Faculty and Staff

Carolyn Augart, MD FAAFP (she/her/hers)
Core Faculty
Curricular Focus: Inpatient Adult Medicine, Colposcopy, Addiction Medicine
Undergraduate: UMass Amherst
Medical School: UMass Medical School
Residency: Lawrence Family Medicine Residency
Fellowship: Faculty Development, Lawrence Family Medicine Residency
Academic Appointments: Clinical Instructor, Tufts School of Medicine; Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, UMass Medical School
Hometown: Arlington, MA

The daughter of immigrants, Carolyn grew up in a multilingual household. Between college and medical school, she did a year of service at a child abuse prevention program in an urban community health center much like GLFHC. Inspired by her service year and excited to learn Spanish, she chose Lawrence for residency, where she served as chief resident, and then did our faculty development fellowship. She has served on many hospital committees over the years, enjoying them most when she can be an advocate for high quality patient care and maintaining our strong family medicine inpatient presence. In the outpatient setting she loves teaching residents colposcopy and how to treat patients with substance use disorders. A New England native, she enjoys hiking tall mountains and skiing down them. Despite having never done the Presidential traverse in one day like Andy Smith, she has climbed all 48 of the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire. She also owns a house in Italy that is constantly in need of repairs. She is married to Tony Valdini and they have a daughter who loves to ski way too fast, just like her mom.

Azmina Bhayani, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)
Core Faculty
Undergraduate: Northwestern University
Medical School and Public Health: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Residency: Lawrence Family Medicine Residency, Area of Concentration Women’s Health
Fellowship: Physicians for Reproductive Health Leadership Training Academy
Hometown: Lisle, IL

Azmina grew up in Illinois, and completed her undergraduate and graduate schooling at Northwestern University. After arriving at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center for residency, she felt relieved and excited to find like-minded colleagues who were focused on social justice and providing high-quality primary care to underserved populations. She developed a strong clinical interest in women’s health and reproductive health and went on to do a fellowship focused on reproductive health advocacy. After her training, she moved to New York City with her husband and worked at an FQHC, Institute for Family Health, where she practiced primary care and fell in love with teaching medical students and residents in the Bronx and Harlem. She is involved with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and passionate about faculty development. She moved back to Massachusetts with her husband and toddler and is thrilled to be joining the residency again as faculty.

Stephen Buttenwieser, MD (he/him/his)
Addiction Medicine Rotation and Area of Concentration Director
Curricular Focus: Addiction Medicine, Outpatient Medicine
Undergraduate: Harvard College, BA 1989
Graduate: Columbia School of Public Health, MPH 2007
Medical School: Harvard Medical School, MD 2001
Residency: Lawrence Family Medicine Residency, 2004
Academic Appointments: Lecturer, Tufts University School of Medicine
Hometown: Cambridge, MA

Stephen worked in the social service field before returning to school for an MPN in Health Policy and then to medical school.  Some of his principal professional interests involve health system planning and delivery, addiction medicine, and child development.

Chelsea Harris, MD  (she/her/hers)
Core Faculty, Colposcopy Clinic Director
Curricular Focus: Women’s Health, Diabetes
Undergraduate:  Northeastern University
Medical School: University of Massachusetts Medical School
Residency: Lawrence Family Medicine Residency, Area of Concentration in Academic Medicine
Hometown: Chicopee, MA

Chelsea grew up in Chicopee, Massachusetts. She attended Northeastern University where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and International Affairs – to explore her love of people and the world. Before pursuing a career in medicine she worked in municipal government. Her interests include health policy and population health. Chelsea was drawn to family medicine as the perfect way to integrate policy and practice within medicine. Her clinical interests include women’s health, diabetes, and addiction medicine. She received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass. When she is not working, she enjoys traveling, yoga, independent films, and spending time with her family.

Julie Johnston, MD, FAAFP (she/her/hers)
Director of Women’s Health 
Curricular Focus: Gynecology/Women’s Health
Undergraduate: University of Michigan
Medical School: Brown Medical School
Residency: Lawrence Family Medicine Residency
Fellowship: Physicians for Reproductive Health Leadership Training Academy
Academic Appointments: Clinical Instructor, Tufts University School of Medicine and UMass Medical School
Hometown: Onsted, MI

Julie is originally from Michigan, after graduating from Brown Medical school she completed her residency here in Lawrence. Her interests include empowerment of women, maternity care with a midwifery spin, reproductive health access, postpartum LARCs, and political action. Julie rounds on the obstetric service and serves as the curriculum coordinator for the Gynecology rotation and Women’s Health area of concentration. Julie is an ALSO Instructor and serves as the site lead for the FMEC-IMPLICIT quality improvement network. She has multiple leadership roles in the community and at the state level including President of the Massachusetts Academy of Family physicians and the Family Medicine representative on the Postpartum Depression Legislative Commission. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, puppy, practicing Taekwondo, crafting, and traveling.

Cara Marshall, MD (she/her/hers)
Community Medicine Co-Coordinator
Curricular Focus: Community Medicine, Outpatient Subspecialties, Health Equity
Undergraduate: University of Florida
Medical School: University of Florida, MD
Residency: Montefiore Residency Program in Social Medicine
Academic Appointments: Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts Medical School; Adjunct Assistant Professor, Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
Hometown: Leesburg, Florida

Originally from Florida, Cara came to Lawrence by way of residency in the Bronx, and has been in Lawrence since 2001. She served in a faculty role for many years as curriculum coordinator for outpatient subspecialties and home visit program coordinator, as well as working with our homeless program in local domestic violence shelters. She was honored for her work in the community in 2015 at the YWCA of Greater Lawrence Tribute to Women. She has presented regionally and nationally at STFM, FMEC and MAFP, and in 2013 transitioned to a PCMH team leader role in the residency. Since 2016, she is one of the Associate Program Directors and continues her focus on community medicine and social determinants of health, as well as serving on the GLFHC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and as faculty chair (with resident co-chairs) of the LFMR Diversity Committee. Her interests include health literacy, domestic violence issues, and the impact of socioeconomic status on health. In her spare time, she enjoys books, foreign films, gardening and camping and most of all, spending time with her daughter Annakiya.

Andrew Smith, MD, FAAFP (he/him/his)
Director of Inpatient OB/Residency OB Curriculum
Curricular Focus: inpatient medicine, obstetrics, and pediatrics; global health; surgical and high risk obstetrics; outpatient procedures, point of care teaching
Undergraduate: Dartmouth College
Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College
Residency: Lawrence Family Medicine Residency Program / Fellowship in Advanced Obstetrics at the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency Program
Academic Appointments: Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
Leadership positions: Obstetrics Rotation Coordinator, Tufts Family Medicine Clerkship Lawrence Didactic Day Director, Global Health Guatemala Rotation Coordinator
Hometown: Dartmouth, MA

Born in the small town of Dartmouth, MA, Andy was raised by parents who were outstanding role models in demonstrating the importance of service and community. To avoid any confusion in life, he went from Dartmouth High School to Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Med School, saving tons of money on school related apparel. Along the way he discovered a great joy and passion for working with the poor and underserved. In college, he had the remarkable fortune to work with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, where he first felt the draw to medicine. After college, he spent a couple of years working with the homeless population in Boston before going on to med school. Drawn to Lawrence in 2004 by the residency’s mission to the underserved, he has found himself surrounded by a group of patients, residents and colleagues who act as a type of metaphorical jet fuel for idealism, simultaneously challenging his intellect and compassion. He feels inspired on a daily basis and thinks he has the most fulfilling job on the planet. In 2011-2013 he took a sabbatical from LFMR to volunteer with my family in a rural indigenous community in Guatemala, at a site that has become one of the LFMR Global Health resident rotations. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his amazing wife and kids, traveling, hiking, biking, running, following Boston sports teams, and playing practical jokes.

Joshua St. Louis, MD, MPH, AAHIVS (he/him/his)
Inpatient Director
Curricular Focus: HIV, Viral Hepatitis, Addiction Medicine, Inpatient Medicine, Gender-Affirming Care, Resident Scholarly Projects
Undergraduate: Harvard College
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine (MD/MPH)
Residency: Lawrence Family Medicine Residency, Area of Concentration in HIV Medicine
Fellowship: Physicians for Reproductive Health Leadership Training Academy
Academic Appointments: Assistant Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
Hometown: Haverhill, MA

Josh is board certified in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine. He is also an AAHIVM-certified HIV Specialist and completed the WPATH GEI SOC7 certification program in gender-affirming care as well as the Physicians for Reproductive Health Leadership Training Academy. He grew up in a single-parent home in Haverhill, Massachusetts, another mill city up the road from Lawrence, studied evolutionary biology at Harvard, earned his MD/MPH from Tufts, and returned to the Merrimack Valley to complete his residency at LFMR where clinicians recognized the importance of social justice and advocacy in the care of the most vulnerable patients. He is the residency inpatient director and particularly enjoys supervising residents in the clinic’s HIV, Viral Hepatitis, OBAT, and Gender Care consultation clinics. He also works at HealthQ and the Joan G. Lovering Health Center providing comprehensive reproductive health services. In his spare time, Josh enjoys reading fiction, singing, mentoring, and trying out new brunch restaurants and Boston-area breweries with his partner Jason.

John Torro, MD (he/him/his)
Emergency Medicine and Surgery Coordinator
Curricular Focus: Emergency Medicine, Surgery
Undergraduate: University of Notre Dame
Medical School: Ross University School of Medicine
Residency: Somerset Medical Center, NJ
Fellowship: Faculty Development Fellowship, Lawrence Family Medicine Residency
Hometown: Palm Harbor, FL

Born and raised in Florida, John enjoys outdoor pursuits such as playing golf and going to the beach. After completing his residency in New Jersey, John completed a Faculty Development Fellowship at Lawrence, which prepared him for a teaching role at the residency. His favorite part about working in Lawrence is teaching the residents and working with the Spanish-speaking population. He particularly enjoys participating in prenatal group visits and being active in the Lawrence community. When he is not at work he enjoys playing sports, traveling, and spending time with his wife and daughters.

Anthony Valdini, MD, MS, MPH, FACP, FAAFP (he/him/his)
Research Director
Curricular Focus: Clinical Research, Procedures, Global Health
Undergraduate: Syracuse University, NY
Medical School: S.U.N.Y. Syracuse Medical School
Residency: University of Maryland Hospital Family Medicine Residency; Union Memorial Hospital Internal Medicine Residency, Baltimore
Academic Appointments: Professor, UMASS Medical School; Associate Professor, Tufts School of Medicine
Hometown:   Wantagh, NY   

The son of immigrants, Tony grew up in the New York area and is a first-generation college graduate. He is residency trained and board certified in both Family Medicine and Internal Medicine, has a master’s degree in clinical nutrition and another in public health. Tony was residency director and vice-chair of the Department of Family Medicine at S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook between 1983-1989. Before coming to Lawrence in 1993, he was medical director of the Navajo Nation Health Foundation in Arizona. At GLFHC, Tony is the residency research director and, with Dr. Jenni Somers, a Balint group leader. He has put his varied skills to work during 15 years of leading residents on a primary care medical rotation at a puesto de salud in the jungle of northeast Nicaragua, working with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health and the NGO Bridges to Community. In addition, he is an editorial reviewer for several family medicine journals. His research interests include abnormal pap smears, Spanish language training, and clinical nutrition. He is married to Dr. Carolyn Augart, has three sons and a daughter, who translates for him at the hardware store near their home in Italy.

Suzanne Andrews, MD, Family Physician, High Risk Obstetrics
Alaina Aristide, MD
Erin Bassett, MD, Family Physician, High Risk Obstetrics, Adult Medicine
Katrina Baumgartner, MD, Family Physician, HIV Medicine, Adult Medicine, Precepting
Tanya Campos, MD, Family Physician, Geriatrician, Adult Medicine, Nursing Home, Precepting
Maria Diaz, MD, Internist, Adult Medicine
Ciaran DellaFera, MD, Family Physician, Transgender Medicine, Adult Medicine
Eloise Edgings-Pryce, MD, Family Physician, High Risk Obstetrics, Adult Medicine, Colposcopy, Advanced Maternity AOC Coordinator
Paul Esielionis, MD, Family Physician, Precepting
Karen Glatfelter, MD, Family Physician, Adult Medicine, Maternity Care
Richard Glatz, MD, Family Physician, Maternity Care, Precepting
Lilia Guerra, MD, Pediatrician
Caren Jacobson, MD, Family Physician, Adult Medicine, Maternity Care, Precepting
Xenia Johnson Bhembe, MD, Psychiatry
Amy Lee, MD, Family Physician, Precepting
Jonathan Lichkus, MD, MPH, Family Physician, Adult Medicine, Maternity Care, Pediatrics, Precepting, Health Systems Management Curriculum coordinator
Ellen Lynch, MD, Pediatrician
Robert McKersie, MD, Family Physician, Maternity Care, Adult Medicine, Precepting
James Meyers, MD, Family Physician, Computers in Medicine, Precepting
Jessica Reader, MD, MPH, Family Physician, High Risk Obstetrics, Adult Medicine, Precepting
Blair Roberts, MD, Family Physician, Adult Medicine, Precepting, Bariatric Medicine
Carolyn Roy-Bornstein, MD, Writer in Residence
Laurel Ruzicka, MD, Family Physician, Precepting
Patrick Salemme, MD, MPH
Nirmala Sambangi, MD, Family Physician, High Risk Obstetrics
Kathleen Sausen, MD
Diane Smith, MD, Family Physician, High Risk Obstetrics, Adult Medicine, Precepting, Colposcopy
Angela Sterling, MD
Jennifer Sparks, MD, Family Physician, Adult Medicine, Precepting
Mia Sorcinelli, MD, Family Physician, Addiction Medicine, Precepting
Krenie Stowe, MD, Pediatrician
Vincent M. Waite, MD, MPH
Rebecca Weiner, MD

Michelle Olivieri, BBA, C-TAGME(she/her/hers)
Director of Graduate Medical Education and Residency Administration 

Michelle grew up in the Lawrence community, and started working at the Health Center part-time while in high school. She started working for the health center’s residency in 2007 as an administrative assistant and soon became the Research Coordinator, collaborating with other institutions and co-authoring several presentations and publications. She has worked in all aspects of residency administration, and is now the Graduate Medical Education Director, managing Residency operations. She currently serves as Co-Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Mentoring Committee on the Association of Family Medicine Administrators’ Board of Directors, and is also a mentor to AFMA members. When she is not overseeing the schedules and administration of 44 residents, she is busy being a wife to her high-school sweetheart of over 20 years, mom to two busy teenagers, coaching youth cross country and track and field as a Level 1 USATF Coach, and slowly updating her 200-year-old farmhouse. Some of her greatest joys are cooking and entertaining for her family and friends, exploring restaurants with her husband in search of the best grilled octopus, watching her children run, and being the best fur mom to her Yorkie babies, Penelope and Luna.

Concetta “Connie” Coleman
Associate GME Manager

Connie was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.  She received her B.S. in Mathematics at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn which is now part of NYU.  Connie was lucky enough to be a stay at home Mom for a number of years to raise her two children while her husband traveled for work.  Upon returning to the work force after an 8 year hiatus, she has worked in various areas of health care for 10 years and started at Greater Lawrence as a temp in the fiscal department.  She has held various positions involving data management in the Med Admin department and has come to Residency as the Associate Manager.  In her spare time, she is an active member of Chorus North Shore and has traveled with them on tour.  She and her husband love to travel, sing and work on their antique house.

Bruce Ramirez, MD (he/him/his)
Clerkship Coordinator and Data Management Analyst

Bruce is originally from the Bronx, NY, but having moved around a lot throughout his life he doesn’t consider himself a pure New Yorker. Interested in the health care field since his youth, Bruce began as a chiropractor’s assistant in high school. He attended PUCMM school of medicine in Santiago, Dominican Republic where he obtained his MD degree in 2019. Today, as a part of the residency administration team, Bruce works with staff and residents to help organize and complete a variety of tasks. Bruce also aspires to join a residency of his own someday and continue his medical career. In his spare time Bruce enjoys being active, lifting weights, playing basketball, board games, and watching Knicks and Yankees games.

Lianne DeAguila
Residency Administrative Coordinator

Lianne grew up in Tewksbury, MA and has lived in New England all her life. She received her B.S. in Business Management with a minor in Human Resources Management from the Manning School of Business at The University of Massachusetts Lowell. Lianne is currently pursuing a BSN to RN program, as she aspires to join a career in the Medical Aesthetician industry. Lianne is a mother of two daughters and as a trio, they enjoy being active on their weekends by going to the beach, hiking in New Hampshire, and taking family getaways around New England.