Contact & Support

Associate Dean, Health Education Research and Innovation

Dr. Lara Cooke, (she/her), MD, MSc(Med Ed), FRCPC (Neurology)

Dr. Lara Cooke is the associate dean, Health Education Research and Innovation. She is a neurologist and professor in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences who focuses on advancing medical education, program evaluation, and physician learning and wellness. She has held multiple leadership positions beginning early in her career.

As the CSM’s first assistant dean of Faculty Development, Dr. Cooke established the Teaching Scholars in Medical Education Program (now known as TEP) and the Office of Faculty Development. She was the director of the Neurology Residency Training Program from 2009 until 2012, around the time she was appointed associate dean, Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development. She served as director of the Calgary Headache Assessment and Management Program for four years and recently held the position as section head of Neurology in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, leading that group through the development of a new strategic plan and through the COVID-19 pandemic.

After completing graduate studies in neurophysiology at the University of Western Ontario, Dr. Cooke completed a Doctor of Medicine, neurology residency, a fellowship in Headache Medicine and a Master of Science in Medical Education at UCalgary. She has received several awards for excellence in medical education including seven Gold Star Teaching Awards, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada award for Distinguished Contribution to Faculty Development in Canada, the Medical Council of Canada award for Innovation in the Assessment of Physician Competence, and this year received the Foothills Medical Centre Medical Staff Association Physician of the Year award.

In this new CSM leadership position, Dr. Cooke plans to work with CSM educators and education researchers to launch a new Centre for Health Education Research and Innovation. The goal will be to bring together education research scientists, clinician educators, and aspiring health educators and researchers to create a thriving academic hub. Members will be focused on asking and answering critical questions about how they are educating health professionals, how best to meet the needs of learners and communities through educational paradigms, and how to train the health professionals of tomorrow. The centre will provide a community and home base for people whose work focuses on medical education and whose academic interests will drive new approaches to understanding and enhancing learning in health education.

Program Coordinator

Caitlin Foster Pat, (she/her), BSc, BA (Hons)
Phone: 403.220.4342
Email:  RIHSE@ucalgary.ca

Caitlin Foster Pat holds a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology, and Society and a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in Psychology and is completing her Master of Science in Community Health Sciences, specializing in Medical Education.

Her research interests include health professions education, feedback, program evaluation, patient-centred care, quality improvement, and patient engagement. Her thesis topic is a realist evaluation of a pilot educational intervention of facilitated audit and group feedback using patient-derived feedback.

In her role, Caitlin supports the development and delivery of RIHSE programming, while contributing to research support, community engagement, communications, operations, events, and social network analysis.

Director of Educational Programming

Dr. Sterling Sparshu, (he/him), MD

Dr. Sterling Sparshu is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and a graduate of the Cumming School of Medicine (MD 2011). He brings extensive experience in curriculum design, educational leadership, and interdisciplinary teaching across undergraduate, postgraduate, and community settings.

Dr. Sparshu’s academic interests centre on trauma informed education, mental health literacy, collaborative care, and the design of practical, high impact learning experiences. He has served in numerous educational leadership roles and is also a sought after speaker who has delivered presentations for clinicians, educators, and families across Alberta and beyond. 

In his role with RIHSE, he will be responsible for developing, leading, and evaluating curriculum for emerging scholars in health sciences education, providing mentorship to emerging clinician educators and furthering RIHSE’s mission of becoming a vital hub of educational innovation and research at the Cumming School of Medicine.

Scientific Director

Dr. Amanda Roze des Ordons, (she/her), MD, FRCPC, PhD

Dr. Amanda Roze des Ordons is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Critical Care Medicine; Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine; and Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Oncology. She completed her Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Alberta in 2006 and completed additional training in Anesthesiology (University of Alberta), Critical Care Medicine (University of Ottawa), and Palliative Medicine (University of Calgary). She also completed a PhD in Medical Education in 2025. She brings experience in simulation-based education, curriculum development, learner support, and qualitative methodologies. Her teaching and research interests include patient and family support, serious illness conversations, and the clinical learning environment through an equity and trauma-informed lens.

In her role, Dr. Roze des Ordons will be helping to advance the academic direction of RIHSE through leading investigator originated research, building research collaborations, and joining the team of people who provide mentorship and consultation to individuals seeking support and advice for their educational scholarship.

Director, Emerging Scholars

Dr. Fatemeh Ramazani, (she/her), MD, MMEd, FRCSC

Dr. Fatemeh Ramazani is an Otolaryngologist – Head and Neck Surgeon with subspecialty training in Laryngology and Bronchoesophagology, joining the University of Calgary following fellowship training at the University of Michigan. Dr. Ramazani holds a Master of Medical Education from the University of Dundee and brings a deep scholarly commitment to surgical training and health professions education. She has designed, implemented, and evaluated simulation-based curricula for medical students and residents, developed validated assessment tools for laryngeal surgery, and led initiatives to bridge educational gaps between otolaryngology and primary care across Alberta. She serves as Professionalism Advisor for the Undergraduate Medical Education program at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, and currently holds the role of Associate Editor (Education) for the Journal of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.

Her research program spans two interconnected domains. In laryngology, she investigates the pathophysiology and management of idiopathic subglottic stenosis, with a particular interest in understanding disease mechanisms and optimizing clinical outcomes. In surgical education, her work encompasses curriculum development, program evaluation, and surgical simulation, with the goal of building evidence-based frameworks that strengthen competency-driven training across otolaryngology.

Dr. Ramazani is the recipient of numerous honours recognizing both her research and her leadership, including the Kristin Sivertz Resident Leadership Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Poliquin Research Competition Award from the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology, and the HELIOS Award for Fellowship Training from the University of Calgary. She is an active contributor to national committees at the Royal College and the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology.

In her role with RIHSE, Dr. Ramazani will be taking on clerkship and resident rotations in medical education as well as helping to support emerging education scholars at CSM, with particular focus on advancing educational scholarship in surgery.

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Dr. Ana Rame, (she/her), PhD

Dr. Ana Rame is a health equity scholar of Mexican, Lebanese, and Nicaraguan heritage whose work is grounded in community-based and justice-oriented frameworks. Her research journey began in partnership with the Nahua community of Huitzilan de Serdán and has since focused on addressing the structural and colonial roots of health inequities. Ana is a former Fulbright scholar and holds a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution. She earned her PhD in Public Health at the University of Calgary. Her research examines the structural determinants of health, settler-colonial drivers of inequity, and transformative, equity-driven education for health service providers. 

Research Assistant

Shree Lamichhane, (he/him), MRes, MSc

Shree Lamichhane has a background in clinical health sciences and public health research. He obtained his MRes degree in Cancer Biology (Health Sciences) from Charles Darwin University, Australia, and MSc in Molecular Biology with Bioinformatics from the University of Wolverhampton, UK. He joined the Department of Medicine, Division of Palliative Medicine, at Queen’s University in Kingston in May 2022 as a part-time Research Manager, and the Oncology Clinical Trials unit at Kingston Health Sciences Centre in May 2021 as a Research Data Coordinator. In 2019, he joined the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, as a Cancer Project Coordinator, where he worked on cancer control strategies for First Nations communities from Northern Saskatchewan.

Shree supports logistics, ethics applications, administration and analysis in health sciences/medical education research projects for faculty at the Cumming School of Medicine.