Leadership
Kimberly Schiel, M.D.
Interim chair and clerkship director
kimberly.schiel@ssmhealth.com
Kimberly Schiel, M.D., is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Washington University School of Medicine. Schiel completed her residency at the University of Missouri. She has worked in medical education for her entire career, first at Loyola University in Chicago and then at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Schiel is the clerkship director for the third-year required Family Medicine Clerkship. She is currently serving as interim department chair. Schiel is involved in research and training on medical student education.
Jane Tucker, M.D.
Medical director of SLUCare Population Health and Community
Medical director of Family and Community Medicine
Associate professor
Phone: (314) 617-2230
jane.tucker@slucare.ssm.com
Jane Tucker, M.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Family and Community
Medicine and the medical director of SLUCare Population Health and Community and the
clinical FCM practice. She has practiced family medicine for over 30 years in a variety
of settings including rural, underserved and urban locations in Canada and the United
States. She is passionate about optimizing the quality of patient care and innovations
in patient care delivery.
Kelly M. Everard, Ph.D.
Professor
Director, Medical Student Education
Phone: 314-977-8586
kelly.everard@health.slu.edu
Kelly Everard, Ph.D., is an associate professor and director of medical student education
in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She earned her master’s degree
in counseling psychology and doctoral degree in educational psychology at the University
of Kentucky. Everard has over 25 years of experience in education, academic medicine
and faculty development. She is dedicated to teaching medical students to help them
become the best physicians they can be.
Fred Rottnek, M.D.
Professor and director of Community Medicine, Family and Community Medicine
Program director, Addiction Medicine Fellowship
Phone: 314-617-3452
fred.rottnek@health.slu.edu
Fred Rottnek, M.D., is a professor and director of the Division of Community Medicine
as well as the program director for the addiction medicine fellowship. He graduated
from SLU School of Medicine, Family Medicine Residency in St. Louis, and the Aquinas
Institute of Theology. He is board-certified in family medicine and addiction medicine.
His clinical practice includes addiction medicine and correctional health care. He
thrives when working with interprofessional teams across campus and with community
partners that advance justice in policy and practice in health care systems.
Jeffrey F. Scherrer, Ph.D.
Max Zubatsky, Ph.D.
Associate professor and program director, Medical Family Therapy Program
Department of Family and Community Medicine
Associate director, Geriatric Education Center
max.zubatsky@health.slu.edu
Max Zubatsky, Ph.D., is an associate professor and has been program director of the medical family therapy program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine since 2019. He received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota in marriage and family therapy. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Chicago Center for Family Health and Illinois Masonic Family Medicine Residency. Zubatsky directs the memory clinic serving families and loved ones with dementia and older-adult issues. His clinical and research interests include geriatrics, family caregiving, integrated behavioral health, residency education and outcomes in couple's therapy.
Faculty
Jennifer R. Bello-Kottenstette, M.D.
jennifer.bellokottenstette@health.slu.edu
Jennifer Bello-Kottenstette, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and has been associate director of SLU’s Health Criminology Research Consortium since 2016 and core faculty in the Addiction Medicine Fellowship since 2021. She is a graduate of SLU School of Medicine, West Suburban Family Medicine Residency, and University of Chicago Primary Care Research and Ethics fellowships. Bello-Kottenstette’s clinical practice is focused on addiction medicine at Assisted Recovery Centers of America, Midwest and her research is focused on understanding and addressing the unique reproductive health needs of men and women with substance use disorders.
Matthew Breeden, M.D.
matthew.breeden@health.slu.edu
Matthew Breeden, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and a medical director of informatics for SLUCare. He attended the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and completed his family medicine residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Breeden's clinical practice is located at the University Tower in Richmond Heights. When not in clinic, he is involved in the development and maintenance of the electronic health record, leveraging technology to improve patient care and provider satisfaction.
Jay Brieler, M.D.
Jay Brieler, M.D., is an associate professor and associate program director of the SLU Family Medicine Residency in St. Louis. He directs the family medicine inpatient service and been a co-leader for the behavioral health curriculum. He received his medical degree from Southern Illinois University and completed Ramsey Family Medicine residency in St. Paul, Minnesota. His research interests lie at the intersection of behavioral health and primary care, including integrated health care, emotionally focused therapy, and trauma spectrum disorders. His favorite professional role is training residents on their journey to experienced and wise clinicians.
James Deckert, M.D.
James Deckert, M.D., is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.
Theresa Drallmeier, M.D.
theresa.drallmeier@health.slu.edu
Theresa Drallmeier, M.D., is an assistant professor and director of curriculum and scholarship for the SLU Family Medicine Residency in St. Louis. She received a medical degree from University of Missouri and completed family medicine residency at the University of New Mexico. After a year providing primary care through the St. Louis County Health Department, she joined the SLU family medicine residency in 2018. Her passions include providing health care to transgender and gender non-conforming persons, using medication-assisted treatment to manage opioid use disorder, and working with the Latinx population.
Kristina Dzara, Ph.D.
Kristina Dzara, Ph.D., is an associate professor and assistant dean for scholarly teaching and learning at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. She is a graduate of the Master of Medical Sciences in Medical Education program at Harvard Medical School and the PhD in Sociology program at Southern Illinois University. Dzara has more than 10 years of experience in medical education. She has expertise in educator development, the science of teaching and learning, curriculum development, program evaluation, educational scholarship, and the use of social media in medical education.
Megan Ferriby Ferber, Ph.D.
Megan Ferriby Ferber, Ph.D., has been an assistant professor in the medical family therapy program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine since 2019. She received her doctorate from Ohio State University in human sciences with a couple and family therapy specialization. She teaches master's and doctoral students within the MFT program as well as residents in the SLU psychiatry residency. Her clinical and research interests focus on the psychosocial processes that bolster and hinder weight loss in adult patients, with a particular interest in the bariatric surgery population, and the development and testing of family-based interventions in medical settings.
Sarah Gebauer, M.D.
Sarah Gebauer, M.D., is an assistant professor and has been a clinical scientist faculty member since 2017. She completed medical school at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, her family medicine residency at Saint Louis University’s Southwestern Illinois Program in 2015, SLU’s Academic Family Medicine Fellowship in 2017 and her M.S.P.H. in epidemiology in 2018. She sees patients at St. Louis County’s South County Health Center and is the course director for epidemiology and biostatistics at the School of Medicine. Her research interests are centered in the social determinants of health, particularly neighborhood characteristics and chronic pain.
Richard Grucza, Ph.D.
Richard Grucza, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Health Outcomes Research. He received his Ph.D. from the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences at Washington University and then undertook postdoctoral training in biostatistics and epidemiology. He is interested in the epidemiology of substance use disorders and utilizes quantitative analysis of large survey and administrative data to gain insight into national trends and policy influences. His current projects involve opioid use disorder treatment both at the policy and clinical level and in trends in alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. His efforts are geared toward improved substance use disorder treatment and prevention through integration with primary care.
Katie Heiden-Rootes, Ph.D.
katie.heidenrootes@health.slu.edu
Katie Heiden-Rootes, Ph.D., is an associate professor the medical family therapy program. She has been with the program since 2015. Heiden-Rootes is a licensed marital and family therapist, certified sex therapist, clinical supervisor, teacher and qualitative researcher. Her primary areas of research and teaching are gender and sexuality in clinical practice and social determinants of health for LGBTQ adolescents and adults.
Elizabeth Keegan-Garrett, M.D.
elizabeth.keegangarrett@health.slu.edu
Elizabeth Keegan-Garrett, M.D., is an assistant professor and program director of the Saint Louis University Family Medicine Residency in St. Louis. Keegan-Garrett completed a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University, earned her medical degree from Oregon Health and Science University and completed family medicine residency at the University of Missouri. Before joining the SLU family medicine residency program in 2017, she worked for eight years at Family Care Health Center in St. Louis, where she continues clinical practice, including maternity care.
Ashley Meyr, M.D.
Ashley Meyr, M.D., is an assistant professor and clinical director of the Saint Louis University Family Medicine Residency in St. Louis. She completed her medical degree and family medicine residency at Saint Louis University, where she was chief resident. After graduating, she joined SLU Family Medicine as core faculty in 2019. Her passions include women’s health, pediatrics and teaching.
Dixie Meyer, Ph.D.
Dixie Meyer, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the medical family therapy program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She received her doctorate from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in counseling. Meyer directs the relationships and brain sciences research laboratory. Her clinical and research interests include couples, attachment, neurobiological responses to relationships, and the use of relationships to improve health outcomes.
William Mitchell, M.D.
william.mitchell@health.slu.edu
Will Mitchell, M.D., is an assistant professor, board-certified in family medicine and sports medicine. He received his M.D. from University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. After a family medicine residency at Valley Baptist Medical Center, he completed a sports medicine fellowship at SLU. He practices sports medicine and family medicine at SLUCare and the SLU Student Health Center.
Jamil Neme, M.D.
Jamil R. Neme, M.D., has been an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine since 2018. He is a graduate of Creighton University School of Medicine, family medicine residency at University of Nebraska and a sports medicine fellowship at Saint Vincent – Allegheny Health. He is board-certified in family medicine and sports medicine. Neme practices at SLUCare Family Medicine, is director of the SLUCare Concussion Clinic, and is a team physician for Saint Louis University, Harris-Stowe State University, Fontbonne University, and area high schools. He trains medical students and residents and collaborates in regional sports medicine recommendations. His passion is improving the overall physical and mental well-being of the area. Exercise is medicine!
David Pole, Ph.D.
David Pole, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Division of Community Medicine since 2005. He is director of the Center for Interprofessional Education and Research, responsible for interprofessional learning programs across the health professions at SLU at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and supports faculty development in teamwork and interprofessional practice. His focus is on medical student education, interprofessional education for patient safety and quality improvement, and longitudinal service programs.
Carissa van den Berk-Clark, Ph.D.
carissa.vandenberkclark@health.slu.edu
Carissa van den Berk Clark, Ph.D., is an associate professor of family and community medicine. Prior to joining the department, she received her Ph.D. in social welfare policy from the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA where she also completed a pre-doctoral training at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs. She was also a NIDA postdoctoral fellow at the Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry. Currently, she is a RWJ IRL fellow, as well as outreach and communications director for the SLU ARCHNet practice based research network and the deputy director of the SLU Area Health Education Center. Her research focuses heavily on substance abuse, mental health, care coordination and uses community participatory methodology.