MHSA – About Us

Michael currently serves as the Dean of Anesthesiologist Assistant Programs at the Edwards Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and Program Director for the Master of Health Science in Anesthesia Program at Bluefield University. Founder of both Avance Education Solutions (private management consultancy) and the Foundation for Advancement of the Anesthesia Care Team (non-profit organization), Michael Nichols has held Assistant Professorships of Anesthesiology within the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and Nova Southeastern University. He served in leadership positions in both locations as the Director of Program Development and Assistant Program Director, respectively. As the Director of Program Development at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, he oversaw all business development, project management, operations, and shared services for the regional program locations for the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine.

Practicing as a respected anesthesia clinician for over 22 years, Michael currently holds a Master of Science from Case Western Reserve University and his Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Business Analytics from the University of Dayton. He continues to be involved in his profession’s national organizations, as he has for many years. Most notably, his having served as the President of the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants in 2007 and in 2011. Additionally, he holds the honor of having served as the first non-physician to be appointed to the Executive Board of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Political Action Committee.

Dr. GaryBridges is both a registered pharmacist as well as a physician anesthesiologist and has worked as a partner with Anesthesia Associates of East Alabama (AAEA). Throughout his career, Dr. Bridges has assumed several administrative positions with both his practice group, East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC), and the Alabama medical community—he currently serves as Chief of Staff at EAMC, Chief of Anesthesia within AAEA, President–Elect of the Alabama State Society of Anesthesiologists, and Chair of the Board of the Political action committee for the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. During his clinical career as a physician anesthesiologist, Dr. Bridges has taught rotating Anesthesiologist Assistant and NurseAnesthetist students, medical students rotating in anesthesiology, as well as advanced airway management to respiratory therapy practitioners.

William (‘Will’) Potter is a Georgia native and currently serves as the Co–Medical Director of the program and is based at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. After graduating from the University of Georgia, Dr. Potter received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia and then a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of Alabama Birmingham. He completed his anesthesiology residency and regional anesthesia fellowship at UAB and joined the Anesthesia Associates of Gainesville in 2019. In his role as Co–Medical Director, Dr. Potter oversees the learning curriculum for students rotating in the Northeast Georgia region, is a member of the Division of Clinical Affairs, serves on the Admissions and Programmatic Effectiveness Committee, co–chairs the Educational ContentSubcommittee of the Advisory Council, and is the Course Director for the Capstone Project in Quality Improvement.

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Ralph Dapaah currently serves as Chief Anesthetist with Anesthesia Associates of Gainesville, where he specializes in Cardiothoracic and Obstetric Anesthesiology. He completed his Masters of Health Sciences in Anesthesiology at Nova Southeastern University in 2011 with honors and subsequently earned the Chancellor’s Award. Currently, Ralph serves on the American Academy of Anesthesiologists Assistants (AAAA) as a member of the Board of Directors. He previously served as President of the Georgia Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (GAAA), and as a board member of (GAAA). His involvement in both the state and national level anesthesia academies has always been his passion along with academia, “the chance to help educate, influence, and mold our future anesthesia professionals is undeniably one of the most gratifying aspects of being an anesthesia professional and educator.” His hobbies include playing multiple sports, wake surfing, snowboarding, going to the beach, attending concerts, and is a huge foodie.

As Assistant Program Director for Simulation, John is responsible for the coordination of the simulation-based learning components of the Master of Health Science in Anesthesia Program curriculum. His goal is to educate students to act as competent entry-level anesthesia providers and as professional members of the health care industry. Originally from the Mississippi Delta, John received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Georgia in Athens and his Master of Business Administration from Mercer University in Atlanta. He later pursued his Master of Medical Science in Anesthesiology from Emory University’s College of Medicine, where he was awarded the Wesley J. Frazier Achievement Award. This award is given to the graduating senior who entered the program from a non-clinical background and who maintained one of the highest levels of academic performance in both classroom and clinical areas. After graduating from Emory, he practiced as a CAA at Piedmont Hospital and at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Egleston Hospital. John has also worked for Karl Storz Endoscopy, where he helped design and support clinical training and education of video-laryngoscopy and bronchoscopy for various Difficult Airway Courses and other national exhibits.

Gary currently serves as the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the Master of Health Science in Anesthesia Program. He was the Chief Learning Officer of both Avance Education Solutions and My Chief Learning Officer LLC (private management consultancies). Gary has held Assistant Professorships of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine within the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and Nova Southeastern University. He is the former Program Director Case Western–Houston Anesthesiologist Assistant Program. Gary holds a Master of Science from Case Western Reserve University and additional graduate M.Ed. work from the University of Georgia. He has been a practicing anesthesiologist assistant for 23 years, 16 years in Atlanta, Georgia, and 7 years in Houston Texas. He has remained very active in the profession’s national organizations. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAAA) and the Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. He has served on CAAHEP’s Accreditation Review Committee for Anesthesiologist Assistants as a site visitor. Mr. Jones holds the honor of being the second Anesthesiologist Assistant to be appointed to the Executive Board of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Political Action Committee.

Amanda is a native of Alabama and currently resides in Smiths Station, not far from Auburn. At an early age, she became an Auburn fan and eventually landed there for her undergraduate education where she earned a BS in (pre-med) microbiology. After working in an environmental lab for a year and exploring career options, she returned to Auburn to pursue a graduate degree in microbiology. She taught several biology and microbiology labs as a graduate teaching assistant during this time. Upon completion of the coursework for that degree, Amanda switched gears and transferred to the College of Education to pursue a Master of Education in secondary science. She completed that degree but decided to, once again, make a change. A soccer friend told her about this anesthesiologist assistant program (which she didn’t even know existed), and she decided to take a chance on it. She was accepted to Emory University’s AA program and graduated with a Master of Medical Science 27 months later. FINALLY, she was done with formal schooling! She worked in Rome, GA for 4 years and then moved to the Columbus, GA area to take a new job closer to family. Amanda has been with this group for the past 14 years. Along the way, she met her husband (who was her CrossFit coach) and had two boys. She spends most of her free time on playgrounds, soccer/baseball fields, and chasing her boys around! She loves to ski and travel and hopes to resume playing tennis when her boys get a little older. She is very excited about the opportunity to instruct and help mold future AAs as it is truly the best career she ever imagined having. And she is VERY happy to be back at her alma mater! War Eagle!

Dr. Gary Mount graduated in 1990 with a BS in pharmacy from Auburn University; in 2006 with his PharmD from the University of Florida, Magna cum Laude and recognized with a Superior Academic Achievement Award. Gary is married to Fatima, and they have three children Zack, Nick, and Gabby, and two daughters-in-law, Merry and Ilga. Gary has served as a staff pharmacist, clinical pharmacist, assistant director and director of a small hospital, and director of the pharmacy for a large institution for eleven years, where he provided strategic leadership for 80 employees. Gary’s retail experience has been in the chain and independent and as director of an independent. Having worked in many settings, Gary has a broad view of the pharmacy profession. Currently, Gary is an Assistant Pharmacology Professor at Edward Via College of Medicine, where he lectures on all body systems and conducts research with a special interest in pharmacogenomics.

Will is a born and bred Alabamian who graduated from Auburn University with both a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences and a Master of Science degree in the same field. After sadly leaving Auburn, Will worked as a neurophysiologist throughout the states of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. He provided intraoperative neuromomonitoring services for various surgeries, particularly surgeries of the head, neck, and spine. Will then completed his Master of Health Sciences in Anesthesiology from Nova Southeastern University in Tampa, FL in 2013, completing his degree with honors and earning the Chancellor’s Award. After graduating from Nova, Will has worked as a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant at hospitals in Georgia and Alabama. Will recently formed and serves as the President of the Alabama Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants (ALAAA). His hobbies include deer and duck hunting, saltwater fishing, mediocre golfing and spending time with his wife Allison and their two children.

Ashley Anne is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to Auburn in 2011. She graduated from Auburn University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education and moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she taught for two years. She returned to the Plains to teach Special Education for five more years in the Auburn and Opelika area. In 2021, she obtained her Master’s degree from Auburn University in Early Childhood Special Education. Ashley Anne has always had a passion for education, developing meaningful relationships with students, and finding a way to help them succeed. She is looking forward to the opportunity to continue expanding her passion for Higher Education and working with the incoming MHSA students. She currently resides in Opelikawith her French Bulldog, Stevie. She loves to travel, work out at Orange Theory, and spend time with family and friends. She frequents Lake Martin and loves all things Auburn, especially sports, War Eagle!

MaryBeth Smith currently serves as the Executive Administrative Assistant for the Anesthesiologist Assistant (MHSA) Program. Prior to joining the VCOM-Bluefield team, MaryBeth received a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology from Auburn University while working in the Athletics Director and Head Football Coach’s Office. MaryBeth worked for Auburn Sports Properties as the Partner Services Assistant from 2019-2021, while pursuing a Master of Science in Sports Administration, which she received in May 2021. Most recently, MaryBeth served as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Hunger Solutions Institute in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University.

During her free time, MaryBeth enjoys spending time with her husband, Clarke, and her family, being outdoors and playing with their two dogs, Basil and Kena.

Mirandia Edwards currently serves as the Administrative Assistant for the Anesthesiologist Assistant (MHSA) Program. She is an experienced managerial & business administration professional with many years of experience. Her background includes social work, primarily working for non-profits by providing case management, facilitating youth programs, and grant writing. Mirandia enjoys meeting new people, traveling, and spending time with her family.