Our Team

The people driving excellence behind CRIS.

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The model catalyzing innovation

Satid Thammasitboon, MD, MHPE

CRIS Director
Chair, Resident Scholarship Program

Dr. Thammasitboon is versed in quantitative and mixed methods research, curriculum development, assessment instrument development, evidence synthesis, and innovations in education. His areas of interest include critical thinking, mentoring, scholarship and professional development. 

Teri Turner, MD, MPH, MEd

CRIS Founding Director
Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education
Vice Chairman of Education

Dr. Turner is an internationally known education leader and researcher. Her areas of interest include research in graduate medical education, particularly in instructional methods and competency assessment and in faculty development with respect to career development of clinician educators.

Diane Nguyen, PharmD

CRIS Associate Director
Co-founder, Network of Practice in Health Sciences Scholarship

Dr. Nguyen is an education scholar and faculty developer. Her areas of interest include continuing professional development, capacity building in global health, innovations in education, and integration of technology for learning.

Geeta Singhal, MD, MEd

Executive Vice Chair for Professional Development

Dr. Singhal is an experienced faculty developer. Her areas of interest include faculty development, education portfolios and professional development. She is also a pediatric hospitalist and has interests in patient safety related to diagnostic errors, family-centered rounding and faculty development. 

Audrea Burns, PhD

Associate Director, Physician-Scientist Program
Co-Director, Faculty College Program

Dr. Burns is an education scholar and faculty developer. Her areas of interest includes professional identity formation, curriculum development and qualitative research.

Jennifer Rama, MD, MEd

Director, Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
Fellowship Program Director, Pediatric Fellows College

Dr. Rama is an education scholar. Her areas of interest include program evaluation, curriculum development and appreciative inquiry.

Betty (Lee) Ligon, PhD, MA, MA, MAR

Senior Medical Writer
Director, CRIS Publisher

Dr. Ligon is a former English professor and is now an editor in the department of pediatrics and an ordained priest in the Anglican Church. She supports faculty by editing manuscripts and grant proposals and teaching medical and scholarly writing.

Shelley Kumar, MS, MSc

Senior Statistician

Ms. Kumar is an experienced statistician in health professions education. Her areas of interest include instrument development and statistical modeling.

Brian Rissmiller, MD

Director, Pediatric Residency Program
Associate Director, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship program
CRIS Director, Critical Thinking Lab

Dr. Rissmiller is an education scholar and faculty developer. His areas of interest include critical thinking, assessment and educational design research.

Jennifer Benjamin, MD, MS

Co-Director, Faculty College Program
CRIS Director of Learning Technology

Dr. Benjamin is an education scholar. Her areas of interest includes technology enhanced learning and social media-based scholarship.

Adam Cohen, MD, MEd

Associate Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program

Dr. Cohen is an education scholar. His areas of interest include curriculum development, programmatic assessment and critical thinking.

Remijio (Remy) Elizondo​

Program Management Associate

Steven Lazar, MD, MEd

Associate Program Director, Neurodevelopmental Disabilities Residency/Fellowship
Deputy Director, Resident Scholarship Program

Swati Karmarkar, MD

Matei Petrescu, MD, MHPE

Chief of Staff, Children's Hospital of San Antonio Consultant, Qualitative Research

Melissa Carbajal, MD

Director, Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program Director

Stephanie Hale, MD, MEd

Assistant Professor, Neonatal-Perinatal Division

Moushumi Sur, MD

Coach, Clinician and Teaching Excellence Awards

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