Meet Our Team

Ryan Thompson, MD
Medical director

Dr. Ryan Thompson graduated from Upstate Medical University before completing his residency in emergency medicine at the University of Wisconsin. During his final year of residency, he served as a chief resident. He went on to complete a fellowship in medical simulation before being recruited as the director of simulation for emergency medicine. Dane County EMS also enlisted him in developing a county-wide EMS simulation training program. He has a passion for simulation education, especially interprofessional education. Other interests include simulation for quality improvement, process development and testing, and product development.

Outside of health care, Ryan enjoys sailing, kayaking, travel and the outdoors.

Shannon DiMarco
Operations director

Shannon DiMarco has a background in simulation operations and medical education research. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire with a degree in communications and is currently completing her master of science in health care simulation at the University of Alabama–Birmingham. Shannon is excited to lead in the growth of the Clinical Simulation Program and work with the amazing team.

Mark Johanneck
Simulation specialist
mjohanneck@uwhealth.org

Mark earned his bachelor of arts in organizational communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He has 10 years of experience working for the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, six as a technology liaison for the Clinical Teaching and Assessment Center. Mark is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys travel. 

Mary Kate O'Leary
Simulation coordinator
moleary2@uwhealth.org

Mary Kate earned her bachelor of science in 2015 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied conservation biology and global health. After graduation Mary Kate traveled to Kenya for six months to work with various non-governmental organizations to promote health education and sustainability. She worked at the Waterford Assisted Living for four years as a shift lead and was certified in medication administration. Mary Kate is passionate about community involvement and loves spending time outdoors.

Erick Przybylski
Simulation educator
eprzybylski@uwhealth.org

Erick earned his bachelor of liberal studies in organizational administration from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He is in the 2019 master of science in health care and medical simulation cohort through the Drexel School of Medicine. His areas or interest include pre-hospital care and interprofessional education.

Erick spent a majority of his career working in the air medical industry as a paramedic and regional educator, which allowed him the opportunity to live in Arizona and Tennessee. He moved back to Wisconsin in 2016. He enjoys spending time with his family and golfing.

Gina Tranel
Simulation educator
gruhland@uwhealth.org

Gina is a full-time simulation educator. Her passion for simulation began when she started at the UW Health Clinical Simulation Program in 2013 as student help while in nursing school. Upon graduating from Edgewood College with her bachelor of science in nursing, she started at UW Health on D6/5 acute medical and progressive care while staying on as a part-time simulation educator at the UW Health Clinical Simulation Program. Fall of 2018, she began a master's program at Drexel University for medical and health care simulation.

Samad Qawi
Simulation intern

Samad Qawi is a kinesiology-exercise and movement undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He strives to become a sports physician and to open up his own community centers in low-income neighborhoods. His hobbies are exercising, playing basketball and going to the Memorial Union Terrace. He's excited to continue to work for the Clinical Simulation Program and learn a multitude of skills to implement them into his career goals. 

Mengizem Tizale
Simulation intern

Mengizem Tizale attends UW-Madison as an undergraduate biomedical engineering student. He joined the UW Health Clinical Simulation Program team as a student hourly the summer of 2018. Mengizem has previous experience with simulation as a research assistant at the Simulation and Engineering for Surgical Education (SEnSE) lab before the departure of Carla Pugh, MD-PhD, the Clinical Simulation Program's former medical director. Mengizem grew up on the east coast in Maryland. He enjoys playing soccer, running, biking, listening to music and reading.

Nyla Mathis
Simulation intern

Nyla Mathis is pursuing a bachelor of science in neurobiology and psychology with a certificate in African American Studies. She is looking forward to advancing her overall knowledge and experience with medicine through her work with the Clinical Simulation Program. After graduation, Nyla plans to attend medical school with the intent of taking on a career in surgery. In her free time, she enjoys running, listening to music and spending time with loved ones.

Deborah Woo
Simulation intern

Deborah Woo is currently studying biochemistry as a junior at UW-Madison. She hopes to pursue a career as a physician, and is excited to gain exposure to multiple fields of medicine through the Clinical Simulation Program. Deborah is especially interested in emergency medicine. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, reading, and traveling.