Brenda Zierler, PhD, RN, RVT, FAAN
Director of Research and Training of Externally Funded Grants
Dr. Brenda Zierler is co-lead of Team Science education and training, for UW’s Institute of Translational Health Science (ITHS) in the UW School of Medicine. She is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics. She teaches team science and leadership interdisciplinary clinical research teams across the WWAMI Region. She also teaches quality improvement, patient safety and informatics to undergraduate nursing students.
Noa T. Brazg, PhD, MSW, MPH
Director of Interprofessional Education
Dr. Noa T. Brazg leads efforts around IPE curriculum development, implementation and evaluation in classroom and community settings. She works with key stakeholders, including Health Sciences Deans, Faculty, Staff, and Students to innovate IPE at the University of Washington. She also works as a clinical bioethics consultant at UW Medical Center and is an affiliate instructor at UW Bothell School of Nursing and Health Studies, where she teaches quality improvement and clinical ethics to nursing students.
Ashley McPeek, PhD, MSc
Interprofessional Education Program Manager
Dr. Ashley McPeek supports efforts around IPE curriculum development, implementation and evaluation in classroom and community settings. She co-leads the student-facing aspects of the Harborview Mobile Health Outreach program, several student-led advisory committees, as well as the Interprofessional Service Learning Advisory Committee. She brings with her clinical and research experience in the field of exercise physiology.
Karen McDonough, MD
Director of Clinical Learning
Dr. Karen McDonough leads efforts around IPE curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation for clinical learners. She works with key stakeholders to develop simulation and clinical skills learning opportunities for diverse health sciences students. Dr. McDonough is also an Associate Professor in the Division of Internal Medicine, where she leads clinical learning for second year medical students.
Laurel Barchet, BS, ADN
Web Information Specialist
Laurel supports IPE, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, and Team Science programs and initiatives for UW health sciences students, staff and faculty. She manages the CHSIE website, collaborates with health sciences faculty and staff to develop online resources for students and practicing clinicians, and provides technical and administrative support for the Team Science initiative. Laurel also works as an e-learning instructional designer for the Dementia and Palliative Education Network (DPEN) in the School of Nursing.
School of Medicine
Patricia Matsuda PT, PhD, DPT
Assistant Professor, Physical Therapist, Rehabilitation Medicine
IPE Curriculum Committee
Genevieve Pagalilauan MD
Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine
IPE Curriculum Committee
Cari Rodgers MSPAS, BCHS, PA-C
Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine
IPE Curriculum Committee
School of Nursing
Erin Blakeney PhD, RN
Research Assistant Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics
Project Lead, ITHS Team Science Initiative
Jennifer Sonney PhD, MSN
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Nursing
IPE Curriculum Committee
Mayumi Wilgerodt PhD, MPH, MS
Mary S. Tschudin Professor in Nursing Education, School of Nursing
IPE Curriculum Committee
School of Public Health
Michelle Averill PhD, RD
Senior Lecturer, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
IPE Curriculum Committee
Miruna Buta PhD, MA
Associate Teaching Professor, School of Public Health
IPE Curriculum Committee
India Ornelas PhD, MPH
Professor, School of Public Health
IPE Curriculum Committee
School of Dentistry
Marilynn Rothen, RDH, MS
Clinical Associate Professor, School of Dentistry
IPE Curriculum Committee
School of Pharmacy
Jennie Do PharmD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pharmacy
IPE Curriculum Committee
Teresa O’Sullivan PharmD
Associate Professor and Director of Experiential Education, Advanced Practice
IPE Curriculum Committee
School of Social Work
Charlotte Sanders MSW
Teaching Associate/NLBHP
IPE Curriculum Committee
College of Engineering
Jonathan Posner PhD
Richard and Victoria Harrington Professor in Engineering Innovation in Health, Mechanical Engineering
Professor, Chemical Engineering
Adjunct Professor, Family Medicine, School of Medicine
Director, Engineering Innovation in Health Program
Project Lead, ITHS Team Science Initiative
The IPE Teaching Fellows program aims to develop a community of practice in IPE, where participants will grow their teaching skills and build meaningful interprofessional connections with faculty, staff and students across the health sciences.
During 2024-25 we look forward to welcoming five IPE Teaching Fellows who represent nursing, social work and medicine:
Corey Schiffman, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Dr. Corey Schiffman is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder and elbow surgery. Dr. Schiffman believes in a team approach to patient care and utilizes the practice of evidence-based medicine to offer his patients leading-edge surgical techniques and procedures.
His main goals are improving quality of life and helping patients return to the most enjoyable activities. Dr. Schiffman’s clinical expertise includes the arthroscopic and open treatment of all shoulder and elbow conditions, including arthritis, tendon disorders, joint instability, and fractures. Common procedures include shoulder and elbow replacement, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, arthroscopic shoulder stabilization, tendon transfers, fracture fixation, and sternoclavicular joint reconstruction.
Lauren Smrcina, MSN, CNM, ARNP, PMH-C
Teaching Associate, School of Nursing
Dr. Lauren Smrcina is a certified nurse midwife and Teaching Associate in the UW School of Nursing. She began her career as a birth doula in 2011. After completing midwifery training in 2014, she focused her initial years of practice on Reproductive Endocrinology, then moved to full-scope midwifery in a hospital-based group practice.
Today her clinical practice centers on out-patient care settings, and she joined the Child, Family, and Population Health Department as faculty in 2023. Dr. Smrcina is dedicated to volunteer and community initiatives that serve the greater Seattle area to address health inequities. This includes leading services for Women’s, Trans, and Non-binary health at the Seattle King County Clinic.
Margaret Hsu, MD
Medical Director, Fred Hutch Cancer Center Sickle Cell Pain Clinic; Program Director, Pain Medicine Fellowships, Department of Anesthesiology
Dr. Margaret Hsu is an attending physician in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Washington, where is also the Program Director for the Pain Medicine Fellowship. Her academic interests focus on the treatment of pain related to cancer, bone marrow transplants, and sickle cell disease.
Nicola Contreras, DNP, RN, CHSE-A
Director of Simulation Center, School of Nursing; Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Nursing
Dr. Nicola Contreras began working in simulation in 2012 as a nursing faculty member, simulation educator in both academic and clinical simulation settings, faculty development specialist for those facilitating simulation in pre- and post- licensure nursing programs, and as a Director of Simulation. In 2023, she joined the University of Washington School of Nursing (SoN) and, as the Director of the Simulation Center, is responsible for assuring and aligning all simulation-based learning with simulation best practices and a competency-based education framework. In this role, she has designed curriculum, facilitated simulation-based learning experiences, and provided faculty support and education for the SoN. She has collaborated with the SoM, and other Health Professions at the University of Washington in support their individual simulation needs and as part of interprofessional simulation activities. She completed the National League for Nursing’s Leadership Institute Simulation program where she developed an interprofessional education toolkit and has earned her Certified Health Care Simulation-Advanced (CHSE-A) certification from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. She is an active member of INACSL and is the chair of the membership committee. She has presented nationally on her work describing the use of simulation to foster clinical judgement to improve program and learning outcomes and has published her work on the use of simulation for the assessment of competency.
Teresa Busch, LICSW
Program Manager, Social Work and Care Coordination Department at UW Montlake; Associate Professor, School of Social Work
Teresa Busch, LICSW, Manager of Program Operations, Social Work and Care Coordination Dept at UW Medical Center (UWMC). Teresa is an experienced Social Worker who was an inpatient social worker at Montlake for 20 years before becoming a manager. Driven by her commitment to lifelong learning and desire to support new health care workers, she is committed to Interprofessional Education. As a Social Worker, her goals are to view systems with a social justice lens and develop relationships to enhance the services provided to patients. She has served as a Field Faculty Instructor for many students and participated in the administration of the student practicum program at UWMC. In addition to her primary job functions at UWMC, Teresa is recognized for her commitment to teaching students at the UW School of Social Work, where she is an Associate Professor. Recreationally, Teresa enjoys watching and playing team sports, pickleball is her newest challenge.
Pamela Mitchell, PhD, CNRN, FAAN
Founding Director, Health Sciences Partnerships in Interprofessional Education (HSPICE)
Professor, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics
Professor Emeritus, Department of Health Services, School of Public Health
Basia Belza, PhD, RN, FAAN
The Aljoya Endowed Professor in Aging, Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics
Adjunct Professor, UW School of Public Health
Investigator, UW Health Promotion Research Center
Nanci Murphy, PharmD
Collaborative Practice Specialist, CHSIE
Associate Dean, School of Pharmacy (2001-2014)
Director of Student Leadership Programs (2014-2016)
Amy Kim, DDS
Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatric Dentistry
Director, Office of Educational Partnerships