Meet the Healthcare Providers

Owen Clinic Healthcare Providers

Meet the Owen Clinic primary care providers, specialists, nursing staff, administrative staff, and volunteers...

Wm. Christopher Mathews, M.D.
Director, Owen Clinic
Dr. Mathews has been a member of the UCSD medical faculty since 1979 and is currently director of the Owen Clinic and Professor of Clinical Medicine.

When the UCSD Medical Center and the Department of Medicine established the Owen Clinic in 1982, Dr. Mathews headed its all-volunteer medical staff which provided health care to San Diego's gay and lesbian community. As the AIDS epidemic struck San Diego, the Owen Clinic rapidly evolved as a major center for HIV care and currently serves more than 3000 patients.

Since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, Dr. Mathews has served on many local, state, and national committees which address legal, political, and medical issues in HIV infection. His appointments include founding president of the San Diego Association of Human Rights, the local organization of gay and lesbian physicians, as well as memberships on the San Diego Regional Taks Force on AIDS, The Ryan White Act Planning Council, the San Diego County Medical Society AIDS committe, the State of California Attorney General's AIDS Fraud Task Force, the National Advisory Committee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation AIDS Health Services Program, and the American Association of Medical College's Committee on AIDS and the Academic Medical Center.

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Southern California in 1975, Dr. Mathews completed his internship and residency at UCSD.

In 1985 Dr. Mathews was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation scholar at UCLA's School of Public Health and received a master's in public health in 1987. Dr. Mathews' primary research interests are in the area of quality of care issues for HIV patients and he has published more than 30 papers, publications, and abstracts in this and other areas of AIDS research.

Primary Care Providers

Amy Sitapati, M.D.
Associate Director, Owen Clinic

Medical Education: M.D., Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 1994-1998; Internship and Residency Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, 1998-2001

Primary Current Professional Activity: Associate Physician, Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego

Other Relevant Professional Activities/Appointments: 2004 – 2007 Assistant Professor Department of Medicine at Howard University; Medical Director for the Center of Infectious Disease Management and Research (CIDMAR); Faculty for the Women’s Health Institute (WHI); Media Spokesperson for the National Capital Medical Center for Howard University, 2006-2007; Team Leader for WHI Routine HIV Screening Program, 2006-2007; Faculty for the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center, 2005-2007; Faculty for Eurasian Medical Education Program providing 20+ hours of on-site lectures at Khabarovsk University in the Russian Far East, 2006; Lobbyist for Reform of Immigration Policy in support of persons living with HIV, American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2007; Previous Faculty Appointment: Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), 2001-2004; Faculty at the Owen Clinic UCSD, 2002-2004.

Personal Statement:

Since 2002, I have been working at academic Ryan White Part C (Title III) programs striving to improve the quality of life for persons living with HIV through the delivery of comprehensive primary medical care. My experience working with communities of minority sexual orientations, refugees, native African immigrants, Mexican border populations, and urban blacks, has enabled me to recognize the complex social barriers unique to each group. As I have matured through the experience, I have become increasingly involved in teaching at a local and international level, in using media to improve the knowledge of the community and in serving as a patient advocate. My research interests have focused on anal dysplasia, women of color living with HIV, and routine HIV screening.

In 2005, I established The Center for Infectious Disease Management and Research (CIDMAR), a new Ryan White Part C center of excellence dedicated to the provision of culturally competent, state of the art HIV medical care to its 225 patients. As the CIDMAR’s Medical Director, I developed a multi-disciplinary practice that provides primary medical care and HIV testing. In June of 2007, I met with the First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, to discuss the first hospital-wide routine HIV screening program in the Nation.

In October 2007, I returned to the Owen Clinic at the University of California, San Diego to continue my vision to provide exceptional medical care; serve as an instructor for students and residents; develop and deliver clinical research; and design a strong infrastructure to support a world class HIV practice. As an active primary care internist, I am dedicated to serving patients living with HIV in my community as well as throughout the world.

Kari Abulhosn, Pharm. D.
Pharmacist
Kari graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1996 and joined the clinic after a two year residency with the UCSD Medical Center. Kari's emphasis is in HIV pharmacotherapy. Kari has been with the clinic since 1997. She's originally from Vancouver, Washington.

Craig Ballard, Pharm. D.
Pharmacist
Craig is a native San Diego resident. He graduated from the University of California, San Francisco in 1986. Craig's speciality was in infectious disease and investigational medicine. Craig has been with the Owen Clinic since 1987.

Kristin Beizai, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Beizai graduated

Oliver J. Biederman, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Biederman is from Missouri and graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He retired after over thirty years of patient care (both in the United States and in Israel) and now works as a volunteer physician in the Owen Clinic and at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.

Jennifer Blanchard, M.D.
Physician

Edward 'Lalo' Cachay, M.D.
Physician

Joe Caperna, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Caperna is from Ohio and graduated from Case Western Reserve University. He has been with the Owen Clinic since 1995, and has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1992 with a specialty in hematology and oncology.

Brad Colwell, Pharm.D.
Pharmacist
Brad graduated from the Univeristy of California, San Francisco in 1987. He completed his residency in HIV/general medicine at UCSD in 1988. He has been with the Owen Clinic since 1989.

Pat Franklin, N.P.
Nurse Practitioner

Alanna Fraser, N.P.
Nurse Practitioner
Alanna is from California and graduated from UCLA. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1995 and has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1988.

Richard Haubrich, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Haubrich graduated from the University of Southern California Medical School in Los Angeles, then did a residency in Internal Medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, in San Diego in 1986 where he was also Chief Medical Resident in 1987. He completed his Infectious Diseases Fellowship training at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA.

Edward Jocson, PA-C
Physician Assistant
Edward obtained his Biology degree from UCSD in 1997 and finished his Physician Assitant training at Charles Drew School of Medicine in 1999. He practiced Family Medicine and Pediatrics for 6 years prior to joining the Owen Clinic in 2006. He has a strong background in Eastern Medicine as well, practicing as an acupuncturist since 1993 and Yoga therapy since 2004.

Theodore Katsivas, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Katsivas joined the Owen Clinic in August 2004. He graduated from the University of Patra Medical School, in his native Hellas (Greece) in 1994, and subsequently started Residency in Internal Medicine/Pulmonary in Athens. In 1999 he moved to the US and completed Internal Medicine training in Chicago and UCSD and Infectious Diseases Fellowship training at UCLA.
His main interests are primary HIV care, Addiction Medicine and Clinical Research in those areas.

Robert Kiernan, PA-C
Physician Assistant

Richard Kornbluth, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Kornbluth graduated from Harvard College where he majored in Philosophy, going on to get his M.D. at New York Medical College and his Ph.D. in Pathology from Columbia University. Postdoctoral Training was in Pulmonary Medicine at Columbia and Immunology at Scripps Clinic here in La Jolla.

Ildiko Kovacs, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Kovacs recieved her MD degree in Budapest, Hungary. Afterwards, she did research in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology at University of Arizona, Stanford and Scripps Research Institute. She finished her residency in Psychiatry at UCSD in 2002.

Daniel Lee, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Lee is from Los Angeles and joined the Owen Clinic in 1998 after a three year residency in Internal Medicine with the UCSD Medical Center. Dr. Lee graduated from the UCSD School of Medicine.

Scott Letendre, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Letendre is an Infectious Disease Specialist who has been with UCSD since 1997. He is originally from Florida, graduated from Georgetown University in 1986, and completed his postgraduate medical training in the Navy and at Duke University. Dr. Letendre's research focuses on the effects of HIV infection on the brain.

Tyler Lonergan, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Lonergan hails from the Granite State where he graduated from Dartmouth Medical School. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at UCSD and then joined the Owen Clinic faculty in 1997.

Betty Joan Maly, M.D.
Physician
Betty Joan Maly, MD, attending physiatrist for Owen Clinic, is a voluntary clinical faculty member in the Department of Medicine at UCSD, and attending staff at Sharp Memorial Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. A Diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, she frequently serves as an examiner for board certification in her specialty

Allen McCutchan, M.D.
Physician
Dr. McCutchan graduated from Yale University Medical School, did his residency in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt and Yale-New Haven Hospital, and his Infectious Diseases postdoctoral training as a Clinical and Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases at UCSD. Dr. McCutchan subsequently received an M.Sc. in Epidemiology from the University of London as a Scholar of the Milbank Memorial Fund. Since 1982, Dr. McCutchan has focused his research efforts on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the infectious and neurologic complications of HIV infection.

Steven Oppenheim, M.D.
Physician
Dr. Oppenheim moved to San Diego in 1987 after completing his training in Internal Medicine at USC and the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. He has been seeing patients at the Owen Clinic since 1988. During that time he also was medical director of HIV services at the Ciaccio Clinic from 1988-95. From 1995-2001 he was in private practice in Hillcrest with the Robert Smith Group. He now is a staff physician at the San Diego Hospice and medical director of their AIDS Team which also provides specialized homecare services for patients with HIV in need of home nursing on the palliative care service. His interests include substance abuse, symptom palliation and giving updates to the community.

Erin Reid, M.D.
Oncologist
Dr. Erin Reid’s broad career goal is to contribute to the advancement of treatments and understanding of hematologic malignancies through design and conduct of clinical trials that utilize correlative studies to translate between important clinical and basic science observations.
As the Hematologist for the Owen clinic at UCSD, Dr. Reid has the opportunity to treat a great number of patients with AIDS-related malignancies, including Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Lymphomas. In addition to participating in ongoing trials with the AIDS Malignancy Consortium, she is developing early phase trials for AIDS-associated lymphoma and Kaposi’s Sarcoma.

Shannon Robinson, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Robinson graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, KY. She did her psychiatry residency at the University of California, San Diego followed by a Consult Liaison Fellowship at UCSD.

Dr. Robinson's research focus is in behavioral medicine. She has used both cognitive behavior therapy and psychopharmacology in the treatment of depression and anxiety in medical conditions. Additionally, she does psychopharmacology research in depression, mania, psychosis, agitation and ADHD.

Barbara Smith, M.D.
Psychiatrist
Dr. Smith

Eva Stettner, N.P.
Nurse Practitioner
Eva is originally from Texas and lived in NYC since 1982. She graduated from Columbia University in 2000. Eva took care of HIV patients at a large AIDS clinic in Jersey City, NJ, until moving to San Diego in the spring of 2004 and joining the Owen Clinic. Eva is certified as an HIV Specialist with the American Academy of HIV Medicine.

Alfredo Tiu, D.O.
Physician
Dr. Tiu trained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and William Beaumont Army Medical Center. He is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.

Francesca J. Torriani, M.D.
Physician
Francesca J. Torriani, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California , San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Torriani received her medical degree and her training in Internal Medicine in Switzerland. She fluently speaks Italian, French, German, Spanish and English.

After completing an Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Dr. Torriani joined the UCSD Medicine Faculty in 1995. In addition to serving as an Owen Clinic and Infectious Diseases Attending, she directs the UCSD Infection Control/Epidemiology Unit and continues her research in HIV and HCV infections.

Specialists

Carlos Estrada
Medication Counselor
Carlos has been working at UCSD for 13 years and joined the Owen Clinic team in 2001. Carlos counsels patients on understanding the goals of anti-HIV treatment and managing side effects. He is also an HIV/AIDS instructor and provides ADAP services.

Chris Thomas
Health Educator
With a degree in Behavioral Sciences specializing in alcohol and other drug studies, he worked in the addiction treatment field for many years. While working with alcohol and other drugs use issues, the topic of health education and harm reduction became a main focus. Before joining Owen Clinic, he worked at the UCSD HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center.

Joe Montanez
Behavioral Health Counselor
Joe is a native San Diegan who loves helping others find ways to help themselves. Joe counsels patients in trying to find appropriate ways to stop negative behaviors which continue to put their health at risk i.e. drug abuse, smoking, and sexual health issues. He is a Certified Addictions Treatment Specialist and has been working in the field for many years. He is also certified in domestic violence counseling and is an HIV/AIDS instructor. He began working at Owen Clinic in April of 2002.

Jennifer Sachs, RD
Dietitian/Nutritionist
Jennifer provides Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to adults living with HIV/AIDS. MNT includes nutrition assessment, counseling and therapeutic interventions. She regularly assesses body composition using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). She helps facilitate therapy for AIDS wasting and lipodystrophy. She works closely with other healthcare providers at Owen Clinic and those providing care through the Lipid Clinic. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association and a member of the HIV/AIDS dietetic practice group.

Nursing & Clinical Support Staff

Ludy Egasani, RN, BSN.
Registered Nurse
Ludy is from the Phillipines and graduated from University of St. Thomas in Manila. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1997, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1982.

Nelda Farnal, RN, B.S.N.
Registered Nurse
Nelda is from the Phillipines and graduated from Arellano University in Manila. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1999, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1984.

Natasha Ferguson
Medical Assistant

Doris Gauff, RN.
Registered Nurse
Doris is from Arkansas and graduated from San Diego State University. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1991, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1986.

Yolanda Greene
Medical Assistant

Carol Griffin, RN.
Registered Nurse
Carol is from California and has been with the Owen Clinic since 1998, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1985.

Gaby Guzman
Key User/ Registrar

Lisa Landry, RN.
Registered Nurse

Connie Languido
Surgical Technician

Luana Ortega
Hospital Assistant

Sarai Velarde
Medical Assistant

Erika Velazco
Registrar

Administration

Susan Benson, M.S.
Director of of Operations & Programs

Susan rejoined the Owen Clinic staff in June 2006. She has previously held positions at UCSD Medical Center in the Medical Residency program and, from 1988-1992, in the Owen Clinic. Susan coordinates the UCSD Owen Clinic AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC), Pacific Region, a project funded by the federal Ryan White CARE Act. The Owen Clinic’s AETC mission is to provide HIV clinical training, continuing medical education, and on-going technical support and consultations to clinicians throughout the community. Susan also provides administrative support for the UCSD Internal Medicine Residency HIV rotations, the USCD School of Medicine HIV rotations for 3rd and 4th year medical students, the HIV International Fellowship, and the HIV Primary Care Mini Residency. Additionally, she is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the many federal grants that support the clinicians and programs of the Owen Clinic. Susan is a member of the AETC Southern Group and the County of San Diego HIV Health Services Planning Council.

Ed Barber, M.P.H.
Senior Administrative Analyst
Since 1995, Ed has been working at the Owen Clinic managing and analyzing the clincal database. He has worked on numerous projects from downloading mainframe clinical information to outcomes projects.

Arash Ebrahimi
Senior Research Analyst III
Arash joined the Owen clinic in 2007, coming from a research team at the University of California San Francisco. As SRAIII he is in charge of Quality Improvement activities and data management. He is an advocate for people with disabilities.

Kathy Glasgow
Financial Analyst
Kathy began her employment at UCSD in 1991 assisting in the administration of a federally-funded high school outreach program in Student Affairs. She has been with the Department of Medicine since 1998 working in the Sponsored Projects Office as a fund manager for faculty members and researchers in Cardiology, Rheumatology, Endometabolism, and the Stein Institute for the Research on Aging. Kathy has been with the Owen Clinic since October 2003 as their Financial Analyst.

Rachel Manaster
Senior Research Analyst II

Allen Watson
Administrative Assistant
Allen moved from the Beach Area Clinic to the Owen Clinic in 1990. He is the contact person if you need a letter of diagnosis or have questions on dental coverage.

Volunteers

Joan Parker
Volunteer
Joan is from Los Angeles and has been with the clinic since 1987.

Please send any questions or comments to the Owen Clinic Webmaster.

		Amy Sitapati, M.D. Associate Director, Owen Clinic Medical Education: M.D., Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 1994-1998; Internship and Residency Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, 1998-2001 Primary Current Professional Activity: Associate Physician, Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego Other Relevant Professional Activities/Appointments: 2004 – 2007 Assistant Professor Department of Medicine at Howard University; Medical Director for the Center of Infectious Disease Management and Research (CIDMAR); Faculty for the Women’s Health Institute (WHI); Media Spokesperson for the National Capital Medical Center for Howard University, 2006-2007; Team Leader for WHI Routine HIV Screening Program, 2006-2007; Faculty for the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center, 2005-2007; Faculty for Eurasian Medical Education Program providing 20+ hours of on-site lectures at Khabarovsk University in the Russian Far East, 2006; Lobbyist for Reform of Immigration Policy in support of persons living with HIV, American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2007; Previous Faculty Appointment: Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), 2001-2004; Faculty at the Owen Clinic UCSD, 2002-2004. Personal Statement: Since 2002, I have been working at academic Ryan White Part C (Title III) programs striving to improve the quality of life for persons living with HIV through the delivery of comprehensive primary medical care. My experience working with communities of minority sexual orientations, refugees, native African immigrants, Mexican border populations, and urban blacks, has enabled me to recognize the complex social barriers unique to each group. As I have matured through the experience, I have become increasingly involved in teaching at a local and international level, in using media to improve the knowledge of the community and in serving as a patient advocate. My research interests have focused on anal dysplasia, women of color living with HIV, and routine HIV screening. In 2005, I established The Center for Infectious Disease Management and Research (CIDMAR), a new Ryan White Part C center of excellence dedicated to the provision of culturally competent, state of the art HIV medical care to its 225 patients. As the CIDMAR’s Medical Director, I developed a multi-disciplinary practice that provides primary medical care and HIV testing. In June of 2007, I met with the First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush, to discuss the first hospital-wide routine HIV screening program in the Nation. In October 2007, I returned to the Owen Clinic at the University of California, San Diego to continue my vision to provide exceptional medical care; serve as an instructor for students and residents; develop and deliver clinical research; and design a strong infrastructure to support a world class HIV practice. As an active primary care internist, I am dedicated to serving patients living with HIV in my community as well as throughout the world.
		Kari Abulhosn, Pharm. D. Pharmacist Kari graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1996 and joined the clinic after a two year residency with the UCSD Medical Center. Kari's emphasis is in HIV pharmacotherapy. Kari has been with the clinic since 1997. She's originally from Vancouver, Washington.
		Craig Ballard, Pharm. D. Pharmacist Craig is a native San Diego resident. He graduated from the University of California, San Francisco in 1986. Craig's speciality was in infectious disease and investigational medicine. Craig has been with the Owen Clinic since 1987.
		Kristin Beizai, M.D. Psychiatrist Dr. Beizai graduated
		Oliver J. Biederman, M.D. Physician Dr. Biederman is from Missouri and graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He retired after over thirty years of patient care (both in the United States and in Israel) and now works as a volunteer physician in the Owen Clinic and at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico.
		Jennifer Blanchard, M.D. Physician
		Edward 'Lalo' Cachay, M.D. Physician
		Joe Caperna, M.D. Physician Dr. Caperna is from Ohio and graduated from Case Western Reserve University. He has been with the Owen Clinic since 1995, and has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1992 with a specialty in hematology and oncology.
		Brad Colwell, Pharm.D. Pharmacist Brad graduated from the Univeristy of California, San Francisco in 1987. He completed his residency in HIV/general medicine at UCSD in 1988. He has been with the Owen Clinic since 1989.
		Pat Franklin, N.P. Nurse Practitioner
		Alanna Fraser, N.P. Nurse Practitioner Alanna is from California and graduated from UCLA. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1995 and has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1988.

		Richard Haubrich, M.D. Physician Dr. Haubrich graduated from the University of Southern California Medical School in Los Angeles, then did a residency in Internal Medicine at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, in San Diego in 1986 where he was also Chief Medical Resident in 1987. He completed his Infectious Diseases Fellowship training at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA.
		Edward Jocson, PA-C Physician Assistant Edward obtained his Biology degree from UCSD in 1997 and finished his Physician Assitant training at Charles Drew School of Medicine in 1999. He practiced Family Medicine and Pediatrics for 6 years prior to joining the Owen Clinic in 2006. He has a strong background in Eastern Medicine as well, practicing as an acupuncturist since 1993 and Yoga therapy since 2004.
		Theodore Katsivas, M.D. Physician Dr. Katsivas joined the Owen Clinic in August 2004. He graduated from the University of Patra Medical School, in his native Hellas (Greece) in 1994, and subsequently started Residency in Internal Medicine/Pulmonary in Athens. In 1999 he moved to the US and completed Internal Medicine training in Chicago and UCSD and Infectious Diseases Fellowship training at UCLA. His main interests are primary HIV care, Addiction Medicine and Clinical Research in those areas.
		Robert Kiernan, PA-C Physician Assistant
		Richard Kornbluth, M.D. Physician Dr. Kornbluth graduated from Harvard College where he majored in Philosophy, going on to get his M.D. at New York Medical College and his Ph.D. in Pathology from Columbia University. Postdoctoral Training was in Pulmonary Medicine at Columbia and Immunology at Scripps Clinic here in La Jolla.
		Ildiko Kovacs, M.D. Psychiatrist Dr. Kovacs recieved her MD degree in Budapest, Hungary. Afterwards, she did research in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology at University of Arizona, Stanford and Scripps Research Institute. She finished her residency in Psychiatry at UCSD in 2002.
		Daniel Lee, M.D. Physician Dr. Lee is from Los Angeles and joined the Owen Clinic in 1998 after a three year residency in Internal Medicine with the UCSD Medical Center. Dr. Lee graduated from the UCSD School of Medicine.
		Scott Letendre, M.D. Physician Dr. Letendre is an Infectious Disease Specialist who has been with UCSD since 1997. He is originally from Florida, graduated from Georgetown University in 1986, and completed his postgraduate medical training in the Navy and at Duke University. Dr. Letendre's research focuses on the effects of HIV infection on the brain.
		Tyler Lonergan, M.D. Physician Dr. Lonergan hails from the Granite State where he graduated from Dartmouth Medical School. He completed his residency training in internal medicine at UCSD and then joined the Owen Clinic faculty in 1997.
		Betty Joan Maly, M.D. Physician Betty Joan Maly, MD, attending physiatrist for Owen Clinic, is a voluntary clinical faculty member in the Department of Medicine at UCSD, and attending staff at Sharp Memorial Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. A Diplomate of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, she frequently serves as an examiner for board certification in her specialty

		Allen McCutchan, M.D. Physician Dr. McCutchan graduated from Yale University Medical School, did his residency in Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt and Yale-New Haven Hospital, and his Infectious Diseases postdoctoral training as a Clinical and Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases at UCSD. Dr. McCutchan subsequently received an M.Sc. in Epidemiology from the University of London as a Scholar of the Milbank Memorial Fund. Since 1982, Dr. McCutchan has focused his research efforts on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the infectious and neurologic complications of HIV infection.
		Steven Oppenheim, M.D. Physician Dr. Oppenheim moved to San Diego in 1987 after completing his training in Internal Medicine at USC and the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. He has been seeing patients at the Owen Clinic since 1988. During that time he also was medical director of HIV services at the Ciaccio Clinic from 1988-95. From 1995-2001 he was in private practice in Hillcrest with the Robert Smith Group. He now is a staff physician at the San Diego Hospice and medical director of their AIDS Team which also provides specialized homecare services for patients with HIV in need of home nursing on the palliative care service. His interests include substance abuse, symptom palliation and giving updates to the community.

		Erin Reid, M.D. Oncologist Dr. Erin Reid’s broad career goal is to contribute to the advancement of treatments and understanding of hematologic malignancies through design and conduct of clinical trials that utilize correlative studies to translate between important clinical and basic science observations. As the Hematologist for the Owen clinic at UCSD, Dr. Reid has the opportunity to treat a great number of patients with AIDS-related malignancies, including Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Lymphomas. In addition to participating in ongoing trials with the AIDS Malignancy Consortium, she is developing early phase trials for AIDS-associated lymphoma and Kaposi’s Sarcoma.
		Shannon Robinson, M.D. Psychiatrist Dr. Robinson graduated from the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Louisville, KY. She did her psychiatry residency at the University of California, San Diego followed by a Consult Liaison Fellowship at UCSD. Dr. Robinson's research focus is in behavioral medicine. She has used both cognitive behavior therapy and psychopharmacology in the treatment of depression and anxiety in medical conditions. Additionally, she does psychopharmacology research in depression, mania, psychosis, agitation and ADHD.
		Barbara Smith, M.D. Psychiatrist Dr. Smith

		Eva Stettner, N.P. Nurse Practitioner Eva is originally from Texas and lived in NYC since 1982. She graduated from Columbia University in 2000. Eva took care of HIV patients at a large AIDS clinic in Jersey City, NJ, until moving to San Diego in the spring of 2004 and joining the Owen Clinic. Eva is certified as an HIV Specialist with the American Academy of HIV Medicine.
		Alfredo Tiu, D.O. Physician Dr. Tiu trained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and William Beaumont Army Medical Center. He is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology.
		Francesca J. Torriani, M.D. Physician Francesca J. Torriani, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California , San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Torriani received her medical degree and her training in Internal Medicine in Switzerland. She fluently speaks Italian, French, German, Spanish and English. After completing an Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Dr. Torriani joined the UCSD Medicine Faculty in 1995. In addition to serving as an Owen Clinic and Infectious Diseases Attending, she directs the UCSD Infection Control/Epidemiology Unit and continues her research in HIV and HCV infections.

		Carlos Estrada Medication Counselor Carlos has been working at UCSD for 13 years and joined the Owen Clinic team in 2001. Carlos counsels patients on understanding the goals of anti-HIV treatment and managing side effects. He is also an HIV/AIDS instructor and provides ADAP services.
		Chris Thomas Health Educator With a degree in Behavioral Sciences specializing in alcohol and other drug studies, he worked in the addiction treatment field for many years. While working with alcohol and other drugs use issues, the topic of health education and harm reduction became a main focus. Before joining Owen Clinic, he worked at the UCSD HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center.

		Joe Montanez Behavioral Health Counselor Joe is a native San Diegan who loves helping others find ways to help themselves. Joe counsels patients in trying to find appropriate ways to stop negative behaviors which continue to put their health at risk i.e. drug abuse, smoking, and sexual health issues. He is a Certified Addictions Treatment Specialist and has been working in the field for many years. He is also certified in domestic violence counseling and is an HIV/AIDS instructor. He began working at Owen Clinic in April of 2002.
		Jennifer Sachs, RD Dietitian/Nutritionist Jennifer provides Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) to adults living with HIV/AIDS. MNT includes nutrition assessment, counseling and therapeutic interventions. She regularly assesses body composition using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). She helps facilitate therapy for AIDS wasting and lipodystrophy. She works closely with other healthcare providers at Owen Clinic and those providing care through the Lipid Clinic. She is a member of the American Dietetic Association and a member of the HIV/AIDS dietetic practice group.

		Ludy Egasani, RN, BSN. Registered Nurse Ludy is from the Phillipines and graduated from University of St. Thomas in Manila. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1997, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1982.
		Nelda Farnal, RN, B.S.N. Registered Nurse Nelda is from the Phillipines and graduated from Arellano University in Manila. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1999, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1984.
		Natasha Ferguson Medical Assistant
		Doris Gauff, RN. Registered Nurse Doris is from Arkansas and graduated from San Diego State University. She has been with the Owen Clinic since 1991, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1986.
		Yolanda Greene Medical Assistant
		Carol Griffin, RN. Registered Nurse Carol is from California and has been with the Owen Clinic since 1998, has been involved in HIV healthcare since 1985.
		Gaby Guzman Key User/ Registrar
		Lisa Landry, RN. Registered Nurse
		Connie Languido Surgical Technician
		Luana Ortega Hospital Assistant



		Sarai Velarde Medical Assistant
		Erika Velazco Registrar

		Susan Benson, M.S. Director of of Operations & Programs Susan rejoined the Owen Clinic staff in June 2006. She has previously held positions at UCSD Medical Center in the Medical Residency program and, from 1988-1992, in the Owen Clinic. Susan coordinates the UCSD Owen Clinic AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC), Pacific Region, a project funded by the federal Ryan White CARE Act. The Owen Clinic’s AETC mission is to provide HIV clinical training, continuing medical education, and on-going technical support and consultations to clinicians throughout the community. Susan also provides administrative support for the UCSD Internal Medicine Residency HIV rotations, the USCD School of Medicine HIV rotations for 3rd and 4th year medical students, the HIV International Fellowship, and the HIV Primary Care Mini Residency. Additionally, she is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the many federal grants that support the clinicians and programs of the Owen Clinic. Susan is a member of the AETC Southern Group and the County of San Diego HIV Health Services Planning Council.
		Ed Barber, M.P.H. Senior Administrative Analyst Since 1995, Ed has been working at the Owen Clinic managing and analyzing the clincal database. He has worked on numerous projects from downloading mainframe clinical information to outcomes projects.
		Arash Ebrahimi Senior Research Analyst III Arash joined the Owen clinic in 2007, coming from a research team at the University of California San Francisco. As SRAIII he is in charge of Quality Improvement activities and data management. He is an advocate for people with disabilities.
		Kathy Glasgow Financial Analyst Kathy began her employment at UCSD in 1991 assisting in the administration of a federally-funded high school outreach program in Student Affairs. She has been with the Department of Medicine since 1998 working in the Sponsored Projects Office as a fund manager for faculty members and researchers in Cardiology, Rheumatology, Endometabolism, and the Stein Institute for the Research on Aging. Kathy has been with the Owen Clinic since October 2003 as their Financial Analyst.

		Rachel Manaster Senior Research Analyst II
		Allen Watson Administrative Assistant Allen moved from the Beach Area Clinic to the Owen Clinic in 1990. He is the contact person if you need a letter of diagnosis or have questions on dental coverage.


		Joan Parker Volunteer Joan is from Los Angeles and has been with the clinic since 1987.