Marin Community Clinics - Who We Are

Drawing of clinic and Connecting for Health

Chief Medical Officer

	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
	Erik Schten, MD Novato Medical Director Specialty: Internal Medicine Education: Medical College of Wisconsin Residency: University of California at San Diego Medical Center		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.”		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.”
	Courtney Benedict, CNM, MSN Director of Women's Health Specialty:Obstetrics/Gynecology Education: MS Nursing, Columbia University, New York, NY		Tracey Hessel, MD Lead Pediatrician Specialty: Pediatrics Education: University of California, San Francisco Residency: UCSF
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.”
	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
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.

Clinicians
	Rose Mary Albujar, PA Specialty: Adult Medicine Education: Physician Assistant Program (PA), Stanford University School of Medicine, 2007		Lisa Leavitt, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: University of California, San Francisco Residency: University of California, San Francisco
	Katie Ballinger, MD Specialty: Psychiatry Education: St. Louis University, MO Residency: University of California, Davis Medical Center		Sharon Lin, DO, MPH Specialty: Family Practice Education: Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Vallejo, CA Residency: UCSF Santa Rosa Family Medicine
	Jolaine Beal, MD, MPH Specialty: Family Practice Education: University of California, San Francisco		Michael Lopez, DDS Specialty: Dentist Education: University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry
	Aida Calvillo, MD Specialty: Internal Medicine Education: Cambridge Hospital/Harvard Medical School and University of Washington School of Medicine		Ann Marie Martin, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY Residency: Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, NY
	Sherman Chan, DDS Specialty: Dentist Education: University of the Pacific School of Dentistry Residency: Mare Island Veterans Administration		Aaron Miller, NP Specialty: Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Education: MS Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR
	Kathy Chang-Lipsenthal, MD Specialty: Internal Medicine Education: Howard University, Washington, DC Residency: Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA		Elizabeth Nadiv, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: University of California, San Diego School of Medicine Residency: University of California, San Francisco
	Eleanor Chung, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY Residency: University of California, San Francisco		Janet Nunnally, NP Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner Education: Massachusetts General Hospital School of Health Professions, Boston Residency: Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
	Kendra Downey, NP Specialty: Women's Health Education: Emory University Medical School, Atlanta, GA		Elizabeth O'Brien, LCSW Specialty: Behavioral Health Education: MSW, San Francisco State University
	Danielle Eigner, DO, MPH Specialty: Family Practice Education: Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, Pomona, CA		Michalle Ramirez, FNP Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner Education: University of California, San Francisco
	David Ernst, MD Specialty: Internal Medicine Education: State University of New York Downstate Medical College of Medicine		Ann Reppun, NP Specialty: Women's Health Education: University of California, San Francisco
	Cara Gutterman, FNP Specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner Education: University of California, San Francisco		Geetika Sengupta, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: University of California, San Diego Residency: Children's Hospital, Oakland, CA
	Siobhann Hall, LCSW Specialty: Behavioral Health Education: MSW, Smith College School of Social Work, Northampton, MA		Carolyn Shore, MD Specialty: Internal Medicine Education: University of Pennsylvania Medical School Residency: Mt. Zion Hospital (UCSF)
	Fatima Hassan, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA Residency: Children's Hospital, Oakland, CA		Marcella Spera, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: Penn State University College of Medicine Residency: University of New Mexico Hospital, Albuquerque, NM
	Susan Hollander, NP Specialty: Women's Health Education: State University of New York at Stonybrook		Julie Stahl, MD Specialty: Psychiatry Education: Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI Residency: Stanford University Dept. of Psychiatry
	Jessica Hollman, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School Residency: Children’s Hospital and Research Center, Oakland		Alicia Suski, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: Medical College of Wisconsin Residency: University of Utah
	Jennifer Horch, CNM Specialty: Certified Nurse Midwife Education: MS Nursing, Yale University, New Haven, CT		Monica Tong, DDS Specialty: Dentist Education: University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry Residency: Mare Island Veterans Administration
	Samantha Goldstein Kamras, MD Specialty: Pediatrics Education: Harvard University Medical School, Boston, MA Residency: University of California, San Francisco		Susana Verbis, DMD Specialty: Dentist Education: Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
	Paul Kim, DDS Specialty: Dentist Education: University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry		Matt Willis, MD Specialty: Internal Medicine Education: Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA Residency: Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA
			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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Chief Medical Officer

Georgianna Farren, MD, MEd

Medical Directors

Erik Schten, MD

Bertrand Vandeville, DO

Courtney Benedict, CNM, MSN

Tracey Hessel, MD

Connie Kadera, DDS

Malini Nijagal, MD, FACOG

Clinicians

Rose Mary Albujar, PA

Lisa Leavitt, MD

Katie Ballinger, MD

Sharon Lin, DO, MPH

Jolaine Beal, MD, MPH

Michael Lopez, DDS

Aida Calvillo, MD

Ann Marie Martin, MD

Sherman Chan, DDS

Aaron Miller, NP

Kathy Chang-Lipsenthal, MD

Elizabeth Nadiv, MD

Eleanor Chung, MD

Janet Nunnally, NP

Kendra Downey, NP

Elizabeth O'Brien, LCSW

Danielle Eigner, DO, MPH

Michalle Ramirez, FNP

David Ernst, MD

Ann Reppun, NP

Cara Gutterman, FNP

Geetika Sengupta, MD

Siobhann Hall, LCSW

Carolyn Shore, MD

Fatima Hassan, MD

Marcella Spera, MD

Susan Hollander, NP

Julie Stahl, MD

Jessica Hollman, MD

Alicia Suski, MD

Jennifer Horch, CNM

Monica Tong, DDS

Samantha Goldstein Kamras, MD

Susana Verbis, DMD

Paul Kim, DDS

Matt Willis, MD

Kathy Winston, MD