2022 Nurse Practitioner Residents
Andrew Billings, MBA, MSN, FNP-C
Andrew “Andy” Billings is a family nurse practitioner who graduated with a Master of Science from the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. Andy has worked in the emergency department setting for the past 10 years caring for underserved populations in a variety of capacities ranging from bedside emergency department nurse to department manager of multiple emergency departments throughout his career. Billings’ clinical interest focuses on family practice in conjunction with emergency medicine, with an emphasis on increased access to care by enhancing rural community health care infrastructures. His research interests centers on how health care services and delivery models can be modernized to reach those in rural or underserved areas to maximize both acute care and preventive medicine. His primary care assignment is at Sacramento County Health Center in Sacramento.
Sarah Gardina, MSN, FNP-BC
Sarah Gardina is a family nurse practitioner who graduated with honors from Azusa Pacific University in San Diego. As a nurse, Gardina worked in the Intensive Care Unit at Prebys Cardiovascular Institute, a leading medical facility in cardiovascular care and a level I trauma center. She has expertise caring for a variety of patients (cardiology, heart failure, trauma, stroke, and more). She also has managed complex medical therapies including Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Impella, Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) and others. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition from San Diego State University and National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) certification. Thereafter, she worked as a prehospital emergency medical technician and as an emergency department and trauma technician. She was named Rookie of the Year as a new graduate nurse. Her global medical experience was shaped by serving in Malawi, Africa, Tecate and Tijuana, Mexico. She participated on the COVID-19 task force and served on the Code Blue Committee where she helped improve CPR quality. Gardina’s clinical interests include cardiology, heart failure, critical care, emergency medicine and women’s health. Her research interests include strategies to prevent heart disease through a healthy lifestyle, especially in women of childbearing ages and menopause, educating patients about their unique risk factors and how patients and nurses can keep their hope through spiritual growth and parish nursing.
Moemi Mallan Gossal, MSN, AGPCNP-C
Moemi Mallan Gossal is an adult gerontological primary care nurse practitioner who graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing from the UCSF School of Nursing. Her experience includes volunteering as a nurse with UCSF’s student-run community health clinics. She has also spent time volunteering in San Francisco throughout the pandemic to provide education regarding COVID-19 and conduct antibody and COVID-19 testing in communities of need. Her research interests include polypharmacy in older adults and palliative care pain management. Gossal’s clinical interests include preventive medicine, patient-centered care and helping communities to access basic health care needs. She looks forward to using all the skills and knowledge she has gained in her training to provide a holistic and integrated approach to care. Her primary care clinical assignment during residency is at Western Sierra Medical Clinic in Grass Valley, California.
Sandra Kamba, MSN, FNP-BC-C
Sandra Kamba is a family nurse practitioner who graduated with a Master of Science from the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. As a nurse, Kamba worked at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento hospital for seven years on a medical-surgical floor, where she cared for both pediatric and adult patients of varying social and economic backgrounds with a wide array of disease progression. Prior to nursing, Kamba worked for 10 years as a math teacher at both inner-city and private schools in the Los Angeles area. Her passion for simplifying complex processes in the classroom crosses over to the value she places on patient education. In addition to her desire to provide high quality care to under-resourced communities, Kamba’s clinical interests include managing chronic illnesses through lifestyle medicine. Her primary care clinical assignment is at HALO in Sacramento, California.
Mary Joe Martinez, MSN, FNP-C
Mary Joe Martinez is a family nurse practitioner who graduated with a Master of Science from Samuel Merritt University in Sacramento, California. As a nurse, Martinez worked for a major county hospital in her hometown and served as a float pool registered nurse in the intermediate care unit, medical surgical unit, telemetry unit, mental health unit and acute rehab unit. Prior to her nursing position, Martinez worked as a medical scribe at a level II trauma hospital emergency department. Martinez’ clinical interests are in the fields of endocrinology, women’s health and mental health within the primary care setting. She is interested in working with disadvantaged communities, particularly non-English speaking communities. Her research interests include diabetes management, mental health and community outreach. His primary care clinical assignment during residency is at El Dorado Community Health Centers.
Jovana Paulino Meno, MSN, FNP-C, CCRN
Jovana Paulino Meno is a family nurse practitioner who graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing Degree from Maryville University of St. Louis, in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Guam. As a nurse, Meno has worked in various areas such as adult intensive care and urgent care with Sharp Health Care in San Diego as well as a pediatric nurse with Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego. Meno has also worked as a nurse for an emergency temporary shelter for children operated by the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. At this shelter, Meno provided nursing care to children who were separated from their families and taken into protective custody or placed in foster care for abuse and neglect. Meno also earned certification as a critical care registered nurse by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Meno’s clinical interests include family medicine, women’s health and pediatric medicine, specifically for patients in underserved and minority populations. Her research interests include disparities in health care among minority populations, effects of colonialism on Pacific Islander health and disparities in health among women and children. Her primary care clinical assignment is at One Community Health in Sacramento, California.
Charlie Shearer, MSN, FNP-BC
Charlie Shearer is a family nurse practitioner who graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing from California State University, Dominguez Hills. As a nurse, Shearer worked in the emergency department and public health, where she witnessed the impact of social and economic factors on client health and was inspired to become a practitioner who provides accessible primary care to underserved, non-English-speaking communities. During her master’s-degree program, Shearer began volunteering with a community lactation support group with International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners who provide free high-level care to families. Her research interests include how screening for and addressing social and economic factors can improve chronic disease management, as well as how unique approaches to nursing education retain nurses, leading to improved overall community health. Her primary care clinical assignment is at the United Health Centers in Fresno, California.
Melissa Song, MSN, FNP-BC
Melissa Song is a family nurse practitioner who graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing from Columbia University. Her experience includes working as a nurse in a community setting administering vaccines at a prominent New York City hospital during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to nursing, Song worked for five years in women and children’s environmental health research where she developed a passion for women’s health. She also has extensive experience volunteering at safety net hospitals throughout San Francisco's East Bay, connecting patients to local resources to minimize social determinants of health. Song’s primary clinical interest includes working alongside her patients to minimize health disparities, with further interests in women’s health and diabetes management. Her research interests include studying the effect of environmental exposures on the health outcomes of minority populations, as well as exploring culturally competent approaches to preventing and managing chronic diseases. Her primary care clinical assignment is at Community Medical Centers in Stockton, California.
