Staff of the Teen Health Center |
Dyan Aretakis, Family Nurse Practitioner and Project Director. Dyan has worked with the Teen Health Center since its opening in 1991. Her philosophy about adolescence is that it is an exciting time in life with endless possibilities and opportunities. She believes in empowering teens to have reliable information and good resources so that decisions they make in life are thoughtful and health promoting.
Ruth Cowan, Office Manager. Ruth joined the Teen Health Center in 2001. To keep this office running smoothly she draws on 20 years of experience in health care systems at the University of Virginia. She greets you on arrival, helps explain the health care costs, arranges referrals to other health care providers and provides assistance with insurance plans.
Heather Payne, Women's Health Nurse Practitioner. Joining the Teen Health Center in 2002 Heather brings an expertise in the special concerns of young women such as menstrual cramps, migraine headaches, acne, and the newest and most effective birth control methods.
M. Ashley Cook, Registered Nurse Ashley joined the Teen Health Center in 2007 from the Women's Center at the University of Virginia Health System. She offers patients a wide range of information on topics such as nutrition, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, and many other health care topics.
Katherine Kent, M.D., Co-Director. Dr Kent is the OB/GYN liason for the Teen Health Center. She received her medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed her residency training at Duke University. She spent several years in practice in both North Carolina and Florida before returning to Virginia to practice all aspects of general Ob-Gyn.Nancy McLaren, Co-Medical Director and Pediatrician. Dr. McLaren joined the Teen Health Center in 2000 from Emory University and Grady Memorial Hospital Satellite clinics. She brings an expertise in school and general adolescent health. She is a clinical assistant professor of Pediatrics in the Children's Medical Center at the University of Virginia. She also serves on the community-based Obesity Task Force and has been actively pioneering programs that will reduce obesity in childhood and adolescence.
Sheila Early, Social Worker, Sheila is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 25 yearsof clinical and social work administrative experience in health care, mental health, trauma services for high risk teens and women, and counseling. She has specializedtraining in Child and Adolescent Assessment & Treatment and Family Therapy.Her treatment philosophy is to help clients experience themselves differently in order to lead more satisfying lives. She does this through utilizing music, affirmations, relaxation techniques, poetry, and other related modalities. Her primary interest is to help adolescent females and adult women move beyond self-defeating behaviors to be empowered women in control of their lives.
Mary Sullivan , M.ED, Community Educator. Mary coordinates community outreach and education efforts for the Teen Health Center, including the high school peer health education program. She also serves as the Charlottesville/Albemarle Teen Pregnancy and STD Prevention Coordinator. Locally, Mary has provided health education programs for children, teens, college students, and adults for over fifteen years through schools, churches, and community agencies. She is the mother of three children, two of them teenagers.