Many selfless people, from volunteers to nurses, work behind the scenes to support the Valley’s health and well-being. They may not all have a medical degree or clinical training, but these heroes deserve our respect and recognition. On the heels of our inaugural HH class of 2024, we present this year’s honorees.
How We Picked This List
For our second annual class of Health-Care Heroes, we asked PHOENIX magazine readers and editors to nominate caregivers and other behind-the-scenes professionals during a one-month submission period, then selected the 30 we felt were most deserving, spanning a wide spectrum of care.
Courtney Johnson, RN
Registered Nurse, Dignity Health Chandler Regional Medical Center
After a 30-mile bike ride, Queen Creek great-grandfather Robert Darling suffered a heart attack at a stoplight. Johnson, returning home from her night shift, heroically pulled him out of the car and performed CPR until help arrived. Darling’s family found Johnson two days later, and the two reunited. “For days, I had been praying that he was alive, and it was just a thrill to see that something I did out of instinct is keeping a family together,” Johnson says.
Alyssa Dinowitz
Founder, Chemo Companions
Dinowitz often accompanied her mother, a breast cancer patient, to her chemo treatments while organizing carpools for other patients and providing groceries to those who lost their jobs due to illness. Dinowitz continued these benevolent acts after her mother’s passing, leading her to start the nonprofit Chemo Companions. “In 15 years, I’ve met thousands of the most amazing people that I’m friends with,” Dinowitz says. “They’re family.”
Sara Lettieri
Volunteer, The Joy Bus
Chef Jennifer Caraway’s organization delivers healthy, delicious meals to cancer patients in the Valley. But they need dessert, too, right? Lettieri, a school nurse by profession, bakes delicious pies every Wednesday and serves on The Joy Bus’s events committee. “She even took it another step further and convinced her son to give up his Sundays to serve as a prep cook in our kitchen,” Caraway says. “She is a super rad human!”
Catherine Ivy
President and Founder, Ben and Catherine Ivy Foundation
After her husband died months after receiving a brain cancer diagnosis in 2005, Ivy has dedicated millions of dollars to brain tumor research. With the help of Dr. Nader Sanai, The Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, which opened this year, has already made some groundbreaking advancements in care. “The building’s great, but my eye is on a cure,” Ivy says.
Joe Gentry, PhD, BCBA-D
Founder, Gentry Foundation
An early autism diagnosis in children can improve their development, behavior and social skills later in life. Gentry, an Illinois State University-educated psychologist with clinical offices in Phoenix, started his eponymous foundation to improve access to these vital evaluations, supporting the effort with an annual themed fundraiser that brings out the Valley’s movers and shakers due to strong word-of-mouth. “I created a network of psychologists willing to do these evaluations at a very reduced cost,” Gentry says. To date, the foundation has provided upwards of 870 free diagnoses to Valley families.
Kevin Foster, MD
Medical Director, Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center
Facilities in Hawaii were unprepared to care for the more than 20 burn victims from a New Year’s Eve fireworks explosion. Foster, the leader of the nationally recognized Diane and Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix, answered the call and transported and treated six patients with Luke Air Force Base, the Phoenix Fire Department, and burn center employees. And his work in Arizona has rare peer. “Under Dr. Foster’s leadership, the burn center has grown to 50 beds and occupies the entire fourth floor of the Valleywise Health Medical Center,” says a colleague.
Derek Ellis
General Manager, The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa
Who says resort spas are only about cucumber water and self-indulgence? At the Westin Kierland’s on-site Agave spa and salon, Ellis helped implement Comfort Touch Therapy, a massage and facial designed to help cancer patients manage chemotherapy and other treatment-related symptoms. “We are honored to offer services that bring comfort and healing to guests during some of the most challenging times in their lives,” Ellis says.
Kevin Nicholson, MBA, BSN
CEO, Mind Body Centers
Antidepressant medications are not always an effective solution for people struggling with depression. Nicholson’s clinic employs a holistic approach to treatment, encompassing counseling, nutrition, hypnotherapy and the controversial drug ketamine, which is “managed like any responsible medication being administered in a clinic-type setting,” Nicholson told PHOENIX in 2022. A University of Michigan study found that ketamine provided relief to about half of veterans with depression and PTSD who receive it intravenously.
Brian Carlisle, RN, FNP-C
CEO, Horizon Recovery
Carlisle, a paramedic and emergency room nurse, saw a gap in teen mental-health care in the Valley. He invested his own money and leveraged his connections to launch Horizon Recovery, now with six locations. Carlisle is not only focused on delivering excellent patient care, but supporting his employees. “In a sense, it’s a good business success story, but the fact that we are growing so quickly is not a good reflection on the need,” Carlisle says.
Marlena Stanford, LMSW
Licensed Master Social Worker, Integrative Counseling Center
Before working with tweens and teens with mental-health challenges, Stanford was a community college professor teaching English. She noticed many of her students were suffering from depression and behavioral health issues, so she went back to school to learn how to address these issues, finding that working with patients also helps those closest to them. “When children are doing well, it spills over into the family,” says Stanford, who now works for Integrative Counseling Center, a holistic mental-health practice.
Kelly Rau, MA, LMFT
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Art Therapist, Creosote Counseling
Most of Rau’s patients, some of whom struggle with addiction and depression, haven’t been in touch with their creative side since childhood. Yet, after a few weeks of working on their art, they realize they aren’t stuck. “I hate saying goodbye to clients because I love working with them, but I also know that’s part of it,” Rau says. “I want my clients to feel like they don’t need me.”
Catherine “Kate” Dobler
State Opioid Treatment Authority, AHCCCS
On average, more than five people die daily from opioid overdoses in Arizona. While many advocate for criminalizing drug use, Dobler – who provides support to treatment programs across the state – advocates for compassion and treating addiction as a disease. “She has been pivotal in expanding access to treatment, improving overdose prevention efforts, and enhancing community education,” a
colleague says.
Mark Hartsuck, BSN, RN, CPEN, TCRN, CPN
Pediatric Trauma Nurse, Phoenix Children’s
Machines, pokes and prods can intimidate his young patients, but Hartsuck, who is often the first person kids (and parents) see when they visit Arizona’s only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, does his best to make a hospital visit non-traumatic. Or maybe even fun. “He thrives in precarious situations because of his calm manner and quick thinking,” a colleague says. “Mark’s dedication has saved and benefited
many patients.”
Sister Adele O’Sullivan, MD
Founder and Director of Mission Engagement, Circle the City
Circle the City, founded by O’Sullivan to provide health care to those experiencing homelessness, started with gathering donations in a shoebox. Thanks to community support, it now has two medical respite centers, two outpatient clinics, five mobile units and three street medicine teams.“The project is so much bigger than one group, one faith community, one culture or one neighborhood,” O’Sullivan says.
Tharesh Udupa, DPM
Foot and Ankle Care Specialist, The CORE Institute
Diabetic patients face a heightened risk of foot injuries that, if left untreated, can severely impair mobility and even lead to amputation. For more than a decade, Udupa has put such patients front and center at The CORE Institute, using his expertise to manage any problems, from heel pain to bunions. “I have complete trust in his judgment,” says one devoted patient.
Heather Wheeler, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Biltmore Psychology and Counseling
Even now, laws are being passed that negatively impact the mental health of the LGBTQ+ community. By using her knowledge, compassion, passion and insight, Wheeler helps these patients find a space to accept themselves and feel confident and empowered. She says, “I find the most power comes from within ourselves, because that’s what we have the most control over.”
Breanna Tabor & Sparky Joy
Child Life Specialists, Phoenix Children’s
No kid wants to be in the hospital. However, after a visit from full-time facility dog Sparky Joy and her handler Tabor, they’re likely to feel some happiness, especially after undergoing a difficult treatment. “As a child life specialist, I love seeing a patient’s attitude change from, ‘I can’t do this,’ to ‘I am brave and have the tools I need to succeed,’” Tabor says.
Brittany Landabazo,
PT, DPT Lead Physical Therapist, United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona
Valley children with cerebral palsy and their parents feel supported when they meet Landabazo. Her nominator highlights her commitment: “From making special home visits through glass windows for children during COVID to ensuring children with disabilities get the chance to sit on Santa’s lap at UCP’s annual Accessible Santa event, Brittany’s passion for helping children with cerebral palsy live a life without limits is immeasurable.”
Vanessa Moore
Burn Care Support Coordinator, Arizona Burn Foundation
During the Hawaii fireworks tragedy, Moore – who coordinates care for the 58-year-old ABF – helped survivors find life-saving care and connect them with their families. A patient’s father shared that Moore immediately contacted him “with information and provisions for lodging as we contemplated logistical hurdles of settling ourselves in Phoenix on short notice.” Adds a colleague: “[Her actions] relieved so much mental and
emotional baggage.”
Barb Kozuh
Executive Director, Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation
Good dental health leads to good overall health. Since 2022, Kozuh has dedicated herself to ensuring underserved individuals in Arizona have access to essential oral care by creating partnerships, including the Oral Health in Medicine Initiative at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix. She told AZ Big Media last year that the collaboration helps “people access whole-body health care, increase positive health outcomes and lower costs.”
Misti Valentino
Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, Acacia Health Center
Families grappling with placing loved ones in nursing care facilities are put at ease when meeting Valentino. Under her leadership, Acacia Health Center is a deficiency-free community that exceeds all state and federal requirements for skilled nursing and rehabilitation. As one colleague says, “She dedicates her career to improving seniors’ lives and actively participating in the health-care community.”
John Shaff, PA
Physician Assistant, Stockton Dermatology
Before discovering his passion for dermatology, the Northern Arizona University graduate worked in general orthopedics, trauma and hand surgery. He realized he could care for more patients by helping them to detect, treat and prevent skin cancer. “Having personally overcome a brain tumor, John draws from his own experiences to provide empathetic and patient-centered care that deeply resonates with his patients,” says an admirer.
Russell Kemp
Rescue Specialist, Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association
Not all heroes wear capes – even if they’re routinely airborne. By day, Kemp is a systems engineer for the City of Tempe. Other times, he’s flying in a helicopter to rescue people for the Central Arizona Mountain Rescue Association or undergoing months of grueling training, all without compensation. “Anything that the public can do to support us so that we can keep rescuing people is all we ever ask,” he says.
Ashesh Troester, PA
Physician’s Assistant and Co-Owner, Canyon Sleep Neurology and Wellness Group
If you’re a parent, you know how hard it is to get your kids to sleep. One of Troester’s three kids was an awful sleeper, so she began focusing her career on sleep medicine, including cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, while juggling motherhood and volunteering. “She is truly the full package when it comes to bettering the Phoenix community,” a supporter says.
Gabriela Salcido
Founder, Roman Empire Agency
Since 2010, Salcido’s agency has worked with the developmentally disabled and people with autism to help them be more independent. The approach has been successful, with Roman Empire Agency boasting more than 1,000 clients across multiple states. As her nominator says, “Gabriela’s unwavering dedication to empowering individuals with disabilities, fostering independence and expanding access to essential services makes her a remarkable leader.”
Julie Grandinetti, RN, BSN
Registered Nurse, HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center
For 22 years, Grandinetti has supported not only her vulnerable patients in the NICU, but also their worried parents. Even when things seem impossible, she remains resilient, according to one admiring colleague. “It’s no surprise that many families, years later, return to express their gratitude and show her the healthy, thriving children she helped bring into this world. Her impact is profound.”
Rafael Martinez, LCSW
Director of Behavioral Health, Circle The City
Unhoused people often see themselves as being judged by the public, hindering their empowerment. That’s why Martinez’s staff employs motivational interviewing, a non-confrontational, compassionate approach that helps patients change their lives. “He maintains a sense of calm while addressing emotionally charged situations,” his nominator says. “His professionalism and dedication to Circle the City and the patients is remarkable.”
Margaret Farwell, PT, DPT
Physical Therapist, Banner Physical Therapy
Farwell’s patients are impressed by her expertise, but even more captivated by her professionalism and empathy, which motivates them on their recovery journey. “When my second knee replacement surgery is scheduled for this summer, I will undoubtedly seek Maggie’s assistance once again,” one devoted patient says in praise.
Deb Ashley, RN
Registered Nurse, Tri-City Cardiology
For three decades, Ashley has worked alongside cardiology physicians, devoting her entire career to learning and mentoring others in the principles of cardiac care. Ashley has consistently demonstrated a calm and composed demeanor, relying on the expertise she has accumulated over the years to provide exceptional care to those in her charge. “She will even jump into an ambulance to assist with transporting patients if that is the best thing for them,” a colleague says.
Imen Maaroufi Clark
Founder and CEO, Prickly Pear Health
Clark’s Prickly Pear Health app, designed for women navigating menopause, uses speech and wearable device biomarkers to motivate users to make healthy lifestyle changes, help doctors reduce patient dismissals, and possibly detect early brain conditions like Alzheimer’s. “We believe if we start [early], we can do so much to prevent diseases instead of treating them,” Clark says.
