Trauma and Emergency General Surgery Providers and Staff at Virginia Hospital Center

GW Providers at VHC
VHC Staff

Three dedicated GW MFA surgeons, five GW MFA advanced practitioners, and rotating general surgery residents from Georgetown University staff this team, which stands ready 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to treat any acutely injured patient or those with urgent/emergent general surgical needs.

Miren Schinco, MD Director of Trauma Services, VHC	Matthew Laporta, DO Surgery (General) and Surgical Critical Care, VHC
James Cook, MD, FACS Surgery (General) and Robotic Surgery, VHC	Babak Sarani, MD, FACS, FCCM Professor of Surgery Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery
Ilan Breit, PA Advanced Practice Provider	Jessica Mattfeld, PA-C Advanced Practice Provider
Jaclyn E. Rohan, PA Advanced Practice Provider	Jillian Shapiro, PA Advanced Practice Provider
Elizabeth Giffen, PA-C Advanced Practice Provider	Jessica Barrett, PA-C Advanced Practice Provider

Courtney Caton, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN Trauma Program Director	Courtney Caton is the Trauma Program Director at Virginia Hospital Center (VHC). She has been with the team since September 2021. Prior to joining the trauma program team with VHC, Courtney worked for Inova Health Systems since 2009. While working at Inova, she served the community in many different capacities; as a Clinical Technician, an Emergency Department RN, a Trauma Nurse Specialist and in her later years of tenure, as the Emergency Department Clinical Nurse Educator. Courtney brings over 17 years of experience in emergency and trauma care, having also served the community as an EMS provider early in her career. This EMS volunteer opportunity served as a springboard for her passion to providing care for the severely ill or injured patient in the acute phase of resuscitation. Courtney brings knowledge and expertise in the care of trauma patients. Her passion involves providing high quality care to all of the unique patients that we serve, as well as ensuring that the staff that cares for these patients are competent and comfortable in caring for this complex population. Outside of work Courtney enjoys spending time with her husband and their fur children that includes 3 cats, 3 dogs and 2 horses. She also enjoys outdoor adventures, traveling to new places and going to the gym to work out with her Olympic Weightlifting team.
Alistair Capewell, FP-C Trauma PI Specialist	Alistair Capewell is a board certified flight paramedic with a career in EMS spanning almost twenty years. During this time, Alistair has worked as a paramedic for the Richmond Ambulance Authority, MedSTAR Transport, and PHI Air Medical. Most recently, Alistair has been working as the Trauma PI Specialist for VHC Health’s Level II trauma center in Arlington, VA. Alistair still provides prehospital bedside care as a part-time critical care transport paramedic in Baltimore, MD., and is active in prehospital critical care QA/QI. Alistair is also an active member of the International College of Advanced Practice Paramedics.
Justin Nelson, Paramedic Trauma EMS Liaison	Justin Nelson has been with Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) since 2019, serving as the Emergency Management Services (EMS) Liaison within the Trauma Department. He is retired from the Arlington County Fire Department, having served 23 years as a firefighter including 10 years as a practicing paramedic. Justin continues to serve as a practicing paramedic, bringing the hands-on expertise necessary to effectively carry out this role. In 2020, Justin was selected by VHC leadership to join the Emerging Leaders program. As a proven leader in emergency services, Justin supports the VHC Trauma Department as the EMS Liaison and Trauma Specialist responsible for the development of networks and relationships with key stakeholders in the surrounding EMS/Fire Agencies and the local community.
Amanda Cottrill, CAISS Lead Trauma Registrar	Amanda Cottrill is the Lead Trauma Registrar at Virginia Hospital Center. Prior to coming to VHC in June 2021, Amanda worked at Beth Israel Lahey Medical Center in Boston from 2010 to 2021. Holding a variety of positions at Beth Israel from Clinical Coordinator in OB/GYN to Assistant Practice Manager in the Emergency Department. Her time spent in the Emergency Department led her into the Trauma Department at Beth Israel as a Trauma Registrar. Amanda has also worked as a part of the Pediatric Trauma / Burn Team at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD as well as experience in pediatrics, OBGYN and Urgent Care. Amanda has always had a passion for helping and caring for others. Amanda also enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, visiting historical places and baking.
Rachayita Bhatta, BSHIM, RHIT, CCA Trauma Registrar	Rachayita Bhatta is a Trauma Register/Database Administrator at Virginia hospital Center (VHC). She has been on the trauma team since October 2019. She is a Registered Health Information Technician and Certified Coding Associate. She completed the Trauma Registry Course from ATS and Abbreviated Injury Scale Course from AAAM. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Healthcare Leadership. Prior to working at VHC, Rachayita worked for Novant Health as a Patient Service Coordinator. She also has management experience as a General Store Manager at Rite Aid Pharmacy for 8 years, managing various stores in Northern Virginia. Rachayita brings robust knowledge and expertise to the trauma team to manage different situations. She is an excellent team player and always enthusiastic to learn new skills. She likes to volunteer on extra activities and is always willing to help others. Rachayita likes to spend time with her family which includes her husband, a daughter, and a son. She likes cooking and travelling. She also enjoys participating in volunteer work organized by VHC and the Trauma team.
Dorcas Samie Kuipo, RHIT Trauma Registrar	Dorcas Samie Kuipo has been a Trauma Registrar with VHC for almost two years. She holds a Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification and has a Bachelors’ in Health Information Management. Prior to getting into the healthcare field, Dorcas worked in the airline industry as a Lead Passenger Service Agent for Air Canada while completing her Associate of Applied Science in HIM. She then started her career in healthcare ranging from Unit Secretary at INOVA Fair Oaks, Registrar at HCA Dominion Hospital to Patient Access II at INOVA Primary Care. She transitioned to VHC Health System as a Trauma Registrar/ Database Administrator where she uses her skills and cumulative background to collect, enter and abstract data.