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Chief Medical Officer |
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Georgianna Farren, MD, MEd
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Residency: The George Washington University Hospital,
Washington, DC |
Dr. Farren has been a practicing physician for 26 years, practicing the last 13 years as a clinician at
Marin Community Clinics. In addition to her extensive clinical experience and passion for working in a
community health center, Dr. Farren was Research Director at Marin Breast Cancer Watch for three years,
serving as co-principal investigator for a full study and two pilot studies regarding breast cancer in Marin County.
She has also served as Medical Consultant for Dominican University for two years, and is currently on the board of Marin Medical Society. |
Medical Directors |
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Erik Schten, MD
Novato Medical Director
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: Medical College of Wisconsin
Residency: University of California at San Diego Medical Center |
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Bertrand Vandeville, DO
Greenbrae Medical Director
Specialty: Osteopathic Medicine & Board Certified in Family Practice
Education: Western University of Health Sciences
Residency: USC/California |
Dr. Schten has been providing primary medical care at the Novato clinic since it opened in 2001.
In those years he has taken on a leadership role as Medical Director, as well as serving as MCC’s
lead expert in skin diseases, including cancer prevention and treatment. He also provides expertise
in geriatrics and epidemiology. His childhood years living in Ethiopia and Colombia sparked his passion
for working with diverse international populations. His world map in the clinic, with pins marking the
country of origin of every patient, is visual evidence of his wide world view. He speaks Spanish
with his patients, but admits, “I still get frustrated when I don’t understand the punch line of a good joke.”
Dr. Schten is proud of the growth and progress he has seen at MCC and optimistic about the future possibilities.
“I continually learn from our patients and marvel constantly at their strength and fortitude in the face of daunting obstacles.”
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Dr. Vandeville has been a primary care physician at MCC since completing his family medicine residency 10 years ago.
He took on a leadership role in the Greenbrae clinic in 2008, and still maintains a private practice in
osteopathic medicine in Marin County. As a native of France, where universal healthcare is the norm,
Dr. Vandeville is passionate about the mission of MCC to provide quality care to the less fortunate members of our community.
He always demonstrates the benefits of a healthy lifestyle by taking advantage of Marin County’s beauty and resources.
He enjoys hiking, running, and horseback riding, as well as yoga, dancing, and gourmet cooking.
He frequently educates his patients, as well as friends and family, about stress management techniques
such as yoga, Chi Kung, meditation, and exercise. “Health is more than just a visit to a doctor…
I am a strong believer in a holistic health model, the mind-body relationship.”
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Courtney Benedict, CNM, MSN
Director of Women's Health
Specialty:Obstetrics/Gynecology
Education: MS Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY |
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Tracey Hessel, MD
Lead Pediatrician
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: University of California, San Francisco
Residency: UCSF
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Ms. Benedict joined MCC in 2009 and has quickly made a big impact, expanding women’s health services.
She is a certified nurse midwife with extensive experience in obstetrics and gynecology,
including serving as a clinician and educator at Planned Parenthood, and clinical work at Imperial Beach Community Clinic,
Kaiser Permanente, and private practice in San Jose.
She is currently serving as Assistant Clinical Professor at UCSF, and previously had a similar
teaching position at Stanford University School of Medicine.
In addition to her professional work, she has volunteered with Doctors Without Borders,
Flying Samaritans, the San Francisco Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity.
A native of Pennsylvania and educated in New York, Courtney is now firmly rooted in the California lifestyle. |
Dr. Hessel is a long-term veteran at MCC, now overseeing all pediatric care for the clinics. She has been raised and fully educated in the Bay Area. She devotes her full-time professional expertise to the under-served children of Marin County,
often emphasizing the value of literacy and education by promoting the Reach Out and Read
program and giving books to her young patients.
At the same time she supports her own community as a parent volunteer with Heads Up, the San Rafael City Schools Foundation.
Her view from the clinic says it all: “I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to work at a clinic
that serves such a richly diverse patient population.
I enjoy working with families to improve their children’s health as well as the health and well-being of our community.”
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Connie Kadera, DDS
Dental Director
Specialty: Dentist
Education: University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry |  |
Malini Nijagal, MD, FACOG
Medical Director of OB/GYN
Specialty: Obstetrics/Gynecology
Education: University of California, San Francisco
Residency: University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center
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Dr. Kadera joined MCC in 2008 and was instrumental in establishing the state-of-the-art dental clinic in San Rafael.
She has continued to see patients and oversee dental operations ever since.
While attending UCSF School of Dentistry, she initiated outreach programs for the underserved which have now been expanded nationally.
She was a member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Diversity, and often contributed to free clinics for the homeless.
She was a recipient of the UCSF Denzon-Butler scholarship (for community involvement) and the
Western Region National Association of Medical Minority Educators scholarship.
Prior to moving to Marin County, she practiced at Mountain Valley Health Centers serving Siskiyou and neighboring counties in northern California.
A native of Colombia and self-described coffee lover, Dr. Kadera is fluent in English and Spanish. |
Dr. Nijagal has been providing obstetrical and gynecological care to our patients since early 2011. She also provides inpatient obstetrical, gynecological and surgical care at Marin General Hospital. Prior to joining Marin Community Clinics, Dr. Nijagal spent five years working for the County of Marin Health and Human Services OB/GYN program. As that program closed, she played a role in the transition to MCC, as well as the development of a collaborative Midwife-Physician Hospitalist program that provides OB/GYN care to MCC patients at Marin General Hospital.
With medical training in San Francisco and Los Angeles, she is board certified by the American Board of OB/GYN, is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists, and an Assistant Clinical Professor on the UCSF OB/GYN Volunteer Clinical Faculty. Outside of her OB/GYN practice, Dr. Nijagal is the Director of Women's Health Research for the Prima Medical Foundation, serves as a member of the American College of OB/GYN Committee on Healthcare for Underserved Women, and provides free GYN surgical care to the uninsured as a volunteer for Operation Access. |
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Clinicians |
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Rose Mary Albujar, PA
Specialty: Adult Medicine
Education: Physician Assistant Program (PA), Stanford University School of Medicine, 2007 |
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Lisa Leavitt, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: University of California, San Francisco
Residency: University of California, San Francisco |

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Katie Ballinger, MD
Specialty: Psychiatry
Education: St. Louis University, MO
Residency: University of California, Davis Medical Center
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Sharon Lin, DO, MPH
Specialty: Family Practice
Education: Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vallejo, CA
Residency: UCSF Santa Rosa Family Medicine
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Jolaine Beal, MD, MPH
Specialty: Family Practice
Education: University of California, San Francisco |
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Michael Lopez, DDS
Specialty: Dentist
Education: University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry
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Aida Calvillo, MD
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: Cambridge Hospital/Harvard Medical School and University of Washington School of Medicine
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Ann Marie Martin, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY
Residency: Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, NY
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Sherman Chan, DDS
Specialty: Dentist
Education: University of the Pacific School of Dentistry
Residency: Mare Island Veterans Administration |
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Aaron Miller, NP
Specialty: Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Education: MS Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
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Kathy Chang-Lipsenthal, MD
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: Howard University, Washington, DC
Residency: Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA |
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Elizabeth Nadiv, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
Residency: University of California, San Francisco
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Eleanor Chung, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Residency: University of California, San Francisco
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Janet Nunnally, NP
Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner
Education: Massachusetts General Hospital School of Health Professions, Boston
Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
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Kendra Downey, NP
Specialty: Women's Health
Education: Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, GA |
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Elizabeth O'Brien, LCSW
Specialty: Behavioral Health
Education: MSW, San Francisco State University
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Danielle Eigner, DO, MPH
Specialty: Family Practice
Education: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pomona, CA
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Michalle Ramirez, FNP
Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner
Education: University of California, San Francisco
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David Ernst, MD
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: State University of New York Downstate Medical College of Medicine |
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Ann Reppun, NP
Specialty: Women's Health
Education: University of California, San Francisco
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Cara Gutterman, FNP
Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner
Education: University of California, San Francisco
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Geetika Sengupta, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: University of California, San Diego
Residency: Children's Hospital, Oakland, CA
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Siobhann Hall, LCSW
Specialty: Behavioral Health
Education: MSW, Smith College School of Social Work, Northampton, MA |
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Carolyn Shore, MD
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: University of Pennsylvania Medical School
Residency: Mt. Zion Hospital (UCSF)
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Fatima Hassan, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Residency: Children's Hospital, Oakland, CA |
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Marcella Spera, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: Penn State University College of Medicine
Residency: University of New Mexico Hospital, Albuquerque, NM
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Susan Hollander, NP
Specialty: Women's Health
Education: State University of New York at Stonybrook |
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Julie Stahl, MD
Specialty: Psychiatry
Education: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
Residency: Stanford University Dept. of Psychiatry |
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Jessica Hollman, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School
Residency: Children’s Hospital and Research Center, Oakland |
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Alicia Suski, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: Medical College of Wisconsin
Residency: University of Utah
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Jennifer Horch, CNM
Specialty: Certified Nurse Midwife
Education: MS Nursing, Yale University, New Haven, CT |
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Monica Tong, DDS
Specialty: Dentist
Education: University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry
Residency: Mare Island Veterans Administration |
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Samantha Goldstein Kamras, MD
Specialty: Pediatrics
Education: Harvard University Medical School, Boston, MA
Residency: University of California, San Francisco
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Susana Verbis, DMD
Specialty: Dentist
Education: Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA |
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Paul Kim, DDS
Specialty: Dentist
Education: University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry
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Matt Willis, MD
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Residency: Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA |
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Kathy Winston, MD
Specialty: Internal Medicine
Education: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
Residency: Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN |
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