The Ria Health Team
Our experienced team is committed to transforming alcohol addiction treatment
Our Medical Team
John Mendelson, MD
CMO & PHYSICIAN
Professor of Medicine, UCSF; Senior Research Scientist Friends Research Institute; Medical Director, Bay Area Addiction Research and Treatment (BAART) Programs; Distinguished in Clinical Research and Primary Care Medical Practice.
Paul R. Linde, MD
MEDICAL DIRECTOR, PSYCHIATRY AND COLLABORATIVE CARE
Over 25 years’ experience in emergency psychiatric care. Published researcher and author. Clinical Professor Emeritus in Psychiatry at UCSF School of Medicine. International clinical and teaching experience. Former Medical Director, the Stonewall Project.
Samuel Leibovici, MD
PHYSICIAN
Board-certified internist with over 14 years’ experience in internal medicine, and 5 years’ clinical experience in addiction treatment. Also an experienced biochemist. Licensed to practice medicine in 7 states.
Vipul Patel, MD
PHYSICIAN
25-plus years practicing Internal Medicine, with over 20 years treating addiction. Enjoys direct patient care. Believes in honesty, transparency, and cost effective treatment.
Micah Hale, DO
PHYSICIAN
Certified osteopath and family physician with nearly 2 decades in urban and rural emergency room care—including treating alcohol and opioid addiction and withdrawal. Licensed to practice medicine in 26 states.
Linda Hickman, RN
REGISTERED NURSE
Best career decision, joining the Ria Health medical team. After spending the last 10 years working with individuals in a more traditional setting, I am excited about the Ria Health telemedicine platform as a means of expanding access to care.
Trinette L. Radasa, DNP
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER
Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Texas at El Paso, many years of experience as an FNP and PMHNP treating clients with various medical and mental health disorders. Director of the PMHNP-DNP Program at the University of San Francisco, and currently on the medical team at Ria Health.
Ben Gardner, DNP
NURSE PRACTITIONER
Nurse Practitioner with experience in diagnostics, primary care, acute care, chronic
disease care, and case management. Doctor of Nursing Practice from University of San Francisco.
Isaiah Cruz, NP-C
NURSE PRACTITIONER
Family Nurse Practitioner with broad experience in the medical field—including long term care, hospice, home health care, ER, ICU, telemedicine, and outpatient addiction treatment. Currently pursuing certification in Psychiatric Mental Health.
Vitalia Ngala, DNP
NURSE PRACTITIONER
Certified FNP with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice. My primary clinic practice includes medication-based treatment of opioid and alcohol use disorders, including provision of mental health services such as cognitive behavioral therapy.
Rachel Botkin, FNP-C
NURSE PRACTITIONER
Board Certified Nurse Practitioner with experience in multiple areas of the care spectrum—including urgent care and clinical instruction. Enjoys connecting with Ria’s members on the telehealth platform, and feels that it expands their access to care.
Nita Kofchock, PMHNP
PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER
Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. 15 years’ experience, including emergency and outpatient psychiatry, and residential treatment. Recent clinical work within psychiatry and chemical dependency.
Katherine Sarsfield, APRN
NURSE PRACTITIONER
Advanced Practice Nurse with experience in chronic physical and mental health care, assisted living, and addiction recovery. Dedicated to expanding access and preserving human dignity through holistic healthcare.
Julien Stainback
CUSTOMER CARE/MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Pre-med student with a bachelor’s in psychology, currently studying under Dr. John Mendelson. Dedicated to maximizing quality of care for patients, and supporting the Ria team through research and development.
Zack Drumm
MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Pursuing a bachelor’s in biopsychology from Tufts University as a pre-med student. Especially interested in pharmacotherapy, medical research, and helping others. Experienced in addiction assistance.
Vincent Sutton
MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Pursuing a bachelor’s in Neuropharmacology at Pitzer College. Particularly interested in alternative forms of pharmacotherapy, and treatment for addiction and mood disorders.
Darre’ll Wallace
MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Certified Clinical Medical Assistant with an Associates of Science. Pursuing Bachelor’s Degree in Registered Nursing, with over 6 years of medical and behavioral health experience. Dedicated to improving the overall health of members.
Kiyana Davis
MEDICAL ASSISTANT
Bachelor’s in psychology from Columbus State University. Older sibling and nature lover. Brings determination, creative thinking, empathy, and compassion to work with the Ria team and its clients.
Our Coaching Team
Alex Lee, DSW, LCSW
DIRECTOR OF COACHING
Clinical expert in addiction, mental health, and trauma. Designed over 6 evidence-based interventions. Led large teams in military, academic, government, nonprofit, and community settings to treat addiction & mental health. Managed start-up virtual health clinics in the US & Canada. Professor at University of Denver.
Laura Vincent
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Passionate about empowering clients to change their relationship with alcohol and build a better quality of life. Experienced helping with addiction, trauma, and mood disorders.
Maricela Ramos
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Dedicated to collaborating with members in utilizing new strategies, and their experience with co-occurring disorders, to achieve their desired relationship with alcohol.
Brenda Lewis
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Over 6 years of experience in substance-abuse counseling, with a background in nonprofit, community-based services. Committed to fighting addiction from a holistic and harm reduction standpoint.
Mauricio Toussaint
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Substance abuse counselor with a background in working with individuals with co-occurring disorders. Experienced in harm reduction and person-centered approaches to treating addiction.
Jonathan Wean
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor with nearly nine years in the field. Extensive experience in harm reduction and medication-assisted treatment, and a great supporter of the pragmatic advantages that Ria Health provides its members.
Mike Osborne
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
17 years of experience in social work and substance abuse counseling, including a decade in social services. Main counseling strengths include motivational interviewing, harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and encouraging healthy self-care.
Grant Voyles
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Masters in Public Health, with over a decade in social services—including work with youth in recovery and incarcerated individuals. Skilled in counseling, group facilitation, and designing effective care strategies.
Jeffery D. Whitfield
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Certified clinical supervisor and substance abuse counselor with over a decade in both individual and group settings. Experienced in youth counseling, crisis management, family education, and community contexts.
Anthony Giles
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor with a Masters in Addiction Studies. Committed to social justice and assisting individuals and families in making their own lives better.
Namrata Pereira
REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
Alcohol and drug counselor since 2008. Additional experience as a program director, mentor, and most recently an aftercare supervisor, helping people adjust to life after rehab. Believes in medication as a treatment option.
Nikki Stern
ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR & REGISTERED RECOVERY COACH
9 years’ coaching experience. Passionate about supporting people on their path of growth. Psychology degree and background in program development for homeless services, functional medicine, nutrition, yoga, and personal training.
Enrollment Counselors
Marcela Huckaby
ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
Passionate about building connections with people and supporting them on their growth journey. Background in trauma recovery, and five years in the health and wellness field.
Casidy Gregory
ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
Background in behavioral health and education. Passionate about supporting individuals through their recovery and helping them grow along their path. Pursuing a Masters in Social Work.
Floyetta Bates
ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with four years’ experience in the mental and behavioral health field. Supporter of all things encouraging, particularly self-development, positive affirmations, and personal growth.
Brianna Morris
ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
Masters in Social Work. Five years’ experience in behavioral health/crisis management. Advocate for those who are voiceless. Dedicated to providing people the tools they need for a better quality of life.
Jessilynn Ruiz
ENROLLMENT COUNSELOR
Bachelors in Educational Psychology, with a background in behavioral and mental health. Passionate about helping others live life to their full potential.
Our Administrative Team
Tom Nix
CEO
Advisor, growth consultant, CEO; Positioning, Go to market, Marketing & Sales Operations, M&A, and Analytics. CEO with successful exits.
JC Muyl
COO
Serial startup executive, expert in launching and scaling digital health products. Multiple contributions in organizations dedicated to broadening access to mental health. Hands-on experience scaling large ops across multiple segments of healthcare.
Bob Nix, PhD
CTO
Entrepreneur, Architect, Technologist; VP R&D and Principal Architect, Athena Health; CTO VP Eng. Peppercoin; Founder or CTO six more startups in fintech, enterprise software, ecommerce.
Lauren Akins
VP OF PEOPLE SUCCESS
10 years’ experience in tech and healthcare startups. Passionate about companies that blaze new paths and create new solutions. Dedicated to building teams that help drive that innovation, and supporting candidates on a human level.
Alison Mankowski, LCSW
VP OF CLIENT DEVELOPMENT
Background in behavioral health marketing, operations, sales, and client success. Advisor for both provider groups and digital health companies. Most recently oversaw the exponential growth of behavioral health and EAP offerings for over 40 million members nationwide at MDLIVE.
Katie Lain Goyatton
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Advocate for pharmacotherapy as an empowering way to overcome alcohol dependence. Background in marketing, media and community building efforts. Personal experience with overcoming alcohol dependence using pharmacotherapy.
Fernanda Bernard
CORPORATE RECRUITER
Experienced bilingual (English/Spanish) full cycle recruiter, with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare industry. Passionate about communicating with people to uncover their goals and values, and match them with the right career move.
Victoria Hoff
PRACTICE MANAGER
Over 15 years in nursing and clinical practice management, including leading remote clinical teams in the telehealth industry. Passionate about serving those who care for patients, and streamlining practices so they can focus on what they do best.
Julie Marshall
REVENUE CYCLE MANAGER – CLAIMS RECONCILIATION
Twenty-five years in healthcare, incuding fifteen with athenahealth as an SME in both Operations and Revenue Cycle Management. Passionate about working with companies whose mission and purpose is focused on the patient and their healthcare experiences.
Kim Stairs
REVENUE CYCLE MANAGER
Certified athenaNet Jedi Master with over 17 years of teaching experience. Loves teaching athenaNet end-user trainings and showing staff and providers how to work within the system efficiently.
Arin Gharapetian
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
Experienced digital marketer within the behavioral health industry. Strong focus on conversion rate optimization and data analysis. Professional B2B sales background, and a BA in Information Systems.
Sam Xu
SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
Enthusiast in building scalable real-time systems. Backend developer for athenaText and Epocrates. Over a decade of experience working with healthcare professionals.
Bruce Hodges
SOCIAL MEDIA
New York-based professional writer, editor, and fundraising consultant, with over three decades of experience in print and online text, public relations, and social media.
Evan O'Donnell
CONTENT WRITER/EDITOR
Content writer and editor with a background in music marketing and academic research. Dedicated to bridging the “information gap,” making the abstract or complex easier to grasp.
Chandler Garrett
CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Background in education, with experience finding holistic solutions to meet family needs, and communicating compassionately. Highly passionate about contributing meaningfully to people’s lives, and making a positive change in the world.
Angel Najera
CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST
Positive community member with a background in customer service and a passion for helping others. Strongly believes in Ria and the lives it saves every day. “Like my team, I want to contribute and be a beacon in the world for change.”
Advisory Board
Claudia Christian
ACTOR, NCPRSS Certified
ADVISOR
Founder of C Three Foundation to help raise awareness of The Sinclair Method treatment for problem drinking. Film & Television actor with over 50 films and television roles to her credit.
Warren Bickel
PhD.
ADVISOR
Director, Addiction Recovery Research Center, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; past Wilbur Mills Professor of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Prevention, Department of Psychiatry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
Charles O’Brien
MD. PhD.
ADVISOR
Addiction and Mental Health Appel Professor and Vice Chair Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, U. Pennsylvania; Naltrexone developer; chair DSM-V committee for diagnosis of mental illness and addiction.
Ivan Diamond
MD. PhD.
ADVISOR
Neurology of Alcohol Addiction CSO Amygdala Neurosciences; Senior Advisor, Gilead; Prof. and Vice Chair Neurology, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology (Emeritus), UCSF; Founding Director, Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center for neuroscience of alcohol on the human brain.