Dr. Ritter graduated from US Air Force Academy (1993), and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (1997). He completed a general surgery residency at David Grant Medical Center, Travis AFB, CA (2002), and a fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta (2004). His research focuses on applying simulation solutions to surgical education, and he is an active member of the Association for Surgical Education (ASE), the American College of Surgeons (ACS), and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) where he is a member and leader of multiple education based committees. He is now an Associate Professor of Surgery and Vice Chairman for Education in the Norman M. Rich Department of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University, and the Director of Surgical Simulation at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Simulation Center. Dr. Ritter has deployed three times in direct support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and his stateside clinical practice focuses on advanced laparoscopic, gastrointestinal, and hernia surgery at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.