2024 AAPAE Council Candidates
Listed Alphabetically by Last Name
Candidates for Councilor - Assessment
Candidates for Councilor - Communications & Marketing
Candidates for Councilor – Mentorship
Candidate for Councilor - Assessment
Amy Moore, MEd
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Why You Are Interested in This Position: Within the past academic year, all three of our anesthesiology residency program coordinators left for other opportunities inside and outside the Cleveland Clinic. Our GMEC Education Committee notes also suggest that other residency and fellowship programs experience PC turnover as well. Because it can take a number of years for PCs to become proficient in their role, it is of utmost importance to keep turnover rates as low as possible. During my time on the council, I'd like to gather data on PC retention rates in GME programs nationally and examine why PCs leave for other positions. My ultimate goal is to establish a PC career path to enhance education and promotion and minimize turnover.
Bio: Amy Moore, MEd, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Project Manager of Education Programs, Center for Anesthesiology Education at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. In her current role, she works collaboratively with Anesthesiology Education Leadership to develop and implement educational initiatives for anesthesiology staff and trainees to enhance their teaching skills and scholarly outputs. Ms. Moore previously spent 22 years in the Cleveland Clinic Education Institute serving as a Staff Editor for the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine and managing scholarly activity skills training for staff and GME trainees enterprise-wide. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University and a master’s degree in health professions education from a joint program with the Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland State University. Her professional interests include medical education and scholarship.
Candidate for Councilor - Assessment
Rachel Moquin, EdD, MA
Washington University/BJH/SLCH Consortium
Why You Are Interested in This Position: I have really enjoyed my time on our Council because I love being able to give back and support this wonderful community! I would approach a second term with a continued interest in supporting our members in opportunities to share their perspectives and insights (via monthly Check-in meetings and annual SNAP Talks), as well as encouraging our members to see the scholarly potential in their work. As a member of council, I would elicit member feedback on programming needs and interests and work collaboratively with the other council members to help sustain and grow our community. Thank you for considering me for this position!
Bio: Rachel Moquin, EdD, MA, is an Associate Professor and the Associate Vice-Chair for Faculty and Educator Development in the Department of Anesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Moquin received her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Mississippi and her Doctoral degree in Education Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University. In her current role, she provides professional development and mentoring for faculty, staff, and trainees with a focus on educator development, educational scholarship and research, curriculum and assessment design, and mentorship. Her key areas of interest are health professions educator development, qualitative research methods, effective feedback practices, active learning and learner engagement, professional identity formation, and learner remediation.
Candidate for Councilor - Communications & Marketing
Autumn King, C-TAGME
Duke University
Why You Are Interested in This Position: I’m excited about the Councilor – Communications & Marketing role because I’m all about using smart communication to energize our community and build strong connections. I’m eager to take on this role to infuse even more energy and excitement into our work, making our efforts resonate more with the Anesthesia community as a whole. Here's what I'd like to achieve: Revamp Our Newsletter: I would like to make our monthly newsletters a must-read with engaging content like member highlights, upcoming events, and interactive features that everyone will look forward to reading. Boost Our Social Media Presence: Let’s make our social media channels more vibrant and engaging! I would roll out fresh content to interact more with our audience to keep everyone engaged and enthusiastic. Create an Impactful Annual Report: I’ll develop an annual report that not only showcases our achievements but also tells the story of our growth and future goals, making it a great tool for transparency and celebration.I’m passionate about making our association’s communication stand out and resonate with everyone. Thanks for considering me for this role. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to contribute and make a positive impact.
Bio: Autumn is the Senior GME Program Coordinator for the Anesthesiology Fellowship Programs at Duke University, where she manages 11 fellowship programs—directly overseeing 2 and supporting the others. Before joining Duke, Autumn spent 7 1/2 years at West Virginia University as a Program Administrator, working with various residency and fellowship programs. Certified by TAGME since 2018, Autumn brings extensive expertise and a deep commitment to graduate medical education. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband and their two golden doodles, enjoys reading, and stays active by running.
Candidate for Councilor - Communications & Marketing
Tammi Steffen, BS
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Why You Are Interested in This Position: I am passionate about helping others, fostering connections, and encouraging collaboration among colleagues. I would love to extend this passion to the anesthesia teams across the nation. I have enjoyed getting to know and working with fellow coordinators in our AAPAE group, assisting with requests for forms, ideas, and even mentoring before site visits. I aim to create a resource for all AAPAE members, especially those without social media access. Leveraging my web skills, I can contribute to updating the AAPAE website. As the Communications and Marketing Council, this opportunity would enable me to collaborate more closely with AAPAE and SAAAPM colleagues and gain a deeper understanding of both organizations.
Bio: Tammi has worked in healthcare education at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for 25 years before becoming the fellowship program coordinator in the Department of Anesthesia just over five years ago. After a couple of years with the department, she was promoted to education office manager, where she oversees the staff for both the residency and fellowship programs. In May 2023, she received the Program Coordinator Excellence Award, recognizing her outstanding management and dedication to the success of residency and fellowship programs. Last November, she presented at the AAPAE conference.
Candidate for Councilor - Communications & Marketing
Michelle Torres-Avelar, BA, C-TAGME
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Why You Are Interested in This Position: Being new to anesthesiology, I would love to become part of the community and glean as much knowledge from those who have been in the specialty. This opportunity will allow for hands-on learning and a great chance to build connections. I was a very active committee member in Alliance (Society for Internal Medicine) and CORDEM and was able to present alongside my committee members at national conferences. In addition, I would love to use my skills to help the SAAAPM increase its social media and overall digital footprint.
Bio: Michelle Torres is the program administrator for the Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center's brand-new Anesthesiology Residency Program. Michelle received her Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Psychology at CUNY and is currently working on her Masters in Business Administration with a focus on Healthcare. She has over ten years of graduate medical education experience in the specialties of Internal medicine, Primary Care, and Emergency Medicine. Her recent change in position has led her to Anesthesiology. She is eager to become part of the community and learn as much as she can.
Candidate for Councilor – Mentorship
Rena Gresh, BM, C-TAGME
University of Rochester
Why You Are Interested in This Position: If elected as the mentorship council member, my vision includes tweaking the current program to also include short-term mentorship on specific topics. WebADS help, new technology platforms, supplemental applications, writing/publishing, implementing DEI initiatives, starting a rural program, job burnout, or other topics that our members need extra support to tackle; the program’s intention is to provide an organized platform to tackle some of the coordinator’s biggest challenges, with a buddy!As a member of the “Super User” GME Program Coordinator group at my institution, I mentor coordinators both new to the world of GME, and those with many years of experience in GME roles. Prior to the pandemic, in conjunction with our institution’s GME department, I started an educational program for program coordinators, focusing on a deep dive into ACGME’s CPRs. Coordinators identified topics of interest, and monthly training sessions were held, for which each coordinator received CE credit to use towards TAGME certification. (My PD and I presented a poster on this at the 2020 ACGME conference!) As an educator myself, I am very passionate about providing transparent support systems to those in need. Having completed my Graduate Certificate in Medical Education at the University of Cincinnati, I am newly re-familiarized with how the adult brain learns and retains information. Mental health and social factors play a large and important role in this, and I believe having a network of people willing to help is invaluable.
Bio: Rena Gresh is currently the Anesthesiology Education Programs Manager at the University of Rochester’s Medical Center in Rochester, NY. A believer in life-long education, Rena completed a Graduate Certificate in Medical Education in August 2022 at the University of Cincinnati, and is currently working toward a Master’s degree in Medical Education at the same institution. Her educational focus is tackling health care disparities within Perioperative Medicine through development and education for the entire spectrum of learners, medical students through fellowship, and faculty.
Candidate for Councilor – Mentorship
LaurieAnn Hembree, BS, C-TAGME
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Why You Are Interested in This Position: I am interested in this position because I believe mentorship is important for everyone. We all need a little help sometimes, and having a mentor can be a great benefit. Being a mentor can also give one a sense of pride and meaning. I have had mentors that have taught me how to handle difficult situations and individuals. Having this knowledge has proven to be helpful and I have been able to share what I have learned with other as their mentor. We never stop learning, so the opportunity for mentorship never ends.
Bio: LaurieAnn is an Associate Program Manager at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After graduating Summa Cum Laude with her Bachelors of Science in Business Leadership from Lipscomb University, she entered the GME world. LaurieAnn started out at Vanderbilt as a program coordinator and lead administrative professional for the Rheumatology Fellowship program, but after three years felt a desire for something more. Her search led her to the Department of Anesthesiology, where she is the program coordinator for three fellowship programs: Critical Care Medicine, Obstetric Anesthesia, and Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine.
Candidate for Councilor – Mentorship
Sadhvi Khanna, MBA, MPH
Yale School of Medicine
Why You Are Intersted in This Position: As the Medical Education Manager for the department of anesthesiology at Yale SOM, I understand the importance of a mentor/mentee program and the critical role of learner engagement not only for the advancement for the mentee but also for the leadership experience gained by the mentor. Developing a well organized platform to initiate these connections combined with a supportive environment to allow effective communication are key elements necessary to execute a successful program. I hope to create an effective mentorship program structured around setting clear goals and optimizing synergies between the mentors and mentees. Specifically, I would like to establish program guidelines and expectations, develop a curriculum and identify effective methods of communication. I would also like to launch a process to monitor and evaluate the program in order to incorporate any feedback.
Bio: Sadhvi Khanna, MBA, MPH is the Medical Education Manager in the Department of Anesthesiology at Yale University School of Medicine. She received her Masters of Business Administration in Health Care Finance from the University of Rochester and her Masters of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University. She has held multiple positions in GME including a site coordinator, residency program coordinator, fellowship program coordinator and GME manager. She is currently responsible for the oversight of the residency and fellowship programs as well as medical education in the Department of Anesthesiology. She is also on the AHME COPAC leadership team.
Candidate for Councilor – Mentorship
Theresa M. Orozco
Rush University Medical Center
Why You Are Intersted in This Position: I am currently the Mentorship Councilor, and I would like to run again for this position. I would like to stay on as Membership Councilor to collaborate with the Councilor for New Membership to get a system in place to reach out to the new members and ask what their needs are.
Bio: My career in healthcare began over 30 years ago. While I was in high school, I started part-time delivering specimens to the labs within Rush University Medical Center. Eighteen years ago my journey working with residents and fellows began in the GME Department. Currently, I have been the Sr. Residency/Fellowship Coordinator at Rush University Medical Center in the Department of Anesthesiology for 14 years. I also served as a member of the GME Advisors Committee and a mentor within GME.
Candidate for Councilor – Mentorship
Katelyn Ream, C-TAGME
Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center
Why You Are Interested in This Position: I am interested in mentoring other coordinators, which is why I am interested in this position. I currently serve as a mentor to other coordinators within my department and enjoy working with them to help them succeed. I have also previously served as a mentor to another coordinator within my institution through our GME office’s mentoring program. Serving as a mentor over the years has taught me a lot and has helped me to create lasting relationships with other coordinators, which I believe is essential in the GME community. If I were given the opportunity to serve in this role, I would hope to continue building the mentorship program and make it a robust environment for all coordinators, both new and experienced. One idea I have is to hold quarterly virtual social events as a way to get all the mentors and mentees together. This time would be used to socialize and share ideas. I think this would assist in continuing to build camaraderie and relationships among AAPAE members and also keep members interested in the mentorship program. Another idea I have is to develop a guide for new mentors that would provide tips and resources to assist them as they begin serving as an AAPAE mentor.
Bio: Katelyn Ream is a GME Coordinator II at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Policy and Administration at Penn State World Campus and is slated to graduate in May 2025. Katelyn has been working in GME for seven years. She started as a coordinator for the Adult Cardiothoracic, Critical Care Medicine, Pediatric, and Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine fellowship programs, but has since moved to being a coordinator for the 4-year integrated residency program. In her free time, she can be found reading and spending time with family.
Candidate for Councilor – Mentorship
Jannot Ross
University of California - San Francisco
Why You Are Interested in This Position: I am deeply interested in the position of Councilor for Mentorship with the Association of Anesthesiology Program Administrators and Educators (AAPAE) because I believe that mentorship is a cornerstone of professional growth and success. With over 20 years of experience in Graduate Medical Education (GME), I have seen firsthand the profound impact that effective mentorship can have on both individual careers and the overall strength of our field.As a Harvard Macy Scholar and recipient of the 2020 UCSF Excellence and Innovation Award in Graduate Medical Education, I have always been committed to innovation and excellence in education. My experience mentoring others through the UCSF Administrator Manager’s Professional Group has reinforced my belief that, as experienced administrators, it is our responsibility to ensure that the next generation of leaders is even more successful than ourselves. Additionally, I am in the process of becoming a certified Wellcoach through the Wellcoaches School program, with certification expected by the end of the year. This training has further deepened my understanding of how to effectively support and guide others in achieving their personal and professional goals.My goal as Councilor for Mentorship would be to build upon the strong foundation of past mentorship programs within AAPAE and make them even more robust and impactful. Specifically, I envision creating a more structured and comprehensive mentorship program that matches experienced administrators with newer members. This would not only help newcomers better understand their roles but also empower them to achieve their own success by learning from the challenges and successes of those who have walked the path before them.In addition, I aim to foster stronger partnerships with key organizations such as the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). By collaborating with these organizations, we can create platforms for AAPAE members to showcase their work and achievements through talks and poster sessions, providing valuable opportunities for professional development and increasing the visibility of our contributions. Given that AAPAE only holds one in-person meeting each year, I would explore creating additional mentorship opportunities at major conferences like ACGME, ASA, and AHME, allowing members to connect and collaborate face-to-face. Beyond these events, the majority of mentorship activities would be conducted virtually, ensuring ongoing engagement and support throughout the year. This combination of in-person and virtual interactions would help maintain the strength and continuity of our mentorship relationships while maximizing the reach and impact of our initiatives.Thank you for considering me for this role. I would be grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of our community through mentorship. I look forward to the possibility of serving AAPAE in this capacity and helping to shape the future of our profession.
Bio: Jannot Ross has over 20 years of experience in Graduate Medical Education (GME) and a deep passion for advancing medical education. Growing up on the Colville Confederated Tribal Reservation, she developed strong values of compassion and resilience, which continue to shape her professional journey. She has been instrumental in advancing medical training programs in university settings as well as hospital-based programs. In 2020, she was honored with the UCSF Excellence and Innovation Award in Graduate Medical Education for her outstanding contributions to anesthesia and the broader UCSF community. Since 2016, she has been working in the Department of Anesthesia at UCSF, where she continues to drive excellence in education.
