The Ria Health Team

Our experienced team is committed to transforming alcohol addiction treatment

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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.

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PAUL R. LINDE, MD

MEDICAL DIRECTOR, PSYCHIATRY AND COLLABORATIVE CARE

Over 30 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Our Administrative Team

BILL STAPLETON

CEO

Bill serves as CEO of Ria Health. Prior to Ria, he founded HealthPlanOne, a leader in marketing and contact center solutions focused on Medicare. Bill has also held senior roles at Oxford Health Plans, HCA, and Health Net, Inc. He earned his CPA at KPMG, received a B.A. from The College of the Holy Cross and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

SUSAN HARRINGTON

CFO

Susan is a seasoned corporate leader with a passion for innovation and global impact. She boasts a remarkable 14-year career in M&A and finance leadership, overseeing $5 billion in investments across 35 transactions. Susan’s dedication to addressing unmet needs in healthcare, along with her “one-step” philosophy, drives her towards achieving ambitious goals.

Aimee Peters, LCSW

CCO

Behavioral Health Innovation Leader; High growth stage companies; Product, Clinical Operations, Research, Strategy, Organizational design. Builds and scales evidence and measurement based behavioral health solutions delivering value across the healthcare ecosystem.

Fernanda Bernard

Head of People Operations

Starting her career in recruitment, Fernanda swiftly moved through roles in people success and HR. Now leading Ria Health’s People Operations, she’s an advocate for cultivating an exceptional company culture and guiding individuals to fulfilling career paths. Passionate and forward-thinking, she ensures our work environment is not just productive, but also inclusive and inspiring.

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.