Our Staff

Nora Sarte

Executive Director

  • Nora Sarte brings over 17 years of experience in healthcare administration and leadership, with a strong focus on expanding access to care for underserved and uninsured communities.

    She currently serves as Executive Director of Volunteers in Medicine – San Diego, where she is committed to strengthening operations, deepening community partnerships, and advancing the organization’s mission of delivering compassionate, patient-centered care.

    Prior to joining VIM, Nora served in senior leadership roles within community-based healthcare settings, including as Director of Operations and Interim Executive Director.

    In these roles, she led efforts to strengthen clinical operations, expand patient-centered programs, and improve access to comprehensive care for vulnerable populations.

    She has extensive experience in healthcare operations, including oversight of licensing and regulatory compliance, budgeting and payroll administration, staffing and workflow coordination, and the day-to-day management of clinic environments. Her operational expertise supports efficient, high-quality care delivery and aligns closely with VIM’s volunteer-driven model.

    Nora has also led organizations through periods of transition, helping stabilize operations, support staff, and partner closely with Boards of Directors to maintain strong governance and continuity. She is known for her thoughtful leadership, sound judgment, and ability to build sustainable systems that support both care teams and the communities they serve.

    Her leadership style is grounded in a humble, human-centered approach that prioritizes collaboration, accountability, and respect. She is deeply committed to fostering a culture of trust, professionalism, and shared purpose.

    Nora’s dedication to serving underserved communities is deeply personal. As a first-generation Hispanic professional, she brings lived experience, cultural awareness, and a strong sense of responsibility to her work—leading with empathy and a genuine commitment to equity in healthcare access.

    Outside of her professional role, Nora enjoys morning runs along the beach, kayaking, and hiking with her family, and spending time cooking and hosting for loved ones.

Tryna Ramos, M.D.

Medical Director

  • Dr. Ramos is a volunteer physician at the VIM San Diego clinic. Before joining VIM she had participated on several international medical trips to Africa, Haiti, Dominican Republic, India and Vietnam. While the work was meaningful, it seemed inadequate to provide intermittent care with no follow up or continuity. This lead her to investigate local opportunities to provide care for underserved & uninsured populations. A search for local opportunities brought her to VIM.

    Dr. Ramos graduated from the UCLA School of Medicine in 2000, and has worked as a physician in a variety of roles.

David Lopez

Clinic & Volunteer Coordinator

  • I have been cutting hair for 6 years now and it helped me pay for my bachelors degree at UCSD which I just graduated a month ago. Before UCSD, I attended San Diego City College and Riggins Urban Barber College at the same time and developed my time management skills both as a student and barber. I aspire to attend medical school and I decided to open up my own barbershop since I will be having 2 gap years and much more time on my hands. 

Brandi Blais

Development Coordinator

  • Brandi joined VIM San Diego in the Fall of 2022, working remotely from the PNW. She brings her experience in grant writing, social media outreach, and donor relations, along with a passion for working with small non-profits helping the most vulnerable members of our communities. Previously, Brandi worked for non-profits focused on food insecurity and homelessness, and she currently volunteers for the Whidbey Homeless Coalition as a board member.

    When she’s not working, Brandi enjoys foraging & hiking with her dog, Travis, or reading and knitting.

Susan Josephson

Outreach Coordinator

  • Coming Soon

Judy Marquie

Operations Manager

  • Volunteers in Medicine is delighted to welcome Judy Marquie as Clinic Operations Manager in 2025. Judy brings extensive professional and volunteer experience and looks forward to helping patients navigate the clinic with compassion and care.

    She spent 17 years with a biotechnology company in Ventura County before retiring in 2007 and relocating to San Diego with her husband. In 2013, Judy began her nonprofit service with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, where she held multiple leadership roles and contributed to numerous community projects.

    In 2022, she joined Heaven’s Windows, a nonprofit dedicated to addressing food insecurity, where she managed the Spring Valley food pantry and supported families in need.

Board of Directors

Myra Ng
Board Secretary

  • Before joining the Board, Myra volunteered as a Patient Greeter and Scheduler, and Volunteer Coordinator where she had the opportunity to see first-hand the day-to-day activities of the Clinic and the impact that the volunteer staff made on the community and the patients they served. Myra has been a patient advocate for friends and family members with serious illnesses and deeply understands the importance of access to healthcare for all. Her passion for medicine, research, and science led her to roles in the biopharmaceutical industry where she contributed to the journey of bringing new or improved medicines to the market in the areas of inflammation and oncology. She is a strong supporter of preventative care, health monitoring, and the proactive approach to preserving one’s well-being. Myra is excited to witness the evolution of the Clinic and to have the privilege to work with such compassionate and talented individuals at VIM-SD to help make a difference in the community one patient at a time. As a Board Member, Myra looks forward to helping to secure the growth and future of the Clinic so that it may continue to reach out to low income and underinsured families in San Diego County, leading to healthy, positive outcomes.

Tana Giffen
Board Treasurer

  • Tana is an experienced operations and supply chain leader with a strong track record of optimizing inventory management, improving operational efficiency, and driving cost savings across multiple industries. She has expertise in leading cross-functional teams, driving continuous improvement, and delivering strategic initiatives that align with company growth and financial objectives.

Tim Cajka
Board Chair

  • Tim is a 25-year healthcare and real estate executive. He is a proven leader with success in scaling business operations in healthcare delivery. He’s held executive leadership roles with Fortune 500 companies and PE backed organizations. He has a passion for exceptional customer experience, teammate engagement and clinical excellence. Tim is Managing Partner at HealthStar Commercial, a consulting firm which provides guidance in the areas of business operations and corporate real estate for healthcare and medical organizations. Tim is an active volunteer with non-profit organizations in San Diego that focus on underserved communities for healthcare needs.

Board of Trustees

Stuart Harvey
Board Trustee

  • Stuart has been involved in managing VIM clinic activities since the organization was first formed in 2005. A Civil Engineer by training, he brings to the Board of Trustees experience in personnel management, lease agreements and property management. For several years prior to 2022 he was Chairman of the clinic’s Board of Trustees.

    The clinic’s Community Garden was largely planned and constructed under Stuart’s direction, and he continues to oversee general maintenance of the garden area.

Clarice Utt
Board Trustee

  • Clarice worked in a family business for 25 years as Vice President, responsible for managing business accounting and customer relations for the organization. She employed around 12 people and provided services to 30+ businesses. Through her career she and became very aware that hard working people could not always afford medical care and wanted to see if there was a way to help that situation. Fortunately, through friends, she was introduced to Volunteers in Medicine San Diego and has served on the Board of Directors since 2009.

Dr. Tryna Ramos

  • Dr. Ramos is a volunteer physician at the VIM San Diego clinic. Before joining VIM she had participated on several international medical trips to Africa, Haiti, Dominican Republic, India and Vietnam. While the work was meaningful, it seemed inadequate to provide intermittent care with no follow up or continuity. This lead her to investigate local opportunities to provide care for underserved & uninsured populations. A search for local opportunities brought her to VIM.

    Dr. Ramos graduated from the UCLA School of Medicine in 2000, and has worked as a physician in a variety of roles.

Lisa Charukul, Esq.

  • Background & Expertise

    • Legal practice: Public defender, focused where criminal law intersects with mental illness

    • Mental health involvement: Extensive training and work through outreach clinics; partnerships with outreach teams across the county

    • Community engagement: PAC Landing (pop-up clothing clinics), other grassroots initiatives

    • Caseload: Represents ~50 clients annually—often unhoused, undocumented, or severely mentally ill individuals

    • Case range: From drug-related to gang and murder cases; regularly deals with capacity challenges among clients

    • Healthcare gaps: Works with clients who often qualify for Medi-Cal but are uninsured

    • Availability: A few hours per month (balancing professional demands and parenting)

    • Geographic scope: Represents clients across the county, from Alpine to Oceanside

    Lisa brings a unique mix of legal expertise, mental health advocacy, and on-the-ground community service that would add real depth to the board.

Our Volunteer Physicians

Dr. David Polster

General Practice

  • Dr. Polster graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease. He is a Pulmonologist in El Cajon, CA and has 56 years of experience.

Dr. Sandra Jassmann

General Practice

  • Dr. Sandra Jassmann, MD, graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and is a Diabetes & Metabolism Endocrinologist in El Cajon, CA with 56 years of experience. Dr. Jassmann also speaks Spanish.

Dr. Irwin Rosenfarb

Psychology

  • Dr. Rosenfarb is a licensed psychologist (PSY15174) and Professor Emeritus in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at CSPP/Alliant International University in San Diego.

    A licensed psychologist for more than 37 years, Dr. Rosenfarb’s focus is on helping individuals and their family members. He was the Principal Investigator on a NIMH research grant. He also served on the San Diego County Mental Health Board and on the San Diego Psychological Association Board of Directors. Dr. Rosenfarb has over 100 publications.

    He trained with Dr. Steven C. Hayes, a leader in cognitive-behavior therapy and the developer of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Dr. Hayes was listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as the 30th “highest impact” psychologist in the world. He subsequently completed a post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA with Dr. David Miklowitz, the developer of Family-Focused Treatment (FFT) for adults and adolescents with depression and bipolar disorder.

Dr. Robert Dinh

General Practice

  • Dr. Dinh attended Poway High, and he has fond memories of playing high school tennis and spending summers playing beach volleyball.  He ventured to Pennsylvania for college and medical school, where he graduated from the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1998.  After completing residency in San Jose, CA, he has worked as a hospitalist (hospital-based internal medicine physician).  In the Bay Area, he became medical director of his hospitalist group, and he took a lead role in developing and reviewing content for the electronic health record.  He volunteered with Los Medicos Voladores and the Samaritan House San Mateo.

    Since returning to the San Diego area in 2015, Dr. Dinh has worked at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas, where he serves as chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.  He joined Volunteers in Medicine San Diego in 2025.  He feels privileged to work with the team at VIM and to serve the San Diego community.

Dr. Lu Fan

Acupuncture

  • Dr. Lu Fan has worked as an acupuncturist for seven years. After several years of clinic practice. Dr. Fan went back to school and got her doctorate in Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Fan volunteered at Sharp Healthcare Center vaccine clinic. At VIM, Dr. Fan has been able to help many patients who suffer from chronic pain.

Silvie Georgens

Nutritionist

  • Silvie has over 20 years of experience working with diabetes and nutrition. Her most recent clinical position was with Diabetes and Endocrinology Associates as a Physician Assistant. She also has extensive experience in insulin device training and management. In 2011 she obtained her masters in physician assistant studies and her PA license. For almost 10 years, she worked with Dr. Fink in La Mesa taking care of individuals in his adult endocrinology practice. She transitioned out of a clinical role 2 years ago to work in medical affairs with a pharmaceutical company.

    In addition, she has served as a Clinical Educator for various pharmaceutical and device companies. Prior to becoming a Physician Assistant Silvie was a Certified Diabetes Educator and Dietitian and has worked with the Whittier Diabetes Institute, Family Health Centers of San Diego, the US Peace Corps in Honduras, Kaiser Permanente and UCSD Medical Center.

    Silvie is also bilingual. She learned Spanish while living in Honduras for 2 years where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer. She finds great joy in educating her patients and seeing them take control and live well with diabetes.

    We’re excited & grateful to have Silvie join us in helping patients improve and maintain their health through better nutrition and education!

Dr. Steven Golbus

Physician

  • Dr. Steven Golbus began dedicating his time and talent to VIM San Diego nearly twenty years ago, taking on several roles over his time at VIM San Diego. As Medical Director, he oversaw quality assurance for the clinic’s medical providers and trained new physician volunteers. In his other role as a primary care physician, he held two clinics each week where he offered patients expert care in VIM San Diego’s Culture of Caring.

    “Even though I’m retired, I still love to practice medicine. There are people out there who need medical care who otherwise wouldn’t get it without our clinic. We have become the medical home for many people who would have nowhere else to go except to the hospital emergency room.”

    The now retired doctor spent his medical career caring for San Diegans in need. For nearly 30 years, Dr. Golbus practiced medicine in the Division of Nephrology with the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group where he also served as Chief of Nephrology and was named 2002’s Internist of the Year.

    Dr. Golbus truly enjoys sharing his time to help others, as he has also volunteered for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and currently volunteers for Project Access—a network of healthcare providers who donate medically necessary healthcare.

    • Bachelor of Science: Northwestern University

    • Doctor of Medicine: Northwestern University

    • Fellowships: Department of Immunopathology, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation

    • Fellow: National Kidney Foundation 1977-78

    • Member of American College of Physicians and National Kidney Foundation