychiatric settings can claim: the intersection of military service, rural community need, and the quiet, often invisible struggles of families living far from major medical centers."
From 2013 to 2017, I served as Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Medical Director of the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, and Department Chairman at Samaritan Medical Center. Those years shaped me profoundly — not just as a clinician, but as a physician who understands what it truly means to show up for a community.
Caring for those who serve
Fort Drum is home to the 10th Mountain Division, one of the most deployed units in the US Army. The soldiers and families who live and serve there carry burdens that rarely make headlines — combat trauma, repeated deployments, family separation, and the silent weight of service. Many of these men and women came through our doors not looking for sympathy, but for someone who would listen without judgment and help them find their footing again.
Working with active duty soldiers and their families taught me that psychiatric care in a military community demands a particular kind of humility and precision. These are individuals trained to project strength. Building trust takes patience. But when that trust is established, the clinical work is deeply rewarding — and the resilience I witnessed was unlike anything I had encountered before.
Psychiatry in rural New York
Beyond the military community, Watertown sits in a region where mental health resources are scarce and distances are vast. Families would travel hours for care that simply wasn't available locally. Children and adolescents with complex psychiatric needs — mood disorders, trauma, psychosis, developmental challenges — were often underserved or seen too late.
As Medical Director of the inpatient unit, I worked to build a service that could meet this community where it was. That meant being creative, being thorough, and being present. Rural psychiatry demands a generalist's breadth with a specialist's depth. You cannot defer to the next referral when you are the referral.
Training the next generation
One of the most meaningful parts of my time at Samaritan was the opportunity to teach. As Voluntary Faculty for the SUNY Syracuse psychiatry residency training program, I supervised and mentored residents and nurse practitioners who were themselves learning to navigate the complexities of psychiatric care.
Teaching in a rural setting carries its own lessons. Trainees learned not just the clinical science of psychiatry, but also the art of practicing in resource-limited environments — how to build therapeutic relationships quickly, how to make decisions with incomplete information, and how to advocate for patients whose voices are not always heard in the broader healthcare system.
Watching a resident grow in confidence, or a nurse practitioner develop their own clinical voice, was one of the quiet joys of those years.
Looking back, moving forward
My time in Watertown was a chapter I carry with me into every clinical encounter today. The soldiers who trusted me with their darkest moments. The children who finally had someone to help them make sense of their world. The trainees who went on to serve communities of their own.
As I now build my private practice here in Fresno, California — serving a diverse Central Valley community with its own unmet psychiatric needs — I draw constantly on what Watertown taught me: that great psychiatric care is not about the size of the institution, but the depth of the commitment.
Seeking Psychiatric Care in the Fresno Area?
If you or someone you care about is seeking psychiatric care in the Fresno area, Dr. Ramar is currently accepting new patients.
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