Dr. David Krusleski, a graduate of Rice University in 1986, received his Medical Degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston (now McGovern Medical School). He completed his Family Medicine residency at Southwest Memorial Hospital, and a Fellowship at the University of Texas Medical School. He has been in practice since 1994, and is board certified in Family Medicine. He has over 25 years of experience working in Community Health Centers. He joined Spring Branch Community Health Center in 2017. Dr. Krusleski's goal is to improve the healthcare of the community providing hope for a better future. He speaks Spanish. In his spare time, he is active in his church, scouting, and spending time with his family.
Nola Akiwowo is a Family Nurse Practitioner who specializes in infectious diseases and disaster preparedness. With a nursing background that encompasses the ER, crisis assignments, Neurosurgery ICU, COVID-ICU and Surgical ICU, Nola currently treats all ages in the Houston area.
Prior to her life in Texas, Nola worked in communications at various non-profit organizations in the Midwest. She enjoys traveling and volunteering in her free time.
Aida Alvarez is a Family Nurse Practitioner who graduated in 2015. She joined SBCHC on March, 2017. Aida believes in listening to the patients, providing individualized care, and empowering patients with appropriate information to make informed decisions regarding their care. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and being with family.
America Carrillo is a Family Nurse Practitioner who earned both her Master of Nursing and Doctorate in Nursing Practice degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She worked as a Registered Nurse for a large community health organization in Chicago for a few years before moving to California to work as a Family Nurse Practitioner in a community health setting. She recently relocated to Houston and is looking forward to providing high-quality compassionate care to all patients. America was born in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. She enjoys cooking and spending time with her family and cats.
Luchia Foster is originally from El Paso, Texas and is fluent in Spanish and English. She earned her undergraduate degree in Nursing at Texas Woman's University in 2007. Ms. Foster later attended Prairie View A&M University for her master's in nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner program in 2014. To help improve patient outcomes and translate research into practice, Ms. Foster completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2023. Ms. Foster is passionate about providing quality, comprehensive care to patients of all ages (newborn to adult) in the Katy and Cypress area.
Billy Marsh is a Family Nurse Practitioner with over 25 years' experience as a Registered Nurse. He earned his Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix in 2012, and completed his Post Masters Certificate: Family Nurse Practitioner at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2020. He is board certified as an Advance Practice Registered Nurse, and by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
Laura Otillar has been a Physician Assistant for Spring Branch Community Health Center since 2006 and has practiced as a PA since 2001 in the fields of Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Family Medicine and Pediatrics. Laura's main areas of expertise are Family Medicine and Pediatrics with a focus on treatment and prevention of disease. She is both English and Spanish speaking, and has extensive experience treating diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol as well as mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. In pediatrics, Laura has broad experience with common colds, allergies, dermatology and other pediatric related issues. Laura is committed to the health and well-being of the communities she serves through medical treatment and educating her patients to build a healthy future for themselves and their families. Laura earned her Master of Science Degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Jorge Romero earned his Master of Nursing degree from the Ana G Mendez University, Dallas Campus. He worked as a registered nurse in Houston, Texas for seven years. Then, he began working as a nurse practitioner in a community setting and provided high-quality compassionate care to all patients.
Jorge was born in Cuba and is fluent in Spanish. He enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, fishing, and working out.
Rohini Verghese obtained her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from University of Houston, Houston, Texas in 1997. Prior to that she has a Bacholer of Science in Chemistry and Education from India and was a Science teacher for Grades 7 and 8 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
Rohini joined Kroger Pharmacy as a floater pharmacist, then Assistant Pharmacy Manager within a year and after a year became a Pharmacy Manager and stayed with Kroger for 21 years. She worked at multiple locations while she was with Kroger, namely Spring, The Woodlands, Medical Center and lastly in Sugar Land. In addition to filling prescriptions, Rohini administered vaccinations, did Health screenings (glucose and lipid) and Medication Therapy Management. After leaving Kroger in 2019 she has focused on taking care of her grandson and worked as Prior Authorization and MTM pharmacist from home.
Dr. Enrique "Henry" Gonzales is a board-certified pediatrician and a lifelong Texan. He was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, went to college at UT Brownsville (now UTRGV), and received both his MD degree and general pediatrics residency training at UTHSC in San Antonio. He then practiced for two years in the Austin area before joining SBCHC in 2020.
He is passionate about preventative health for children and spending time providing education to his patients and their parents. His goal is for each family to leave the clinic knowing more about the patient's health than when they came in.
In his free time, he enjoys reading, drawing, and even playing video games. While he's rarely silent for very long, if you want to get him talking, bring up Star Wars or Batman!
Nicole Bishop is a Family Nurse Practitioner with almost 10 years of pediatric primary care experience who earned both her Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing degrees from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cizik School of Nursing. She is board-certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners to provide care to individuals across any life span, focusing on disease screening and prevention.
Nicole is passionate about pediatric primary care and serving the underserved children of the Houston area. She believes in using evidence-based practice and research, along with interprofessional collaboration and patient and family education to promote the best outcomes. Her goal is to create a compassionate and collaborative relationship with patients and their families to provide the best care possible. Nicole was born in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys working out, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Jessica Briones is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who earned her Master of Science in Nursing from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 2020. She has worked with pediatric patients in various healthcare settings including hospitals, home health, and school-based nursing. Jessica is passionate about working with children and has over 10 years of pediatric experience as a medical professional. Jessica is a Texas native who is originally from the Rio Grande Valley and has been living in Houston since 2013.
She enjoys listening to music, traveling, trying new restaurants, and spending time at home with her family. She brings positive energy and a caring attitude to her pediatric patients and their families.
Dr. Adaobi Ekweani earned her medical degree at the University of Texas at Houston McGovern Medical School, where she also stayed to earn her pediatric internship and residency training.
Dr. Ekweani treats infectious diseases, asthma, allergies, developmental and behavioral conditions, obesity, and rashes, along with completing routine health maintenance visits, sports physicals, and vaccine administration.
She values building a strong therapeutic alliance with her patients and their families as well as meeting the comprehensive medical needs of her patients and is looking to bringing her experience, energy, and expertise to her patients at Whole Life and to Spring Branch Community Health Centers.
Dr. Ashraf Elmeery earned his medical degree in Egypt at Cairo University School of Medicine, followed by a post-graduate degree and fellowship in pediatrics and pediatric GI-liver and nutrition. He completed a residency in pediatrics at Columbia University’s Harlem Hospital in New York City.
In practice since 1997, Dr. Elmeery is board certified in pediatrics and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. His primary clinical interests are prenatal counseling and education, newborn care and gastro-intestinal (GI) and liver diseases, such as fatty liver, in children.
A fluent speaker of Arabic, Dr. Elmeery treats children from birth through age 18. In his leisure time, Dr. Elmeery enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, reading, and playing soccer and tennis.
Dr. Kamdar loves and enjoys working with children. She is dedicated to understanding their needs and catering to the dynamics of the entire family to provide a superior level of care.
She received her medical degree from India and did her Pediatric Residency in New York and Corpus Christi. She has special interest in children and adolescence mental health. She enjoys exercise, jogging, meditation, reading, and travel.
Dr. Krishnakumari Kanesan was born in Malaysia and earned her medical degree in India. She later completed her residency in Pediatrics at Shreveport Health Science Center in Louisiana. She comes with great experience in Public Health, Research, and, of course, caring for young ones. She has been trilingual from a young age but is striving daily to learn Spanish, however slowly. Dr. Kanesan loves Pediatrics and cannot imagine another field of interest! In her free time, she loves to go for walks and to cook. She describes her cooking style as “experimental fusion,” combining different ingredients from various cultures. As she says, “It’s fun and interesting!”
Denise Rosales is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who earned her Bachelor's and Master of Science in Nursing degrees from Florida International University in Miami. She worked for a large community health system in Miami before moving to Houston. She has provided high-quality and compassionate care to all patients and their families since 2020.
Raised in Venezuela, Denise is fluent in Spanish. Her interests and hobbies include outdoor activities, singing, dancing, and spending time with her family.
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Dr. Nalia Soorty graduated from the Government College for Women in Karachi, Pakistan in 1982, and earned her medical degree in 1990 from Sind Medical College, affiliated with the University of Karachi. She is board certified in pediatric medicine and brings over 30 years of clinical experience to care for her patients. Her professional interests include Pediatric Endocrinology in which she completed a three year fellowship, learning to manage Pediatric Obesity, Diabetes, growth disorders, pubertal issues and other endocrine disorders. She speaks English, Urdu, and Hindi well, as well as Medical Spanish, of which she is learning more every day. She likes to walk, travel, explore National Parks, and watch movies and TV.
Dr. Moncenya Chatman joined SBCHC in 2020 to expand access to women’s health care services. Dr. Chatman earned her bachelor's degree from Auburn University and then earned her doctorate from the University of Alabama, School of Medicine. She completed her postdoctoral training in Tennessee and her fellowship in Salem, North Carolina. Dr. Chatman holds professional membership with the American College of Obstetricians and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. She has received multiple professional accolades and her research has been published four times. Dr. Chatman specializes in identifying high-risk pregnancies and assisting women to navigate complex treatment plans during pregnancy.
Dr. Rafael deAyala joined SBCHC in 2022 as medical director of the new Memorial Clinic. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, and his M.D. from the UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas. His professional interests are in the areas of obstetrics and gynecology. Among his personal interests are landscaping, travel and family.
Dr. Mazin Al Saleh earned his medical degree from Baghdad University College of Medicine. He then completed a specialization in plastic and reconstructive surgery in Baghdad, where he practiced for two years before moving to the United States. In the U.S., Dr. Al Saleh completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. He became board-certified in 2004 and has since been dedicated to providing exceptional care to his patients.
Dr. Al Saleh offers a comprehensive range of services, including high-risk pregnancy management, minimally invasive gynecologic surgeries, urogynecology, and hormone replacement therapy. His commitment to patient care ensures that each individual receives personalized and advanced treatment tailored to their needs.
Bernadette King is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner who received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
As a native Houstonian, she has a mission to serve the underserved of our city, especially our diverse immigrant population. She has been passionate about women’s health for her entire career. She started by providing care in a large medical center hospital before earning her Master’s degree and serving as as a nurse practitioner in the community.
In her free time, she enjoys our local sports teams, baking, and being outdoors.
Diana Kurtz holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Houston and an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston-Clear Lake. She completed her practicum at Depelchin Children's Center and Salvation Army Jones Residence. Her internship was completed in various settings including private practice, community-based programs, and rehabilitation hospitals. She holds a licensure through the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council and is recognized as a board-approved supervisor in the State of Texas.
Mrs. Kurtz is a member of numerous professional and community organizations including the Texas Counseling Association, the Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. She is also past president of the Southeast Texas Chapter of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. She was the lead research coordinator for various federally funded grants studying and improving outcomes of patients in level-one trauma hospitals and rehabilitation settings.
Mirakel Mayoral-Goodwin is a Licensed Master Social Worker in the state of Texas as well as a Community Psychologist, who is passionate about social justice, personal autonomy, and equitable access to mental health care for marginalized and underserved populations. She obtained her Masters in Social Work from the University of Houston in 2022, and her Master of Arts degree in Community Social Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2013.
Mirakel believes in the healing power of play and imagination. Fluent in both English and Spanish, Mirakel’s experiences in serving trauma survivors has prepared her to serve the community’s needs.
Briana Heard is a Licensed Professional Counselor who deeply desires to support
clients from all walks of life that walk through her door. She gets the most joy out of her work from seeing clients build resilience as they overcome many of the adverse circumstances they entrust to her. She is originally from Houston, Texas, and received her Bachelor of Arts from Stephen F. Austin State University where she double majored in Psychology and Spanish. Once graduated, she pursued her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Texas at Tyler where her passion for counseling was ignited.
Briana emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and growth using approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help shift negative thinking, Solution-focused Therapy to empower clients’ ability to create their own positive results, and mindfulness techniques often seen in Dialectal Behavior Therapy. She wants to see her clients win! When she is not in the counseling chair encouraging clients to practice self-care, you may find her traveling abroad, eating delicious desserts, or enthralled by a new crime thriller on Netflix.
Renata Martinez holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and has nearly 6 years of experience in counseling, psychology and psychiatry, with professional experience in both the US and Mexico. She brings a culturally sensitive, empathetic approach to understanding human behavior and mental health. She is compassionate and dedicated to creating meaningful, trusting relationships. She uses evidence-based practices and a patient-centered approach to empower her patients throughout their healing journey.
Fluent in Spanish, Renata Martinez creates a welcoming environment for individuals from all backgrounds. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and listening to podcasts activities that keep her grounded and connected.
Sonia Ruiz is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. Sonia obtained a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Houston Christian University, formerly Houston Baptist University.
Sonia’s experience is with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders where she has served both adolescents and adults. She also has experience working with children and their families in the school system a d outpatient basis. She is also fluent in Spanish which is a great asset to our clients and families who speak Spanish as their primary language. Her hobbies include writing, gardening and sewing. She strives to create a therapeutic relationship and helping clients reach their best version of themselves.
Debbie Jo Stuard's medical specialization is Opioid Dependency with a focus on addiction (substance use disorder). Her scope of practice is to advise patients who experience alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, mental health issues, or other mental or behavioral problems. She graduated from the Institute of Chemical Dependency in 2005 and became a Certified Resolution Therapist in 2006. She gained her Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Springfield College and her Executive Master’s Degree in Public Administration From Texas Southern University.
Angie Vergara, a dedicated Behavioral Health Integration Counselor, is committed to supporting mental health and social well-being. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Hunter College, City University of New York. Born in Colombia and fluent in Spanish, she brings a unique perspective that helps her connect with diverse individuals.
With experience in underserved, high-needs communities, particularly as a case manager, Angie has helped individuals access essential resources and navigate complex systems. Passionate about patient empowerment, she works to support individuals and families in achieving their mental health goals and improving their overall quality of life.
Tukria Watley holds a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Northcentral University. With extensive experience in behavior modification, conflict resolution, private practice, and residential substance use treatment, she is well-equipped to support those in need. She is also a licensed chemical dependency counselor and holds certification in Anger Resolution Therapy.
Tukria has a particular passion for working with children and adolescents, helping them develop effective strategies to manage school relationships and navigate family dynamics. Additionally, she specializes in assisting teens facing challenges with substance use and mental health concerns.
Christina Zsigray, MSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with a strong focus on trauma-informed care. She earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California and has extensive experience in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
She has worked with diverse populations, including homeless individuals, veterans, and adolescents facing complex mental health challenges such as trauma, borderline personality disorder, and substance use. She is especially passionate about supporting children and teens, helping them navigate school relationships, family dynamics, and emotional well-being.
Dr. Nguyen graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and minors in Biology and Theology. She earned her Doctorate in Dental Medicine from the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health, focusing on public health dentistry. Dr. Nguyen has conducted research on oral health in patients with movement disorders and has organized community dental events to promote dental health awareness. She also served as adjunct clinical faculty at the University of Texas School of Dentistry where she mentored dental students.
When Dr. Nguyen isn't working in dentistry she loves playing tennis, spending time with her family, and traveling to different cities around the world.
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