Our Team

Jim Scott - Section Chief

Jim Scott serves as the Vice Chair for education. He has also served as dean of the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) from July 2003 through December 2010. Previously, he served as residency director, associate dean for graduate medical education, and assistant dean for student affairs in SMHS. Since stepping down as dean, Dr. Scott has devoted his time and energy to improving medical education in Africa. He is a principal faculty member on the Medical Education Partnership Initiative, a $130 million grant from the NIH and HRSA to improve the quantity, quality, and retention of doctors in sub-Saharan Africa. He also serves as senior academic adviser to the Global Health Service Partnership, a program through the Peace Corps that began in 2013 and places U.S. medical educators in African medical schools. He is also the co-director of the health policy fellowship for residents that has trained more than 400 residents from GW. In addition to several GW and national teaching awards, Dr. Scott has received the Golden Apple for Outstanding Clinical Teacher of the Year 15 times, including each of the last five years.

Ray Lucas

Dr. Lucas serves as the senior associate dean for faculty affairs and professional development for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. As senior associate dean, he provides oversight for faculty development activities in the School and for the Office of Continuing Education in the Health Professions.

Steven Davis

Dr. Davis is the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He developed the four-day “Emergency Medicine Bootcamp” incorporating team-based and active learning techniques into the Emergency Medicine clerkship. Additionally he is the course director for two elective courses for senior medical students – Health Policy Issues in Emergency Medicine and Advanced Wound Care. He is the director of the Health Policy Track for GW medical students. He is a graduate of the GW Master Teacher Leadership Development Program.

Ali Pourmand

Dr. Pourmand serves as the director of educational technology and media for the Department of Emergency Medicine, and has published widely on the use of technology to improve and supplement EM education. He is also involved in undergraduate, medical student, and resident teaching, specifically focusing on evidence-based medicine. He has presented his research at national and international meetings such as ACEP and SAEM. His blog has had more than 500k visitors.

Claudia Ranniger

Dr. Ranniger serves as the director of simulation for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences' Clinical Learning and Skills Simulation (CLASS) Center. She develops simulation curricula for the GW medical school and GW residency programs. She also directs a post-graduate fellowship in Simulation in Medical Education.

Sonal Batra

Dr. Batra is a leader in the India Master’s in Emergency Medicine Program through the GW Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine. For this program, she regularly teaches at our partner institutions in India and has developed a web-based educational curriculum to supplement the program. She was conference co-director for Beyond Flexner: Social Mission in Medical Education in April 2015.

Amy Cagguila

Dr. Cagguila is the clerkship director for the Emergency Medicine clerkship required of all fourth-year GW medical students.

Kat Ogle 

Dr. Ogle is fellowship trained in Emergency Ultrasound and oversees the GW EM resident ultrasound rotation and the EM Ultrasound Clerkship for medical students. She serves on the clinical competency committee and mentors several students and residents. She is actively engaged in the vertical integration of ultrasound in the new GW undergraduate medical curriculum and is the director of the TALKS program in the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, an innovative peer teaching program for physical diagnosis. She is a graduate of the GW Master Teacher Leadership Development Program.

Rita Manfredi

Dr. Manfredi has an interest in emergency physician wellness and is the subcommittee chair of the ACEP Well Being Committee. She is currently the editor of the online ACEP Wellness Guide for Emergency Physicians, which is being revised to include a comprehensive emergency resident section. She is an active educator in the department where she serves as the primary mentor for several residents, serves on the clinical competency committee and has mentored medical students and residents on scholarly projects related to pain assessment, spirituality in medicine, adolescent coping in the ED, and sudden death in swim triathletes. She also serves as chairman of the Spiritual Care Committee which is currently implementing an accredited pastoral care residency at the George Washington University Hospital. Dr. Manfredi is interested in the integration of palliative medicine into the emergency care setting.

Amy Keim

Ryan Strauss

Ryan Strauss, M.P.H., MSHS, PA-C is an  emergency medicine physician assistant and is the administrative director of physician assistants in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He is also a part-time faculty member in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies involved in multiple aspects of the PA program including admissions, advising, and directing the Emergency Medicine Clinical Practicum. He has been in PA education for more than seven years and has taught at countless regional and national PA conferences.

Keith Boniface

Dr. Boniface also serves as the chief of the Emergency Ultrasound Section. He as previously served as the associate residency program director, EM Ultrasound Fellowship director and course director for the EM Ultrasound Rotation for medical students. He is an active educator in the department, who serves on the clinical competency committee and mentors several students and residents.

Yolanda Haywood

Dr. Haywood is a senior member of the department who has previously served as the EM clerkship director and EM residency director. She is currently the associate dean for student affairs, diversity and inclusion at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences.