Who We Are

900 Welch Road, Suite 350
Palo Alto, CA 94305

Dr. Sarah Williams is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at Stanford and is also a certified executive coach. Her current focus (and Stanford Medicine Leadership Academy strategic initiative) is on scaling and adapting coaching at an institutional level to advance precision education, development, and well-being. With sponsorship from Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford Health Care, and Stanford Graduate Medical Education, Dr. Williams and her team have developed The Coaching Office: Advancing Coaching in Healthcare and Medical Education - COACHME@Stanford

Dr. Williams academic passion has centered around medical education, program building, and mentorship. She has led several educational programs at Stanford. She was program director or APD for our emergency medicine (EM) residency for 15 years. During this time, our program grew from 24 to 60 residents, we transitioned from a 3- to a 4-year residency with an innovative individualized curriculum, and our division became a full academic department. She was the inaugural fellowship director for our EM ultrasound fellowship. Dr. Williams co-founded and now directs the Stanford Clinical Teaching Scholars (CTSS) Program. This is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental medical education certificate program endorsed by the Stanford Teaching and Mentoring Academy. It focuses on the development of skills to support medical education research and culminates in our yearly Stanford Innovations in Medical Education Conference. Dr. Williams is also our inaugural Specialty Career Advisor for Emergency Medicine at Stanford School of Medicine.

Dr. Williams attended UC Berkeley as an undergraduate. She completed medical school and her residency in emergency medicine at Stanford. Dr. Williams remained at Stanford for chief residency and was our inaugural EM ultrasound fellow. She earned her masters degree in health professions education (MHPE) from the University of Illinois, Chicago. Dr. Williams is a certified coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation. 

On a personal level, Dr. Williams understands the challenges of combining an active academic career with family; she is a wife and mom of three sons. She was also the first member of her family to go to college and grew up in a single-parent home. Dr. Williams is happy to collaborate with colleagues around the above interests.

Dr. Rania Sanford, Director of Faculty Professional Development, returned to the School of Medicine in April 2019 after six years as the University’s Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity (2009-2013).

As the School’s internal faculty coach, she works with first-time leaders and principal investigators, mid-and late-career faculty undergoing personal and professional transition, and high-achievers working to develop their capacities to the next level. Rania conducts confidential 360s reviews, and is certified in a number of psychometric assessments used in leadership development and management training. Dr. Sanford completed the Internal Coach Intensive for coaching certification at Columbia University and the Neuro-Leadership Institute coaching program offered at Stanford. In addition to executive coaching, Rania's practice areas include developing faculty professional development programs at the School, and working with unit leaders on strategic initiatives and planning.

Ann Dohn is the Designated Institutional Official, Executive Director of Graduate Medical Education, Training Program Liaison for the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, Representative to the National Resident Matching Program and Medical School Representative to the Medical Board of California for the Stanford University programs at Stanford Health Care.  She has over 37 years of experience in medical education and oversees 125 ACGME programs with over 1500 trainees. She also holds a certificate of completion in Advanced Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from the Harvard School of Public Health and completed the Columbia University Coaching Program.

 Ann was a member of the Steering Committee of the Group on Resident Affairs (2009-2012), an invited reviewer for the AAMC, has presented at the GRA, Western GEA, ACGME and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons meetings, and published several articles and a book chapter on medical education. Ann is a recipient of the ACGME Courage to Lead Award for 2013, The Group on Resident Affairs/AAMC Outstanding Service Award for 2019 and has twice been the recipient of the House Staff Appreciation Award from Stanford’s residents. In 2012, a group of former Stanford residents founded the Ann M. Dohn Legacy, a fund to promote resident well-being.

Ann’s passion is coaching emerging leaders in Graduate Medical Education.

Dr. Artandi is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford. She is a leader in Primary Care, spearheading novel methods of health care delivery and education.  Her expertise lies in the development and implementation of a medical curriculum focused on the patient-physician interaction, emphasizing communication skills, physical examination skills and medical decision making to support best clinical practices. She also offers extensive clinical expertise and has received several educational and leadership awards.

Dr. Artandi is a dedicated Primary Care physician, educator and board-certified coach and has served as a coach and mentor for many students, residents, and colleagues. She is currently the mentorship lead for the Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford and is delighted to serve as a coach with COACHME@Stanford.

From 2013-2021 she was the Co-Director of Primary Care education for the Stanford Internal Medicine residency program and co-founded and co-directed the Primary Care program (ACE) within the Stanford Internal Medicine Residency program. 

Dr. Artandi is the immediate past President and the current chair of the educational committee of the Society of Bedside Medicine an international society dedicated to studying and improving the patient/physician interaction. She is also a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh and of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and currently serves as the Wellness chair for the Northern California ACP chapter.

Dr. Kimberly Schertzer is a Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine and a Board Certified Coach (BCC). She did coaching training through the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) and the Center for Executive Coaching. Her coaching practice focuses on values alignment, personal and professional fulfillment, transitions, and strategizing for success.

In addition to coaching, Dr. Schertzer is an active medical education scholar. Her clinical research focuses on procedural training and skill retention and the use of mastery learning for procedural competency. She serves as a designated mentor for the Department of Emergency Medicine faculty.

Pedro Tanaka is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Anesthesia at Stanford University Medical School. He is Brazilian and completed medical school, anesthesiology training, and my PhD in clinical investigation in Brazil. He graduated from the Master of Academic Medicine program at the University of Southern California in 2014 and completed a doctoral program in education at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2021. At Stanford, he has been involved with resident education as an Associate Program Director and served as the inaugural Vice-Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Department of Anesthesiology. He currently serves as an Associate Designated Institutional Official for Graduate Medical Education and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He is also thrilled to be a coach with COACHME (He trained at Columbia). Leveraging a rich foundation in Medicine, Education, Leadership, and Executive Coaching, He offers a unique blend of methodologies designed to empower faculty members on their journey of self-discovery within the academic environment. His approach is tailored to assist clinician-educators in mastering the challenges of their roles, enhancing their educational impact, and advancing their careers in academic medicine.

Newton Cheung joined OAA Academic Affairs Administrative Associate in March 2021. Newton works closely with Rania Sanford, Ellen Waxman, and Cindy Ho on Faculty Professional Development Programs and initiatives.  His projects include the biannual Faculty 360 Evaluation Process, managing the administration of faculty courses, and providing administrative coordination for COACHME@Stanford, where he also developed the office’s website.

Afia Joarder joined the Emergency Medicine department in 2023 and supports general operations alongside working closely with Dr. Sarah Williams on the EMED faculty mentorship program and various COACHME projects. She has a background in psychology and global health and looks forward to exploring the medical education side of healthcare. Afia oversees administrative support for COACHME@Stanford, managing registrations, scheduling calendar invitations, and ensuring smooth coordination of course activities.