Faculty

Dr. Hubbell is the program director for the undergraduate nursing program and has taught in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs at USF since 2017, including courses on evidence-based practice and health assessment. She currently teaches Applied Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology I in the BSN program. Dr. Hubbell's scholarly work has focused on advance care planning and improving end of life care, particularly for homeless and underserved populations.

Carlee Balzaretti, PHN, MPH, DNP, FNP-BC, CNL is an associate professor teaching the Applied Assessment & Nursing Fundamentals course to undergraduate students. Prior to this appointment, she taught across the undergraduate nursing curriculum in the Veteran Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership program at the Sacramento campus.

Dr. Balzaretti is currently the recorder for the Faculty Association of the School of Nursing and Health Professions and faculty advisor to the Black Nursing Student...

Angela D. Banks, RN, PhD is a Full Professor and former Chair of the Undergraduate Nursing Department in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. She teaches Pharmacology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacokinetics to undergraduate nursing students. She has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years, and prior to entering academia she worked in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and the emergency department. Her program of research focuses on women's health, health disparities, and...

Heather Bollinger graduated from USF in 2006 with her MSN in Healthcare Systems Leadership. Since then, she has worked as an acute care trauma nurse at San Francisco General Hospital Emergency Department and Trauma Center. She has been with USF as a clinical instructor since 2020. She currently teaches Applied Assessment and Nursing Fundamentals Across the Lifespan and Applied Assessment in Health and Wellness for the Sophomore level nursing students. 

Lisa Brozda shares her passion for obstetrical nursing, teaching all areas of OB, including theory, OB simulation lab, and clinical lab. She has worked for decades as a staff nursing in all areas of OB (antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, and neonatal intensive care), later transitioning to practice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist for labor/delivery and postpartum.

Dr. Chaudhary obtained a Doctor in Nursing Practice degree from USF. She currently teaches Evidence-Based Inquiry and Informatics in the BSN department during the fall and spring semesters and graduate level courses in the summer. She focuses on didactic and clinical preparation of pre- and post- licensure nursing students. Dr. Chaudhary is also a Nurse Practitioner with experience in integrative primary care.

Professor Caron Coates has been teaching at the Hilltop SONHP at the University of San Francisco since 2019. She is currently a full-time faculty here at USF and enjoys teaching theory courses, as well as simulation to the future nurses of tomorrow. Professor Coates brings much experience in Nursing within the critical care arena to her teaching in the classroom. She also brings her leadership experiences in Nursing which have included various management and supervisory roles in the clinical...

Professor Shauntel Cobb-Porter is a dedicated registered nurse with over 15 years of experience. She was born and raised in Oakland, CA where she developed a passion for helping others. Professor Shaun’s career began in medical office clinics, where she provided preventative treatment and health education to disadvantaged populations. She worked to address the needs of her community, advocating for access to quality care and resources. She transitioned to healthcare leadership, which gave her...

Debra Conroy-McCue is an associate professor at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions. With over 40 years of adult critical care bedside nursing experience, her passion for education has been a constant thread throughout her professional career. She joined the University in 2004 and has continued to live her personal vision: To inspire and teach fellow nurses, nursing students, patients, families, and communities to care for self and others: mind, body, and...

Dr. Cox is a dually board-certified adult nurse practitioner and adult psychiatric nurse practitioner, and certified public health nurse. Her specialty interests and NP work are in psychiatric mental health, addiction medicine, behavioral and community health of vulnerable populations, advocacy, and psychiatric consultation. She brings her clinical experience, interests, and enthusiasm for community and mental health to her teaching, service, clinical work, and volunteerism. Her focus is on...

Mary Lou De Natale has expertise in community mental health and telehealth case management with the underserved in the community and their partners / families. For the past twenty nine years, she has been involved in the bachelors, masters, and DNP programs (committee member of doctoral dissertations in the School of Education and School of Nursing and Health Professions - DNP projects). Her professional and personal mission, clinical practice, and research revolve around health care advocacy...

Dr. John Hurley loves to teach and has been teaching in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at USF for over eight years. He has thirty-seven years of experience as a clinical nurse, fifteen as nursing staff development and eight years of pediatric simulation teaching experience. He created and implemented a program for developing, nurturing, and sustaining the interior life of the nurse.

Dr. Jodi Kushner, DNP, MSN, CHSE, CNE, BSN is a nursing faculty for graduate and undergraduate levels in the VANAP program at the School of Nursing and Health Professions, USF, an Academic partnership between the University and the Department of Veteran Affairs Northern California Healthcare System. Her areas of interest include teaching strategies, learning styles, teaching students with disabilities and nursing simulation. Her DNP project titled, "Increasing Faculty Knowledge and Empathy" ...

Dr. Ann Lawani received her PhD in nursing from the University of San Diego. Her unique professional background includes small business accounting, clinical nursing practice and leadership. She is a practicing registered nurse; her clinical experience entails adult cardio-pulmonary, stroke, Cystic Fibrosis and orthopedic patient populations across multiple health care settings, including acute care and hospice facilities. A scholar and life-long learner, Dr. Lawani’s area of research includes...

Professor Mark’s history with USF spans 37 years. After graduating from the BSN program in 1987, she enjoyed a 30-year nursing career as a medical surgical staff nurse in a local hospital. She then earned an MSN from UCSF as a geriatric clinical nurse specialist, and when an opportunity opened up to teach at her undergraduate alma mater as a clinical instructor, she jumped at the chance. This sparked a love and passion for teaching nursing, and she has continued to teach at USF for almost 30...

Lisa is a proud triple USF Don earning her BSN, MSN and DNP from USF SONHP. She has over 38 years of healthcare experience in clinical, education, and leadership. She is active in the USF Alumni Association and is an active member of many nursing organizations. She was instrumental in establishing simulation at SONHP and has spoken locally, regionally, and nationally on simulation. Lisa was the Director of the Clinical Performance and Simulation Centers and was instrumental in implementing...

Nancy Taquino is a nursing leader with extensive experience in clinical practice, education, and quality who has held various leadership roles. Her leadership and nursing practice are grounded in nursing disciplinary knowledge and  Jesuit values with the goal of improving patient care outcomes and creating a healthy work environment for the patients, communities, students, and faculty we serve.

Dr. Camile Williams is a USF graduate, US Army veteran, family nurse practitioner, mother of seven children, and married to a retired US Marine. Dr. Williams is the president of From One Nurse To Another, which is a non-profit that provides mentorship and scholarships to single parent nursing students and disenfranchised nursing students. Dr. Williams is a nurse practitioner that treats children that have been abused and works with the community on the prevention of child abuse.

Dr. Williams...

Alexa Altamirano, BSN, RN, PHN, CHPN is a dedicated educator and a full-time oncology nurse. With a strong passion for teaching, Alexa brings knowledge and compassion to the clinical setting, where she loves guiding young students as they embark on their nursing careers. Her experience in quality patient care enhances her teaching, offering students real-world insights and a deeper understanding of the healthcare field.

In addition to her clinical expertise, Alexa is passionate about wellness...

Dr. Sylvia Andrade, DNP, MSN, RN, a nurse of forty-one years, an extremely versatile faculty member who teaches the fundamentals of nursing to capstone levels both in undergraduate and graduate levels. She has the patience and nurturing presence to guide the students to initiate their first patient contact, preparing them to become members of the nursing community.

While working with a diverse racial/ethnic population of students, Dr. Andrade approaches each semester with professionalism...

Lynda "fell" into nursing because of her love of travel and interest in global health. Through summer internships, first with Crossroads Africa and then in Harlan, Kentucky, she got a taste of serving communities with rich histories and cultures. She found her calling.

Early in her career, she worked for the International Rescue Committee in Thailand with Cambodian refugees. Later, at the San Francisco Unified School District she directed projects in adolescent immunizations, which led to...

Professor Carter has been a nurse for over 20 years. She enjoys taking care of America's Veterans in her primary work but her passion is teaching. It brings her a renewed satisfaction in being able to share her wide range of expertise to the new generation of nurses. While providing a structured teaching environment, she strives to provide an nurturing learning environment. Her students learning is her top priority.

Professor Candace Cassidy has been a registered nurse for over 20 years. Prior to nursing, Professor Cassidy worked in research and analytical chemistry. While having her first child, she was mesmerized by the competent and caring staff when she was hospitalized. She went to nursing school and became committed to promoting excellence in nursing care. This passion has left an impact on the many students and nursing hires she has trained.

Beth Anne Chapin is a perinatal staff nurse at UCSF Birth Center. She is perinatally trained and serves as a scrub nurse in obstetrical surgery. She is a UCSF Magnet Nursing Champion, a member of the UCSF Clinical Inquiry Council, and finished an Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Fellowship in 2020.

Steve Dang is the founder of Limitless Psych, specializing in ADHD medication management, coaching, and therapy. With over three years of part-time experience as a Registered Nurse at UCSF, Steve combines clinical expertise with a deep commitment to mental health care. His hands-on approach emphasizes the importance of analyzing both mistakes and successes to foster continual development.

In addition to his practice, Steve educates future mental health RNs at UCSF, SF State, USFCA, and Samuel...

Dr. Sharon Goldfarb has dedicated her 35-year medical career to serving vulnerable populations. She began her work as the clinical director of Harlem's first HIV clinic in 1993 and later provided primary care through mobile medical units at needle exchanges, drop-in shelters, and other sites serving marginalized communities. In addition to her clinical work, she taught physician and nurse practitioner students at Columbia University for a decade. After moving to California, she continued her...

Kathryn Grimely-Baker's "why nursing” story demonstrates that one can be resilient and make something good out of a bad situation. At 12 years old she was in a head-on collision with her younger sisters and best friend that landed them many weeks and surgeries in the hospital. She found the nursing staff to be the one bright joy of her day. She was most appreciative of the nursing staff passing to her twin sister and best friend in the ICU the “Get Well” notes she made from her paper placemats...

Erica Hooper, DNP, RN, PHN, CNS, CNL has nursing experience working in the areas of geriatrics, pediatrics, primary care, public health, leadership, program development, and education. She has a BSN and DNP in Health Care Systems Leadership from the University of San Francisco. She also has an MSN in Advanced Community Health and International Nursing with a minor in Education from the University of California San Francisco. She has been teaching nursing at the University of San Francisco since...

Charlene Johnson, MSN, RN, is the visionary founder and CEO of The Wellness Whisperer Coaching & Consulting LLC, a nurse-led initiative dedicated to enhancing the well-being and professional effectiveness of healthcare professionals. With over 32 years of experience in Nursing, Leadership, and Coaching, Charlene is a Certified Caritas Coach, HeartMath trainer, and sought-after speaker known for her transformational approach to self and system care.

As a strategic thought partner, Charlene...

Anna Kwong, Ed.D., RN, is an associate professor at University of San Francisco (USF) in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, where she teaches Applied Pathophysiology and Pharmacology and Fundamental clinical to undergraduate students. She has been a registered nurse for more than 20 years. During the first 10 years as a nurse, she has worked in adult medical-surgical units, viral hepatitis clinical research, and hospice care nursing.

Dr. Kwong has been teaching at USF since 2004...

Dr. Loth is a National Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing from The University of California, San Francisco. She completed her Master of Public Health and Doctor of Nursing Practice from San Jose State University. She is a program manager for Psychiatric Services at AACI, where she provides administrative support and direct services for medication management. She provides clinical supervision to nurse practitioner interns...

Dr. Seanny Min received her DNP in nursing from University of San Francisco, SoNHP.  She is a practicing family nurse practitioner at Stanford Hospital and Kaiser Permanente. Her area of interest includes improving quality of care to underserved and vulnerable populations through advance practice nursing services.

"Heads, hearts, hands to heal the world" - Min

If you tell me, I forget. If you teach me, I remember."- Unknown

Dr. Chuka Okekenta (he/him/his), otherwise called Dr. O by his students, is a registered nurse with a terminal degree from Chamberlain University. He has functioned in a variety of clinical and academic settings including intensive care units, dialysis, stepdown, home health, quality improvement, and colleges. Some of his notable works include design and implementation of healthcare quality improvement processes.

His hobbies and interests cover sports and jokes/comedy. Basketball and football...

Andrew Priolo has been involved in nursing since 2015. Most of that experience has been in the acute inpatient psych setting. With that comes a myriad of experience in psychiatric medications and patient care, with significant focus on de-escalation techniques and patient safety. Priolo has been orienting and training nurses in the psych field for years and dearly enjoys the opportunity to help mold the minds of aspiring psych nurses.

Adjunct clinical faculty for BSN Hilltop Campus. Junior 1-Community and Mental Health.

Jeremy Yves Vergara has 23 years of nursing experience in adult critical care, pediatric and adult neurology, peri-operative practice, and hospital and ambulatory leadership. Jeremy is a doctoral prepared nurse with specialization in healthcare systems leadership. He is fueled by a vision to improve clinical practice and processes and accomplished in determining the most optimal operational practices — achieving objectives to improve organizational and patient outcomes through structural...

Graduated from University of San Francisco with Bachelor in Nursing 2015. Medical Surgical RN for 8 years now. 

Dr. Elizabeth Cooper is an experienced clinical systems management expert. Her work focused on quality and safety education for nursing. Dr. Cooper has also contributed to the nursing education by submitting for publication a number of her research projects and investigations.

Dr. Cooper received her master’s in nursing and doctor in nurse practitioner degrees at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Copper’s research interests are in the areas of nursing education, assessment surveys, patient...

Dr. Gregory DeBourg taught at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions from 1993 - 2019. Dr. DeBourg started as an adjunct faculty and, in 1998, became a full-time professor in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Dr. DeBourgh taught NURS 370 - Medical-Surgical Nursing I: Management of Comprehensive Adult Patient Care, a course emphasizing synthesis and application of knowledge. In 2014 Dr. BeBourgh shared during an interview why he flipped his entire...

Susan Prion, EdD, RN, CNE, CHSE is the associate dean of and a professor in the nursing department. She holds baccalaureate degrees in biology and chemistry from Muskingum College and a BS in nursing from Case Western Reserve University. She has a master’s degree in nursing from the University of California San Francisco and an MEd in instructional technology from San Jose State University. Professor Prion also holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction.

She is actively engaged in...