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For more information contact:
Email: paadm@gwumc.edu
Phone: (202) 994-7644

Physician Assistant Program

Faculty and Staff

Lisa Mustone Alexander , EdD, MPH, PA-C
Phone: 202-994-7669
Interim Chair and Program Director
Dr. Lisa Alexander, is a veteran PA educator, having served on the GW Program faculty from 1982-1997. During that time, she served as the Program Director as well as a Clinical Coordinator. As the Assistant Dean for Community-Based Partnerships, she oversees the school's clinical outreach activities and is the principal investigator on numerous federal and city funded contracts. As the Interim Director and Department Chair, Dr. Alexander brings a strong background in PA education, primary care, health services and workforce research, and national policy related to PA practice and utilization.

In 2010, she served on the joint AAPA/PAEA PA Workforce task force. In addition to her numerous responsibilities in the School, she is a supervising clinician in the Student HEALing clinic, a volunteer activity staffed by MD and PA students. She is a board member of the PA Foundation and former member of the PA Education Association Board of Directors. In 2011, Dr. Alexander received the Margaret B. and Cyril A. Schulman Distinguished Service Award and in 2009, was the faculty recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award. 
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 James Cawley
James Cawley , MPH, PA-C
Phone: (202) 994-3573
Director of the MSHS/MPH Program
James F. Cawley, MPH, PA-C is a tenured Professor in the Department of Health Care Sciences and was appointed as Interim Program Director of the PA Program effective July 1, 2007. He is also Professor in the Department of Prevention and Community Health in the School of Public Health and Health Services and continues as the Director of the MSHS/MPH Program.

He has been with the GWU PA Program since 1981, and is licensed in the state of Maryland. He is the Course Director for the Role of the PA in the US Health Care System course, supervises PA students in the clinical setting, and conducts research on aspects of the PA profession with interests in health workforce policy, PA education, and preventive medicine
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Brad Moore , MD, MPH
Phone: (202) 741-2199
Medical Director
The Medical Director, who has served in this role since 1997, is a board certified primary care internist holding appointments as Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and in the Department of Health Care Sciences.
He practices as a primary care generalist within the GW Medical Faculty Associates and has part-time administrative and teaching responsibilities in the PA Program. He is also a faculty member in the School of Public Health and Health Services with an appointment as Associate Professor of Health Services Management and Policy.
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 Susan LeLacheur
Susan LeLacheur , DrPH, PA-C
Phone: (202) 994-6831
Director of the Academic Curriculum
The Director of the Academic Curriculum is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Care Sciences with eighteen years of clinical practice, research, and educational experience.

She has been a member of the GW PA Program since 1995. Her responsibilities include overseeing the didactic year, as well as being course director for the Clinical Medicine, Microbiology, Infectious Disease, Primary Care and Ethics courses. She lectures widely on infectious disease and HIV infection and her research interests include cultural competency and the reduction of stereotyping and bias in the clinical encounter.
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 Debra Herrmann MSHS, MPH, PA-C
Debra Herrmann MSHS, MPH, PA-C
Phone: 202-994-5144
Associate Director of the Academic Curriculum
The Associate Director of the Academic Curriculum joined the Program faculty as an Instructor in Health Care Sciences in January 2007. She is a 2001 graduate of the GWU PA/MPH Program. She is the Course Director for Medical Terminology, Clinical Assessment I & II, and Clinical Applications and also serves as the Director of the Advanced Surgical Preparedness pilot program.
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 Colleen Patton
Colleen Patton , MMS, RN, PA-C
Phone: 202-994-6785
Director of the Clinical Curriculum
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 Jacqueline Barnett
Jacqueline Barnett , MSHS, PA-C
Phone: (202) 994-6678
Assistant Professor
Ms. Barnett is an Assistant Professor of Health Care Sciences and a 1994 graduate of the GWU Physician Assistant Program. She joined the faculty in 2001. She has interests in infectious disease and adolescent medicine. She is responsible for the supervision of students in the clinical year.
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 Nicole Burwell
Nicole Burwell , MSHS, PA-C
Phone: (202) 994-6733
Associate Director of Clinical Curriculum
Ms. Burwell is an Assistant Professor of Health Care Science who joined the faculty in 2005. She is a 1998 graduate of the GWU PA Program. Her responsibilities include coordinating and management of the clinical year.
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 Howard Straker
Howard Straker , MPH, PA-C
Phone: (202) 994-7727
Director of Community Medicine
The Director of Community Medicine is an Assistant Professor of Health Care Sciences with 15 years of clinical and educational experience.
During the 2006 academic year, he completed the Master Teacher Program at GW. He has research interests in the areas of cultural competence, evidence-based medicine, and community health promotion. His Program responsibilities include supervising students in the clinical year, directing the End of Rotation activities, supervising the OSCE component of the clinical year, and participating in the PA/MPH curriculum.
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 Karen Wright
Karen Wright , PhD, PA-C
Phone: (202) 994-9279
Director of Research of the Physician Assistant Program
The Director of Research is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Care Sciences. She joined the faculty in 2008. She is a 1987 graduate of the Howard University Physician Assistant Program. Her responsibilities include assistance in the facilitation of faculty research efforts in order to advance scholarship and developing databases for the purposes of programmatic evaluation. Her research interests include the influence of social factors on health and disease, health disparities, PA education and workforce issues, metabolic syndrome and geriatric medicine.
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 Tamara Ritsema
Tamara Ritsema , MPH, MMSc, PA-C
Phone: 202-994-6690
Faculty
Ms. Ritsema is an Assistant Professor of Health Care Sciences who joined the GW PA Program in 2009. She is a 2001 graduate of the Emory University PA Program. She works to assist both the academic and clinical coordination teams, and particularly enjoys classroom teaching. Ms. Ritsema has 8 years experience as a practicing physician assistant in neurology and emergency medicine. She has an academic interest in international physician assistant education.
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Jamie Lewis
Phone: (202) 994-6661
Executive Associate
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Marie Gardner
Phone: (202) 994-7716
Executive Coordinator, Academic Curriculum
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Obiageli Nnadi
Phone: 202-994-0021
Executive Coordinator, Finance & Verifications
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David Driscoll
Phone: 202-994-7684
Executive Coordinator, Clinical Curriculum
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 Jasen Melson
Jasen Melson , MA, PA-C
Phone: 202-994-6871
Assistant Professor
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