JASON VARGAS, MD, FAAP
I love being a private practice pediatrician. I have had the privilege to care for children and families and watch them grow at my practice, Cactus Children’s Clinic in Glendale, Arizona since 2004 and I hope to do it for many years to come. I have been able to cultivate my interests in child advocacy, child safety, and caring for children with special needs, including Down Syndrome.
I have been able to be a part of training pediatric residents, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in my office. I have been able to work with community hospitals and as a board member for Phoenix Children’s Care Network working to integrate the private practice pediatrician’s role in providing quality pediatric care for years to come. I hope my interests and experience can help in some way to support our mission to improve health care for children.
I graduated from San Jose State University and Stanford University before my residency at the University of Washington-Seattle Children’s Hospital. I was born and raised in California but moved to Arizona in 2004 with my wife after her residency in Anesthesiology. We have 2 children and a dog. We love traveling with our children, running, and spending time with family and friends.
Merlin Channing (Chan) Lowe, Jr., MD, FAAP
Dr. Lowe graduated medical school from The University of Arizona in Tucson and subsequently completed his pediatric training there as well. In 2006, he joined the faculty at the University of Arizona as a pediatric hospitalist and is the Chief of Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Banner-Diamond Children’s Medical Center.
Shortly after becoming an Attending, he developed an interest in child abuse and helped lead the creation of Banner-University Medical Center’s child protection team, focused on improving the care of this vulnerable population.
He currently serves as Chief of Staff at Banner-University Medical Center Tucson. He serves as Chair of the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AzAAP) Continuing Medical Education (CME) Committee, Physician Lead for the AzAAP CME Program, and represents AzAAP on the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA) Committee on Medical Education and Accreditation.
Kristina Wilson, MD, MPH, FAAP
Kristina M. Wilson, MD, MPH is a Pediatric Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Upon completing her fellowship in sports medicine at Vanderbilt University, Dr. Wilson returned to Phoenix, where she had completed her Pediatrics residency, to develop and grow the pediatric sports medicine program at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
She also earned her Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis in public health practice from the University of Arizona. Dr. Wilson serves as the medical director for adolescent and pediatric sports medicine and sports physical therapy at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and as the Director of the Pediatric Brain Injury and Concussion program at Barrow Neurologic Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Child Health at the University of Arizona School of Medicine – Phoenix. For almost 15 years, she has served as a medical director for several Arizona high schools and youth club organizations.
She is the current Chair of the Arizona Interscholastic Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, a position she has held since 2020. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors for AzAAP representing the Greater Phoenix Pediatric Society for the past 6 years and has been an active member of the advocacy committee as well. Her areas of interest include injury prevention, quality improvement, community advocacy and policy development.
Jodi Carter, MD, FAAP
Dr. Jodi P. Carter is the Department Chair of Pediatrics for District Medical Group and Valleywise Health Medical Center. Dr. Carter is also a pediatric hospitalist and outpatient pediatrician at Valleywise Health Medical Center. After growing up in Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Carter earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University in Washington D. C. She returned to Arizona for medical school and earned her medical degree from the University of Arizona. She then completed a pediatric internship and residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire in 2003.
Dr. Carter joined the Pediatric Hospitalist Division at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in 2007 and worked at Phoenix Children’s Hospital from 2007 – 2021. While at Phoenix Children’s she held many different administrative roles including Medical Director of Utilization Review, Chief Medical Officer of the Phoenix Children’s Care Network, Chief Clinical Integration Officer, and Section Chief Community Based Ambulatory Pediatrics.
Dr. Carter has been a member of the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AzAAP) since moving back to Arizona in 2003. Dr. Carter looks forward to working with AzAAP to continue its mission to improve the health of all Arizona children while supporting the pediatric professionals who care for these children.
Christopher Brown, CPA
Chris is Global Controller for PatientNow.com. Chris was previously a manager in the assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he led both public and private company audits primarily in the asset management and real estate industries. Prior to joining PricewaterhouseCoopers, Chris worked as an associate at Vicenti, Lloyd and Stutzman, LLP. Chris has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Azusa Pacific University and is a licensed CPA in California and Arizona.
Rebecca Egbert, MD, FAAP
Rebecca M. Egbert, MD, FAAP, is the pediatric medical director of Tucson Medical Center (TMC) Hospice. She is a board-certified pediatrician who cares for children who are suffering from terminal conditions in Tucson and surrounding areas.
She also serves as a pediatric hospitalist with Tucson Pediatric Hospitalists as well as a pediatrician in private practice. Dr. Egbert completed her bachelor’s degree at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated from The University of Arizona Medical School and completed pediatric residency at the University of Arizona Affiliated Hospitals in Tucson, Arizona.
Besides her clinical work, Dr. Egbert serves as the President of Pima County Pediatric Society and on the board of the AzAAP.
Sarah Bannister, DO, FAAP
Dr. Sarah Bannister is a Pediatric Hospitalist and the Medical Director of Care Coordination at Banner Children's at Banner Desert and Banner Ocotillo Medical Center. She is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hospital Medicine. She is passionate about professional excellence, quality, safety, and high-quality evidence-based care for pediatric patients. Dr. Bannister is active in quality, safety, and utilization committees within multiple Banner hospitals and at the Banner system level. She has served as the Lead Physician for the Pediatric Hospitalists at Banner Children's at Desert, Chair of Pediatric Medicine at Banner Children's at Desert and Chair of Pediatric Medicine at Banner Gateway Medical Center.
Dr. Bannister is essentially a native Arizonian who completed her undergraduate education at the University of Arizona (Go Wildcats!) She briefly left Arizona to attend medical school at Touro University Nevada and returned to complete her pediatric residency at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. She served as a Chief Resident in 2011 after the pediatric residency program at St. Joseph's was combined with Phoenix Children's Hospital.
In her spare time, Dr. Bannister enjoys baking, napping, and spending time with her active family.
Rachel Cramton, MD, FAAP
Dr. Rachel Cramton is the Program Director for the Pediatric Residency Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson. At Banner University Medical Center - Tucson, she is a pediatric hospitalist and part of the Children At Risk Evaluation Team. She is also the only Pediatric Palliative Care Physician in the Banner system. In the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Dr. Cramton is involved in medical student preclinical and clinical education as well as resident education.
She attended Temple University School of Medicine in North Philadelphia before completing her pediatric residency at Hasbro Children's Hospital/Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She completed a Chief year at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire before moving to Tucson in 2009.
Dr. Cramton has been involved nationally with the AAP PediaLink Editorial Board and PediaLink Medical Student Working Group. Locally she is active with the AzAAP Public Health Action Team, Pima Country Child Fatality Review and Southern Arizona Children’s Advocacy Center. Dr. Cramton believes food is a love language and likes to share with her husband James and their two teens.
Catherine Riley, MD, FAAP
Dr. Catherine Riley is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the University of Arizona, Department of Pediatrics. She holds a bachelor's degree from Indiana University, a master's degree in education from Western Maryland College, and a doctoral degree from Mayo Medical School. She completed a fellowship in developmental behavioral pediatrics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
She has been here in Arizona for 4 years. She teaches in the UA Medical School in both the basic science and the clinical medical curricula. The majority of her time is spent clinically evaluating and diagnosing children with developmental and behavioral concerns (especially autism).
Dr. Riley is the program director for the Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Fellowship. She is a member of the board, along with being the leader of the professional advisory committee for the Autism Society of Southern Arizona. Dr. Riley also serves as the Medical Director for Early Brain and Child Development Section of the AzAAP and chairs the Developmental Screening Committee.
Jon McGreevy, MD, FAAP
Dr. McGreevy, like many Arizonans, is not native to the state but has considered it home since his family moved to the Phoenix area in 1989. After attending the University of Arizona, he attended Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska. He went on to complete pediatric residency at Children’s Medical Center Dallas / University of Texas Southwestern. He spent the next two years as a pediatric hospitalist working for Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine / St. Louis Children’s Hospital and stayed there to complete fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine. During fellowship, he was enrolled in an NIH training grant to develop physician scientists and additionally completed a Master’s in Science and Public Health from St. Louis University School of Public Health. Research on Rapid HIV screening during this period lead to the Ludgwig-Siedel award in 2009. Upon completion of training, he moved to Phoenix.
He has been with Phoenix Children’s Hospital since 2013 and has been an Associate Program Director for the pediatric residency program since that time. After completing the LEAD (Leadership in Educational Academic Development) program with the Association of Pediatric Program Directors, he was appointed as the Fellowship Director of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship aligning with his long-time interest in medical education and the mentoring of fellows.
In 2019, he won the Grace Caputo Faculty Mentor award which was a tremendous honor as Dr. Caputo was one of his personal mentors. When not working, he and his wife are always looking for outdoor activities and challenges to explore in Arizona with hopes that their daughters may one day join them on their annual Rim-to-Rim day hike in the Grand Canyon.
Richard Engel, MD, FAAP
Dr. Richard Engel is a Pediatric Hospitalist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) and Associate Division Chief of the division of Hospital Medicine. After college at the University of Pennsylvania, he earned his MD at New York University, then went on to complete his internship and residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
He is currently a Clinical Associate Professor with both the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, and Creighton University College of Medicine, as well as an Instructor of Pediatrics at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He is board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hospital Medicine and is active in the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AzAAP) where he currently serves on the Board of Directors.
In addition to his clinical and teaching duties, Dr. Engel helps lead efforts related to QI, such as clinical pathway development, in his role as the Medical Director of Quality Improvement at PCH. He has been engaged in quality research as well, particularly as part of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Value in In-Patient Pediatrics Network (VIP), where he served as the leader of the Q-UTI project working to improve the management of patients with urinary tract infection across 42 different hospitals nationally. He and his wife, Dr. Lisa Engel, also a pediatrician at North Scottsdale Pediatrics, have two children, Melissa, and Matthew. Together they enjoy music, travel, and reading.
Miran Song, MD, FAAP
Dr. Miran Song graduated Alpha Omega Alpha from Albany Medical College followed by a Pediatric Residency at Tufts Medical Center. She was chosen as a National Health Service Corps Scholar and did her service in the Indian Health Service at the Kayenta Health Center on the Navajo Reservation. Dr. Song gained a wealth of medical and cultural knowledge while working there for 11 years.
She then continued to work on the Navajo Reservation in Tuba City for an additional 6 years. She currently is the Pediatric Lead for North Country HealthCare, a FQHC in Northern AZ.
Dr. Song has maintained a love for public health and working with underserved communities. She enjoys camping, hiking, rock climbing and many other sports that her children have surpassed her in.
Sara Park, MD, FAAP
Dr. Park received her B.A. from the University of Chicago, and her M.D. from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed her residency at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital & Maricopa Medical Center Pediatric Residency Program in 1995.
She practiced pediatrics in the private practice as well as in the academic setting in Arizona. She taught clinical pediatrics to students from the University of Arizona as well as Residents at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital/Maricopa Medical Center Pediatric Residency Program at Maricopa Integrated Health System (MIHS) now known as Valleywise Health. Her special interests include underserved and vulnerable populations and she helped implement the Pediatric Refugee Program at Valleywise Health. Dr. Park is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, Department of Child Health.
Dr. Park joined the Department of Child Safety Comprehensive Health Plan (DCS CHP) in October of 2015. DCS CHP is the Medicaid Health Plan for children in out-of-home care in Arizona, it is also part of the Department of Child Safety (DCS).
Her current position as Chief Medical Officer at DCS CHP allows her to remain in the patient care realm with evaluation of services provided to the members, but also affords her the opportunity to advocate for children on a system level. She has taken up this cause with enthusiasm, by taking the opportunity to address the care of children in out-of-home care internally with DCS, and externally with the Medical community, Behavioral Health System, the Juvenile Justice System, the Division of Developmental Disabilities and community stakeholders.
Sarah Wiersma, MD, FAAP
Dr. Sarah Wiersma grew up in Arizona and completed her medical school and pediatric residency training at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She is an ambulatory pediatrician practicing at North Scottsdale Pediatrics. Her favorite part of pediatrics is following children and their families over time and watching them grow.
She also has particular interests in child advocacy and breastfeeding medicine. She has worked on multiple advocacy initiatives and is the recipient of a CATCH grant for an oral health program. During residency she served on the national AAP board for the trainee section, and she has now been involved in the AzAAP on the Board of Directors for the past 4 years.
She plans to continue to bring an early career physician voice to the AzAAP Board of Directors.
Randon Hall, MD, FAAP
I am board certified in pediatrics and fellowship trained in pediatric primary care sports medicine. I am currently a physician in the Phoenix Children’s Pediatric Orthopedic Department, Sports Medicine Program. I specialize in non-operative treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, sport-specific rehabilitation, ultrasound guided procedures as well as concussion management. I have a special interest in sports nutrition and performance.
I work extensively with the sports medicine community of athletic trainers and physical therapists throughout Phoenix, providing educational lectures as well as sideline coverage for local high schools during the football season. I enjoy routinely teaching medical students and residents in clinic in addition to lecturing at various venues throughout the Phoenix area.
I am a volunteer physician at St. Vincent DePaul free clinic, and I also lecture at Franklin Pierce University as an adjunct professor in the physical therapy department teaching a graduate course on medical imaging and diagnostics. In addition to the AAP, I am a member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) and The Society for Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine (PRiSM).
Marisa Werner, MD, FAAP
Marisa Werner, MD, FAAP, was born in Washington, DC, grew up in Maryland, and attended the University of Maryland for undergraduate studies, medical school, and pediatric residency. Marisa has been working in Native American health care systems since 1994.
Marisa is currently employed by Tohono O’odham Nation Health Care (TONHC) and also serves on the Tohono O’odham Regional Council of First Things First. Marisa appreciates and enjoys AzAAP ECHO projects and is currently participating in the SBIRT one.
Marisa lives in Tucson, Arizona with the family dog and enjoys visits from her daughter, who is away at college. For recreation, Marisa enjoys bicycle rides, short scenic walks, and chats with friends.
SAIKA SOMJEE, MD, FAAP
Saika Somjee, MD is currently the Associate Medical Director for Sunset Health, Inc. She obtained her Medical Degree in 1993 from Seth G. S. Medical College and then her Pediatric Residency Degree in 1996 from Lokmanya Tilak Medical College, Mumbai, India. After working in Pediatric Oncology at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai for 2 years, she came to the US to join the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship program in early 1999 and then completed both her Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship training and Pediatric residency training from Louisiana State University, New Orleans in 2005 and 2007 respectively. She is Board certified both in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. In 2009, she was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
She joined Sunset Community Health Center, Inc. (now Sunset Health, Inc.) 14 years ago, in July 2007, in the capacity of active staff Pediatrician.
In 2011, she took the position of Associate Medical Director for Sunset Health. Besides her administrative work, she sees patients for half the time, does quality improvement projects, supervises physician assistants, and has been a preceptor for nurse practitioner/medical students and family practice residents. In addition, she provides care for the pediatric hematology-oncology patients of the Yuma County Department. She has been a Member on Panel for Cancer Committee at Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC), Yuma from 2012. She is also the Director of Clinical Education at Sunset Health from 2013. She held the position of the Director of Clinical Education (Outpatient Pediatrics), Family Practice Residency Program, YRMC, from July 2013 through December 2020. She also is the Regional Director of Medical Education, A. T. Still University PA Program, teaching collaboration with Sunset Health from August 2018. She has received multiple awards such as the Award for ‘Excellence in Clinical teaching’ by University of Arizona and multiple ‘Apple Awards’ for the best PGY-1 Rotation of the Year- Pediatrics/Attending of the Year/ Teacher of the Year for the Family Practice Residency Program.
She currently holds privileges at YRMC. She was vice-chair of the Department of Pediatrics in YRMC from January 2010 through December 2012. She has sat in several committees at Sunset Health, such as the Peer Review and the Medical Records committee. She also is a member of the American College of Physicians, the Yuma County Medical Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is drawn to the idea of using all her skills in primary care to improve the well-being of individuals and communities.
JILLIAN WALL, MD, FAAP
Dr. Jillian Wall is an academic Pediatric Hospitalist at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Following her Pediatric Residency at the University of California, San Diego, she chose to pursue fellowship training in Hospital Medicine at Dell Children’s Hospital from the University of Texas, Austin.
During her fellowship, she completed a Master’s in Public Health in Tobacco Control. Since joining PCH, she has pursued QI projects to reduce secondhand smoke exposure in children and improve family centered care. She currently serves as Arizona’s AAP E-Cigarette Champion.
She is also the Pediatric Clerkship Director for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the Associate Clerkship Director for The University of Arizona, College of Medicine. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and son.
Anne M. Stafford, MA
Anne Stafford joined AzAAP as the Executive Director in July of 2015 and became the Chapter’s first Chief Executive Officer in 2018. As a nonprofit executive who has dedicated her personal and professional career to improving the health, education, and well-being of children and families, Anne has helped lead the chapter to several successes including being named the Outstanding Chapter of the Year.
With a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communication and a master’s degree in Administration, Anne is committed to supporting pediatric professionals across the state to improve the care of Arizona children, addressing critical issues including poverty and child health, early brain and child development, and quality of care and child safety.