Salem Family Health Center

Laura Holland, MD, is a board-certified gynecologist who joined North Shore Community Health in 2018. She has worked in gynecology for over 30 years and in community health in Massachusetts for 15 years. She is currently the Director of Women’s Health, where she cares for women across their life spans, particularly in those navigating menopause. She is passionate about delivering high-quality health care to several populations, while addressing the cultural disparities and addressing the reproductive and sexual health of adolescents and women. She graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Dr. Robert Slocum received his undergraduate degree at UMass Amherst as well as an MPH from UMass Amherst. He went to medical school at Touro University College of Osteopathic medicine and completed a Family Medicine residency at Jamaica Hospital in New York City. He is also completing a graduate certificate in Health informatics this spring. He works primarily to provide primary care to persons with substance use disorders, chronic mental illness and housing insecurity or other vulnerable populations/persons who experience barriers to receiving health care in traditional settings.

Dr. Kristin Darden is a graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia medical school and completed her residency at the University of Minnesota-North Memorial. She is the medical director of Salem Family Health and focuses her patient directed care towards individuals within the context of their community in addition to gender supportive care and long-acting reversible contraception.

Amer El-Haddad, M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer at North Shore Community Health Center. Amer has over a decade of experience in front-line and leadership work at inner-city community health centers. Amer joined NSCH in Feb 2022 and became CMO later that year. Amer immigrated from Lebanon after attending medical school there and went to residency at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio n Family Medicine and Community Health
Amer oversees the clinical departments at NSCH including primary care, nursing, school-based health centers, and recovery services. Amer is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and health justice and the impacts of health disparities on community health patients. Amer also has a passion for health care leadership, immigrant health, women’s health, addiction, and LGBTQ+ health care. Amer has many interests outside of work including cooking, hiking, biking, and traveling. Amer is fluent in Arabic and Spanish

Cheralyn Johnson is an MSN and FNP graduate from the MGH Institute of Health Professions and BSN graduate from College of the Ozarks. She is certified in Improvement Advising, Health Planet Physician Builder, and Community Health Center Management. She focuses in family primary care, cross-cultural care (particularly West African), infectious diseases, COVID-19, healthcare systems, and health IT.

Michelle Mock is a BSN graduate from UMass Boston and MSN and FNP graduate from Regis College. She is AANP board certified and specializes in Family Medicine.

Erica Mitev, PA-C is an access provider who helps see patients across all three of our health centers. She completed her Master’s of Physician Assistant Studies from Pace University, NYC.

Kathryn Oas graduated with her BSN and MS from Northeastern University. She serves patients that are adolescents to end of life and specialized in HIV, gender supportive, and sexual reproductive health.

Kara Pesola graduated from the MGH Institute of Health Professions with a Master’s in Science of Nursing in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care and Women’s Health. She treats patients aged 12 and older and has specialized training in gender supportive, gynecology, HIV, and sexual health care.

Jailene Roman graduated from Regis College and received both her BSN and MSN. She specializes in Obesity Management. 

Ben Levine has completed his Masters in Social Work, Public Health, and Business Administration. He is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and specifically works with young adults, adults, and those with chronic disease. He specializes in depression, anxiety, hoarding, and substance use disorder.

Jenilee graduated from Salem State University with a degree in Nursing and minors in biology and psychology. She is currently completing Suffolk’s Health Care Management Certificte Program. She has spearheaded the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Program which now offers 24/7 SUD service. Her passion is within community health where she can focus her skillset on advocating for underserved populations with poor health outcomes, and barriers to treatment.

Ellen began her career as a nurse practitioner at North Shore Community Health in 2011, serving as a primary care provider in Gloucester for a number of years. Since 2015, Ellen has held multiple positions in management and leadership at North Shore, including overseeing the nursing and quality programs across the health centers as well as leading the implementation of Epic, our electronic medical record, in 2022.
In her current role, Ellen provides leadership around all aspects of our value-based care programs, including care management, behavioral health, population health and information systems.
Ellen is deeply dedicated to the mission of NSCH to ensure all community members have equal access to excellent health care and is grateful for opportunities to help patients achieve their own health goals. Specific areas of interest include substance use disorder treatment and the use of technology to help meet the needs of patients and staff. Ellen has a passion for learning languages and is proficient in Spanish and French.

Aanu Akinjagunla, PMHNP, who holds a Master of Science in Nursing Degree from the University of Rhode Island is a Behavioral Health Provider and joined North Shore Community Health in 2023. Aanu has practiced Psychiatric Mental health Nursing for over 8 years in various settings, capacities and across the lifespan. She received her Bachelors’ degree in Nursing at the New England Institute of Technology and is a recipient of the Nurse Corps Scholarship Program and a current fellow of the UMASS Chan Tan Changfen Graduate School of Nursing/ MA league of Community Health Centers PMHNP Fellowship program. Aanu currently provides care to Adults and Older Adults with mental health challenges. When not providing care at NSCH, Aanu enjoys spending time with family, reading and nature walks. Aanu speaks English and Yoruba Language.

Melissa Cruz is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker currently providing counseling services to students at Collins Middle School as a School-Based Health Provider. Melissa received her Bachelor of Arts at Merrimack College and majored in Psychology and Sociology. She also went on to obtain her graduate degree of Master of Social Work at Boston College School of Social Work. Melissa enjoys working with children, youth, and families with varying needs including depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use. She has also taken trainings in various areas including trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, CBT, and art therapy approaches. Melissa is grateful to be a part of such a passionate and dedicated team at NSCH and Collins Middle School.

Ryan Griffin graduated with an MSN from MGH Institute of Health Professions in 2012. He has received trainings in psychiatric medication management, eye movement desensitiziation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and solution-focused therapy. He sees adolescents ages 13 and up, adult, and geriatric patients. Ryan specializes in immigrant health, LGBTQ+ needs, traumatic experiences, group therapy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, chronic pain, and street medicine.