Dr. Stephen Ralph is a primary care physician at Elms Creek Family and Urgent Care Clinic providing care for Killeen and the surrounding central Texas communities. He relocated to Killeen in 2012 after practicing for 25 years in the Long Island/New York area. 

Dr. Ralph's education started at Fordham University and then to Guadalajara, Mexico for medical school. He adopted the language and culture, which has been invaluable in caring for the Hispanic community. His post-graduate training in Internal Medicine was at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, attaining Board Certification. The majority of Dr. Ralph's experience has been in Emergency Medicine attaining Board Certification in that specialty as well; serving as Assistant Medical Director in Bayshore, Long Island. His experience extends to serving on the staff of Long Island State Veteran Home, on the campus of SUNY/Stony Brook University Hospital, several years in a multi-specialty group practice and additionally with his father, a General Practice physician. He credits growing up around both his father's and grandfather's medical practices, both General Practitioners, with his love for medicine; "I never really considered any other career."

"The most common question I am asked is 'How did you end up in Killeen?'" In 2010, Dr. Ralph went to Zambia, Africa on a mission trip. It was there as a member of the medical team that he met Dr. Charles Mitchell, a long time physician in Killeen. "We became friends and I was ready for a new chapter in my life." 

Dr. Ralph's enthusiasm is in aggressively pursuing lifestyle changes to impact his patients' health, becoming an active member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). He has witnessed that many of our country's western illnesses are caused by our lifestyle choices; the foods we eat, our physical activity, our emotional well-being and the quality of our sleep all heavily-influence our health. Dr. Ralph encourages his patients through personal counseling, recommending books, documentaries, and personal material on his website. Dr. Ralph's dedication to this emerging field was demonstrated on October 26, 2017 when he became one of only 204 physicians globally to sit for the inaugural exam of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine (ABLM) and earn the privilege of certification in Lifestyle Medicine.

Dr Ralph is an active member of the Killeen Seventh Day Adventist Church and co-leads the Health Ministries program in initiatives such as the Diabetes Undone program and forming the local Killeen chapter of Walk With A Doc. He is a strong advocate of the current Food Is Medicine and Health Equity Movements, believing that no one’s health should be determined by their zip code.

Dr Ralphs’ wife is the school administrator of the Killeen Adventist Junior Academy, and they have a daughter. He is on the courtesy staff at AdventHealth Central Texas Hospital and is proud to be a team member of the Elms Creek Family and Urgent Care Clinic. His desire is to provide care to the Central Texas community for many years to come.