Meet Our Physicians & Staff

Physicians

Timothy Endy, MD
Chief of Infectious Disease

Donald Blair, MD

Mitchell Brodey, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine

Tazaduq Fazili, MD
Medical Director, Infectious Disease Associates

Avrille George, MD

Waleed Javaid, MD
Chief of Infectious Disease, VAMC Syracuse
Medical Director, Hospital Epidemiology

Mark Polhemus, MD
Assocaite Chief of Staff for Research, VAMC Syracuse

Support Staff

A team of qualified support staff assist our physicians in all aspects of a patient's medical care including scheduling, assisting with diagnostic testing, education and teaching, assisting with direct patient care, assisting with billing, and being available to answer generalized questions and concerns.

DAC Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants

A nurse practitioner functions both independently and in conjunction with the physicians in our outpatient location in order to perform evaluation and management services for patients referred for the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/ AIDS.

Theresa Feola, RN, FNP-C

Lorraine Padden, RN, NP

Lewis Briot, RPA-C, MPAS

DAC Clinic Nursing Staff

Our registered nurses assist primarily with the care of patients in the outpatient setting. The nurses are available to respond to specific patient questions, provide ongoing patient education, and provide support to the physicians.

Missy Albert, RN

Linda Bartlett, RN, BSN, MSN/NP student

Shannon Huggins, CMA

DAC Social Workers

The DAC social workers have both inpatient and outpatient responsibilities. The LMSW's complete psychosocial assessments and annual updates on each patient. The social workers assist patients with identifying problems that impact their daily lives and help them come up with strategies to resolve those issues. The social workers are an integral part of each patient's treatment team; they work closely with the nurse practitioners and physicians.

Kelley Flood, LMSW,
DAC Assistant Program Director

Lois Needham, LMSW

Patricia Woodruff, LMSW

Erin Day, LMSW

Ryan White Grant Staff

Brian Amidon, LMSW

Marilyn Brown-Shakir, MSW, CASAC

Cheryl Palmer, LMSW

Terry Podolak, RD

Melissa Napierkowski, BS,
DAC Program Assistant

Martha Rodriguez, Human Services Associate,
Mental Health Case Manager

Licensed Practical Nurses

Our LPN works in the Treatment Adherence Program. The role of the TAP LPN is to provide patient education and assistance to overcome barriers that impact participation in medical care and treatment. The primary focus of TAP services is to help patients understand the importance of the medications they are taking. The LPN will address any concerns or limitations that may prevent patients from taking medications as prescribed.

Alza Johnson, LPN
Treatment Adherence Program Staff

Administrative and Secretarial Staff

Our Secretarial staff, function as schedulers and receptionists.

Mary Bligh, Outpatient Administrative Specialist

Michael Cutillo