Meet Our Board.
Michelle Klosterman, President
Michelle works as a pediatric NP in pediatric GI at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and is a graduate of UCSF PNP program. Prior to going back to school to become a nurse/PNP she practiced as a clinical dietitian for about 10 years. She has served on the board of SFNAPNAP since 2013 (i.e. student representative, CE Co-Chair) and is looking forward to continuing on the board as the 2017-2018 president. In her spare time she enjoys being outside with her family that includes her husband, daughter, and son.
Emilie Menard, Past President/Treasurer
Emilie works as a Pediatric Critical Care Nurse Practitioner at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, San Francisco where she began her nursing career in 2007. She joined the SF Bay Area NAPNAP Board as a student representative in 2012, transitioned to Membership Chair, and then served as President for the 2016-2017 year. In addition to her service hours she has a special interest in ICU sedation and vascular access. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, camping, wine tasting in Sonoma, and traveling with her husband. She also recently welcomed her daughter, Madeline, into the world.
Adam Leonard, Secretary
Adam is a Primary Care PNP and Primary Care Pediatric Mental Health Specialist (PMHS) who is especially passionate about adolescent health. He works for Larkin Street Youth Services in the HIV Speciality Clinic as well as for the San Francisco Department of Public Health at multiple Community Health Programs for Youth clinics. When not at work, he enjoys riding his bicycle and planning his next travel get away.
Karley Mariano, Continuing Education Co-Chair
Karley has been an Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in the PICU at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford since 2014. This is her fourth year serving on the NAPNAP continuing education board. She loves organizing events that contribute to the growth of Bay Area NP's and looks forward to serving another great year. In her spare time, she chases around her 3 boys and (girl) dog!
Claudine Kim, Continuing Education Co-Chair
Claudine graduated from the UCSF PNP program and completed the LEAH trainee program in 2015. She is currently working as a PNP in primary care at San Ramon Valley Primary Care. In her free time she enjoys trying new foods and going to concerts.
Cherry Leung, Continuing Education Co-Chair
Cherry is an Assistant Professor at UCSF School of Nursing in the Community Health Systems Department (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program) and member of the NAPNAP Research Committee. Her ongoing research involves examining risk factors associated with child and adolescent behavior and mental health. Prior to moving back to the Bay Area in 2016, she obtained her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong, worked as a PNP in Pediatric Neurology at Children's Hospital Oakland, and received her BSN and MSN (Pediatric Primary Care) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Gina Dagher, Community Outreach Co-Chair
Gina graduated from the PNP program at UCSF in 2017 and was previously a SFNAPNAP Student Representative in 2016. Gina also takes on an editorial role with NPstudent.com, a curated source of free online resources for pediatric trainees. NPstudent.com is an active collaborative project between the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of NAPNAP, UCSF School of Nursing, and volunteer editorial staff. Prior to entering the nursing field, Gina worked in oncology research studying novel mechanisms in which cells acquire DNA damage. Her interest in nursing was fueled by the intent to combine a love for science with the art of compassion. In her free time Gina enjoys playing soccer and exploring the Bay Area.
Allison Beattie, Community Outreach Co-Chair
Allison recently graduated from the UCSF PNP program, and has been a school nurse in the East Bay since 2016. She is also a managing editor of NPstudent.com, an online resource-rich website for PNP students. Prior to pursuing a career in nursing, Allison gained experience in various non-profit organizations and working in restaurants. Allison enjoys spending her free time hiking, running, and is learning ceramics
Vanessa Puschendorf, Legislative Co-Chair
Vanessa is a primary care PNP at Mission Neighborhood Health Center, providing patient-centered care to underserved community members in San Francisco. She graduated from the UCSF MSN program in 2016. She is passionate about immigrant rights and child and adolescent health advocacy. Vanessa is excited to delve into health policy and the legislative process and to have an influence on the decisions that affect families and patients lives.
Torrie Patton, Legislative Co-Chair
Torrie works as a primary care PNP at Roseland Pediatrics, serving newborns, infants, children and adolescents. She graduated from the UCSF Master of Science in Nursing Program in 2013. She believes NAPNAP's work with advocacy and legislation is very important and is happy to contribute her time to these efforts.
Shelley Bull, Website Chair
Shelley works as a PNP at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland in the Peri-operative/Anesthesiology Department and also does primary care with adolescents at La Clinica's School Based Health Centers. She graduated from the PNP program at UCSF in 2016 and was previously a SFNAPNAP Student Representative in 2015. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her 13-year-old daughter and taking her rescue dog on long walks.
Onica Kuch, Membership Chair
Onica is a pediatric nurse practitioner with the UCSF Child Neurology Clinic, where she works with patients who have neurological conditions such as epilepsy, migraines, cerebral palsy, autism and developmental delay. She is also part of the inpatient pediatric headache program team at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco. Kuch received her Bachelor of Arts at the University of Rochester and her Master of Science in Nursing at Yale University. She is nationally certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner and is a certified neuroscience registered nurse. She helped found the Bay Area chapter of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses and served as the organization's president for two years.
Lisa Gallagher, Newsletter Chair
Lisa works at UCSF as a PNP with the Pediatric Liver Transplant Program. Prior to joining the team at UCSF, she was NP with the Pediatric Kidney Transplant Team at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. She graduated from the PNP program at Yale School of Nursing in 2012 and moved to the Bay Area in 2013. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking and spending time outside with family and friends.
Sarah Harris, PNP Student Representative
Sarah is a second year PNP student at UCSF and is especially passionate about incorporating social determinants of health into clinical practice to decrease healthcare disparities. She received her BSN from the University of Pennsylvania, and currently works as a RN in the PICU at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Prior to becoming a nurse, Sarah obtained her BA from Stanford University in Human Biology, and worked at Bay Area tech and biotech companies in HR and project management roles. In her time outside of school and work, Sarah is an avid reader, Orange Theory Fitness enthusiast, and mentor to current undergrads and recent alums interested in nursing at her alma mater. She is looking forward to joining the important advocacy, education and policy work NAPNAP does!
Robin Rector, ACPNP Student Representative
Robin is currently a Post Master's student in the Acute Care PNP program at UCSF with expected completion of June 2018. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University in 2008 and pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialty Master's from San Francisco State University in 2013. She began her career in nursing in the Pediatric Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, briefly transitioned into the role of Nurse Educator, and now continues to work as a bedside nurse on the unit. She has a passion for the little heart warriors, especially for children facing heart failure and requiring ventricular assist device support. In her spare time Robin enjoys hiking, traveling, and eating good ice cream.
