Residency Faculty

Gary Zane, DO (he/him)

Program Director, Director of Osteopathic Medicine for the Underserved, Family Medicine

Dr. Zane is the Associate Program Director (APD), currently practicing primary care with Dignity Health in Watsonville, a certified Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and is actively engaged in teaching/precepting in his office, Dominican Hospital, and the Residency Continuity Clinic at Santa Cruz Community Health Center.

Ashley Rubin, DO, MS (she/her)

Core Faculty, Family Medicine (FMOB)

Dr. Rubin is Director for OB curriculum at Dominican Hospital, co-director for POCUS & Procedure rotation and co-director for the Osteopathy for the Underserved curriculum. She role models full spectrum Family Medicine on Labor and Delivery, inpatient medicine, and the outpatient clinic mentoring residents in the Santa Cruz Community Health Center's Resident Continuity Clinic.

Salla Hennessy, MD (she/her)

Core Faculty, Academic Medical Director, RHEDI Director, POCUS Co-Director, Family Medicine Physician

Dr. Hennessy (she/her) is our founding Academic Medical Director at Santa Cruz Community Health, the Federally Qualified Health Center that houses the residency continuity clinic (Family Medicine Practice) at the Live Oak Health Center. Dr. Hennessy is passionate about reproductive justice and fundamentally believes in the importance of equitable access to healthcare for all. She completed the yearlong Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) POCUS Educator's Certificate Program in 2025 and loves welcoming residents into the continuity clinic to practice full-spectrum outpatient medicine, including procedures, comprehensive reproductive healthcare, gender-affirming care, and addiction medicine. She directs the POCUS & Procedures, Leadership and Practice Management, Outpatient Pediatrics, and Clinic First (continuity clinic) curriculums.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Dr. Hennessy graduated with a B.A. in psychology from Stanford University and attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, cementing her love for community medicine with completion of a Schweitzer fellowship. She trained at the Sutter Health Family Medicine Residency Program in Sacramento where she served as Chief Resident, and upon graduation, was excited to move to Santa Cruz in 2019 to serve the local community. In 2022, she stepped into the role of Site Medical Director of the Live Oak Health Center prior to taking on her new position in 2023.  She speaks Spanish with patients, and is teaching her kids her own first language, Finnish. Outside of medicine, she enjoys reading, hiking, gardening, and backpacking adventures.

Greg Whitley, MD (he/him)

Dominican CMO, Emergency Medicine, Sports Medicine, Leadership

Dr. Whitley is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Dominican Hospital and is a practicing teaching emergency physician in Dominican’s Emergency Department (ED). Prior to becoming CMO, he was the Medical Director of the ED for 10 years and served as the Chief of Medical Staff for 2 years. During his time in leadership, Dr. Whitley has focused on improving patient safety, quality, efficiency and patient experience through collaboration, mindful leadership...

Leah Suárez-Abraham, MD (she/her)

Core Faculty, Family Medicine (FMOB)

Dr. Suárez-Abraham is the Director of the Family Centered Pediatrics & OB/Gyn longitudinal curriculum, an innovative, integrated inpatient and outpatient experience at Salud Para La Gente and Watsonville Community Hospital. In addition, she is the Director for Curriculum and Didactics. Dr. Suárez-Abraham attended Mayo Medical School, trained at Ventura Family Medicine Residency and completed a fellowship in Maternal Child Health.

Sir Norman Melancon, MD (he/him/his)

Director of Behavioral Health Curriculum

Dr. Melancon serves as the Director of Behavioral Health Curriculum for the FMRP. He develops the psychiatry and psychotherapy longitudinal curriculum, electives, and is a co-director for the Community Medicine and Behavioral Health required rotation.

Cristina Gamboa, MD (she/her)

Core Faculty, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chair of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)

Dr. Cristina Gamboa is an OB GYN physician and Director of Ambulatory Women’s Health Services at Salud Para La Gente, a federally qualified health center in the Central Coast of California. She is core faculty at the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Dominican Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program in Santa Cruz, California. Dr. Gamboa earned her medical degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago.

Dawn Motyka, MD (she/her)

Dr. Motyka directs our Integrative and Functional Medicine and Well-Being curriculum and has had an illustrious career after graduating from UC Davis School of Medicine and San Bernardino County Medical Center Family Medicine Residency. She is dedicated to community service, teaching and modeling Direct Patient Care providing full spectrum family medicine including integrative functional medicine.

Inemesit Newsome, MD (she/her)

Core Faculty, Co-Director of Inpatient Adult Medicine Curriculum

Dr. Newsome trained at Ross University School of Medicine and East Tennessee State University-Quillen College of Medicine for her Internal Medicine Residency. She is the Medical Director for the Hospitalist program for Santa Cruz Medical Group in Dominican Hospital and will co-direct the inpatient teaching services. In addition, Dr. Newsome is on the Board of Directors for Santa Cruz Medical Group and on the Board of Directors for the Santa Cruz Monterey Medical Association.

Aron Mohan, MD (he/him)

Core Faculty, Co-Director of Inpatient Adult Medicine Curriculum

Dr. Mohan trained at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania Internal Medicine Residency. At the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, he is the Chair of the Division of Hospitalist Medicine in Santa Cruz. For the Family Medicine Program at Dominican Hospital, he acts as the Director for the PAMF Hospitalist Service, co-directing the inpatient teaching services as well as engaging in quality improvement. In his free time, he likes to wrestle with his toddler, cook for his wife, hike with his dog and surf every chance he gets. He practices mindfulness meditation, a habit he picked up in medical school.

Casey KirkHart, DO (he/him)

Core Faculty, Family Medicine, CMO and Site Director - Santa Cruz Community Health FQHC

Dr. KirkHart trained at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYCOM) and Harbor-UCLA Family Medicine Residency, which launched his medical career in healthcare advocacy and community medicine dedicated to underserved communities. He was Medical Director at Saban Community Clinic in Los Angeles where he supervised residents and now serves as Chief Medical Officer at Santa Cruz Community Health, an FQHC in Santa Cruz County...

Oriana Nolan, MPH (she/her/ella)

Oriana grew up in Santa Cruz and is happy to serve her home community as the Co-Director of Community Medicine for the Family Medicine Residency. She was previously on faculty at the UCSF Natividad Family Medicine Residency in Salinas, CA, where she directed the Community Medicine Rotation and co-created Leadership and DEI curriculum. Oriana is trained as a public health practitioner, working for two decades on culturally driven, community-led responses to health issues including HIV, Hepatitis C, harm reduction, and access to care.

Isaac Chankai, MD (he/him)

Director Surgery Leadership and Health Systems Management

Dr. Chankai s a General Surgeon and Santa Cruz native. After attending UC Santa Cruz, he went to Drexel University College of Medicine and trained in General Surgery Residency at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. He was fortunate enough to return to Santa Cruz and practiced with both the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and the Surgical Associates of Monterey Bay. A natural leader, after being Chief of Staff for Dominican Hospital he is now...

Nicholas Abidi, MD (he/him)

Director of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Curriculum

Dr. Abidi is an orthopedic surgeon and has been academic faculty at several hospitals, published in orthopedics and is an enthusiastic teacher who coordinates the orthopedics and sports medicine curriculum.

Robert Potts, MD (he/him)

Director of Geriatrics Rotation

A Family Medicine Physician for over 25 years, Dr. Potts has done everything from private solo practice, to FQHC clinic, to full time hospitalist. He is currently the SNF physician for his group and Medical Director at one of the local Skilled Nursing Facilities. Outside of medicine, he grows bonsai trees and makes ceramic pots for them at a local pottery studio. He also enjoys camping and hiking, as well as spending time with his 3 children and 2 dogs.  

Eric Sanford, MD (he/him)

Director of Community Medicine Curriculum

With 20 years experience teaching community medicine, Dr. Sanford loves teaching. He finds inspiring the development of residents from new arrivals to contributing members of our community brings meaning. Dr. Sanford enjoys surfing, skiing, biking, and hiking with family and friends in the redwood forests of Santa Cruz.

Lisa Segnitz, MD (she/her)

Director of Palliative Care and Hospice Curriculum

Dr. Segnitz is the Director for the Palliative Care and Hospice curriculum. She trained in Family Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado, and after several years in primary and urgent care became board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She leads Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s outpatient Palliative Care and Support Services team in Santa Cruz, rotates on the Dominican Hospital inpatient Palliative team and works at Hospice of Santa Cruz County. She loves spending time with her family, being outdoors and playing or dancing to music with friends.

Rebecca Small, MD, FAAFP (she/her)

Director of Medical Aesthetics Training

Dr. Small is a Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco (https://profiles.ucsf.edu/rebecca.small). She has been teaching family medicine residents and medical students for over 15 years and is a recipient of the Award of Recognition for Contribution and Dedication to the UCSF Family and Community Medicine Clerkship. She attended Cambridge University in England, Harvard Medical School, and Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency.

Michael Amster, MD (he/him)

Director of Pain Management Curriculum

Michael Amster, MD, is director for pain management curriculum, being double boarded in pain management and family medicine, and founder of the pain management program at Santa Cruz Community Health, as part of the residency continuity clinic. Michael attended UC Irvine School of Medicine, family medicine residency at UC Davis, and anesthesia pain management fellowship at the University of Iowa. He was a pioneer, completing his...

Morgan Magid, MD (he/him)

Dermatology

Dr. Magid trained at Vanderbilt University and Northwestern Dermatology Residency. He has been a UCSF Clinical Instructor in Dermatology for three decades and the Medical Director for the Dominican Gang Tattoo Removal Program.

Layla Franks (she/her)

UME Program Administrator

With an educational background in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, Layla Franks has built a successful career in medical research and leadership. As Executive Director of the Society for Fetal Urology, she focused on managing the day-to-day operations of a medical organization of fetal urologists with 360 national and international members. As a Research Associate for the Department of Urology at the University of California...

Cindy Au, MPH (she/her)

Graduate Medical Education Manager 

Cindy earned her BA in Psychology and Master of Public Health from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she also contributed to critical care and trauma research at Harborview Medical Center in the Department of Anesthesiology. Her work there included supporting multi-site longitudinal pediatrics outcomes research and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. Cindy’s background spans public health, clinical research, and technology, including research operations for AR/VR and wearable technology at Meta Reality Labs. She now leads accreditation, compliance, and collaborates on strategic planning for the department, ensuring smooth workflows and supporting the residency’s mission.

Cindy is passionate about building equitable systems that reflect the program’s values, promoting scholarly activity, and fostering a healthy, collaborative learning environment. Outside of work, she enjoys thrifting, watching Formula 1, and exploring spots for a good cup of matcha.