Instructors



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Northern California Center for Well-Being's Instructors

The center for Well-Being's faculty is made up of dedicated educators from a wide range of health care disciplines. The instructors bring their personal and professional experience to their teaching, as well as a commitment to helping people take the best possible care of themselves. Meet the staff at the Northern California Center for Well-Being--
	*Jackie Bowden, RN*, is an experienced home care nurse with extensive experience in cardiology. She prevously taught the Center's heart failure program and currently co-teaches the Beyond Cholesterol class.
	*Nancy Bonner Benson* - Nancy is a certified Yoga instructor, movement and art therapist and educator who has extensive experience helping people improve their health through integration of body, mind and spirit.
	*Anne Dondro* is a master trainer in smoking cessation for the American Lung Association, teaching instructors throughout the state. As a former smoker of 28 years, Anne knows how hard it is to quit and brings her passion, sense of humor and positive attitude to her cessation classes.
	Gail Dubinsky MD is in private practice in Sebastopol, specializing in soft tissue neuro-orthopedic injuries since 1988. She has studied yoga intensively for the past 20 years, and taught yoga in Sonoma County since 1990, with expertise in modifying traditional postures for individual needs . She is the creator of the video series "R.S.I.? Rx: Yoga!"
	*Paula Frieders, BS* has a degree in Exercise Physiology Science with a specialty in gerontology. She enjoys the challenge of helping people change their lifestyle to overcome barriers to exercise.
	*Joan Gates, RD, MS* is a registered dietitian with over ten years experience helping people manage their cholesterol. Joan teaches at U.C. Berkeley and has additional expertise in sports nutrition.
	Shirley C. Gillotti RN, MS , is a Stress Reduction Specialist trained by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. She currently teaches the Mind Body Connection class at the Center for Well Being and other community settings .Shirley has a private practice in Sebastopol dedicated to holistic health, including classical homeopathy consultations, retreats, meditation groups, and massage.
	Robyn Greene, MFT specializes in mind/body counseling and education. She has 20 years experience, having worked both in private practice and in medical settings.
	*Daisy Greaves, MFT* is a Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in affordable psychotherapy for individual adults. Since 1998, she has been developing, revising, and teaching the Healthy Weight series of classes at the Center for Well-Being.
	Judith Hoaglund, RD, MS is a registered dietitian with a masters degree in foods and nutrition from Oregon State University. She has 20 years of experience in public health, cross-cultural instruction and wellness, and is fluent in Spanish.
	*Marianne Hutton, RD, CDE* is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator. In addition to teaching at the Center, Marianne is a renal dietitian, edits a professional publication of the American Dietetics Association and is a wellness coach. She brings her sense of humor and passion for teaching to her work at the Center.
	Irene Ives, Ph.D. has worked for over twenty years with those struggling with eating disorders, body shame, and low self-esteem. Irene's creative and intuitive style, based in expressive arts and mind-body practices, providers a safe and powerful container for personal growth and transformation.
	*Warren Mills, MD, FACP,* is board certified in Internal Medicine and board qualified in Psychiatry. He is a certified instructor of Primordial Sound Meditation, taught by Dr. Deepak Chopra and the Relaxation Response as taught by Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School. Before moving to Santa Rosa, Dr. Mills was Professor of Medicine at Stanford School of Medicine and was actively involved in the Cardiovascular Institute. Dr. Mills has been personally involved in TM and other forms of meditation practice for over 28 years.
	*Linda Mollehauer-Meykens* is a certified lifestyle coach and an experienced classroom teacher. Her own personal experience with managing her rheumatoid arthritis allows her to bring her passion for teaching to her work at the Center.
	*Ellen Perry, RCP,* is a Registered Respiratory Care Practitioner with over 20 years in patient care and education.
	Cynthia Rathkey, FNP, CDE, is a family nurse practitioner and certified diabetes educator, with over thirty years of experience in nursing. She has been working with people with diabetes for the last four years and is a strong proponent of teaching self-management to people with diabetes.
	Pam Reed, RN has been in nursing for over 20 years in both pediatric and adult critical care, and works closely with local gasteroenterologists. Pam completed treatment for HCV two years ago, and now tests negatively for the virus. She brings her clinical understanding, research knowledge, personal experience and compassion to her teaching.
	*Jennifer Richardson, BS* is an exercise physiologist with over 15 years experience helping motivate people with cardiac conditions or risk factors to improve their health and fitness.
	Marilynn Stefonetti, MFT is licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified Smoke Cessation counselor.
	*Mary Ellen Wells, PT* is a physical therapist and movement educator with over 20 years of experience. She specializes in the treatment of chronic pain. Her interest in the body/mind connection as well as her personal experience with fybromyalgia inspire her classes and private practice.
	*Kate Wilcox, CAS* has her certification in Alcohol and Drug Studies from U.C. Berkeley and is a certified HCV educator. She approaches chronic illness from the perspective of the whole person, body, mind and spirit. Her passion is to help people with Hepatitis C implement lifestyle changes to live a healthy, happy and long life.