Health & Wellness
Health Services

Our Staff

Learn more about Health Services’ clinical and administrative staff members.

Clinical Staff

Please contact our clinical staff through the Medicat Patient Portal, our secure messaging center.

  • Vanessa Britto Headshot

    Vanessa Britto, M.D., MSc., FACP (she/her)

    Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services and Executive Director of Health and Wellness

    Vanessa Britto, M.D., ’96 M.Sc. (community health), joined Brown in January 2018. Britto is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, completed her residency and fellowship in general internal medicine at Rhode Island Hospital and is a fellow in the American College of Physicians. She is currently an assistant professor of medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. 

    As a student life professional and administrator since 2001, Britto has held leadership roles in the field of college health at the local, regional and national levels. Prior to returning to Brown, Britto was formerly the director of health services at Wellesley College. At Brown, Britto oversees the areas of Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), BWell Health Promotion, Student Accessibility Services and Emergency Medical Services, supervising a combined team of more than 200 staff and students. She returned to Brown University to champion a new chapter and a new vision for health and wellness at Brown — continuing in the tradition of innovation and leadership among peers.

    In her spare time, she can be found reading, traveling, enjoying live music (especially jazz), biking or getting in a round of golf.

  • Adam Pallant, M.D., Ph.D.

    Adam Pallant, M.D., Ph.D. (he/him)

    Clinical Director

    Adam Pallant joined the staff in August 2017. Pallant received his B.A. in biochemistry from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and his M.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Rochester. He completed his specialty training in pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. 

    Prior to joining the Health Services team, Pallant had been the pediatric residency director at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a primary care pediatrician at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence for 19 years. He has a special interest in the intersection of mental and physical health.

    When free, he loves to be outdoors —especially body surfing at the ocean — and, while not a great cook, he's a serious foodie.

  • Tanya Sullivan, DNP, APRN, CNP

    Tanya Sullivan, DNP, APRN, CNP (she/her)

    Assistant Clinical Director/Nurse Practitioner

    Tanya Sullivan joined the staff in January 2019. She has been certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for the past 17 years and is licensed in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island as an advanced practice nurse with prescriptive privileges. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from University of Massachusetts Boston, her Master of Science in Nursing from the MGH Institute of Health Professions and her bachelor’s in psychology from Providence College. 

    Prior to joining Brown University Health Services, she was the associate director of Wellesley College Health Services and also worked in family and adolescent community health. Sullivan’s clinical interest includes supporting students with complex and diverse health and mental health concerns, including eating disorders. 

    She enjoys early-morning running, paddle boarding and anything outdoors with her family.

Clinical Staff

  • Heather Aliotta, MSN, APRN, WHNP, ANP-BC

    Heather Aliotta, MSN, APRN, WHNP, ANP-BC (she/her)

    Adult and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner

    Heather Aliotta joined the staff in January 2017 and has special interests in women's health and primary care. She earned her B.A. from Brown University concentrating in psychology and health and society. She became a certified nurse practitioner after earning her MSN from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. She is board-certified in advanced practice nursing in women's health by the National Certification Corporation, as an adult nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and is certified by the state of Rhode Island as a nurse practitioner with prescription privileges. 

    Her previous affiliation was with Massachusetts General Hospital. She returned to Rhode Island to work as a nurse practitioner in the emergency room at Women & Infants Hospital. She is registered by the state of Rhode Island as a registered nurse practitioner with prescription privileges.

    She enjoys spending time with her family, visiting the beach, trying new cuisines and reading novels.

  • Annie Alvarez

    Annie Alvarez

    Nurse Practitioner

    Annie Alvarez joined the staff in January, 2022. She graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Political Science and Latin American Studies, followed by earning her B.S.N and M.S.N. from the University of Pennsylvania.

    As a nurse practitioner at Hasbro Children's Hospital from 2005-2022, Annie was a provider in various clinical settings, including Pediatric Primary Care, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Child Protection, and Adolescent Medicine. She has special interests in health equity and advocacy for under-resourced child and young adult populations.

    Outside of work, she loves spending time with her two children and their dog, Sally. She enjoys practicing yoga, hiking, paddling, exploring nature, reading, listening to music of (almost) all kinds, gardening, and cooking all different cuisines.

  • Tracy Bergeron, RDN, CSSD, CEDS-S, LDN

    Tracy Bergeron, RDN, CSSD, CEDS-S, LDN (she/her)

    Dietitian

    Tracy Bergeron joined the Health Services staff in January 2015. She earned her B.S. in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Vermont and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Rhode Island. As a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics, Bergeron works with many of the teams and student-athletes at Brown. Prior to starting at Brown, she was senior pediatric dietitian at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence where she specialized in the treatment of eating disorders of all types.  With this specialty, Bergeron also earned the title of Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and approved consultant by the International Association of  Eating Disorders Professionals. Tracy is  a proud “No-Diet Dietitian” and a Health at Every SizeⓇ clinician with a passion for compassionate, inclusive care focusing on healing one's relationship with food. 

    Outside of work, Tracy enjoys reading and spending quality time with her family. 

  • Celia Corderio

    Celia Cordeiro

    Physician Assistant

    Celia Cordeiro joined the Health Services staff as a physician assistant in December 2021. She earned her B.S. in nutrition and dietetics from The University of Rhode Island and her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies (MSPAS) from Johnson & Wales University. Celia is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants and by the state of Rhode Island as a physician assistant with prescriptive privileges. Prior to joining Brown University Health Services as a physician assistant she spent 4 years serving in various clinical roles within Brown University’s Health Services.  

    In her spare time she enjoys cooking, plant-shopping and being the fun aunt to her 10 nieces and nephews.

     

  • Valerie Excelby headshot

    Valerie Exelby

    Nurse Practitioner

    Valerie is board-certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center. She started her career working in pediatrics at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. After receiving her master's degree from Pace University she worked at a school-based clinic in New York City. Valerie’s professional background includes public health, family practice, and behavioral medicine. While working in Colorado, Valerie developed an adjunct young adult clinic to the Community Health Clinic to meet the specific needs of this population. 

    She relocated to Rhode Island in 2020 and has since focused on college health. Valerie joined the team at Brown Health Services in 2021. Valerie values developing a trusting, confidential rapport with students, helping them to make individualized, educated, decisions regarding their health.

    In her spare time, Valerie loves to travel and enjoys most anything by the ocean.

  • Scott Jusseaume

    Staff Physician

    Scott Jusseaume, MD joined Brown University Health Services in December 2023. Dr. Jusseaume is board-certified in Family Medicine and has a special interest in primary care and sports medicine. Dr. Jusseaume received his BS from Tufts University and his MD from the University of Connecticut. He completed a family medicine residency in the Tufts Family Medicine program. Dr. Jusseaume has extensive experience in a university health setting having previously been a staff physician at Boston College from 2009-2021 and a Medical Director for schools in the Colleges of the Fenway from 2022-2023. When not at work Dr. Jusseaume enjoys spending time with his family and dog, running, and watching sports. In the winter he can be found in the mountains skiing and in the summer at the beach.

  • Hung Le Headshot

    Hung Le

    Medical Director of Sports Medicine
  • Spencer Lynch, APRN, CNP

    Spencer Lynch, APRN, CNP (she/her)

    Nurse Practitioner

    Spencer Lynch joined the staff in July 2018. She earned her BSN and her MSN as a family nurse practitioner from Boston College. She is certified in advanced practice nursing as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is certified by the state of Rhode Island as a nurse practitioner with prescriptive privileges. Prior to joining Brown University Health Services, she worked as a nurse with patients in acute condition in the Neurology ICU at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  

    In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, hiking with her husband and their dog and going to the beach.

  • Patricia Maier

    Staff Physician
  • Gillian Morris, M.D.

    Gillian Morris, M.D. (she/her)

    Staff Physician

    Gillian Morris joined the staff in July 2018. She earned her Sc.B. in neuroscience from Brown University and her M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency at the Brown University Program in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. 

    Morris has special interests in the care of gender diverse patients; reproductive health and long-acting reversible contraception; mental and behavioral health; and dermatology. She also enjoys teaching medical students and residents as a clinical instructor of family medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

    In her spare time, she loves cooking, exploring new cuisines and vintage shopping. 

  • Leah Murphy

    Nurse Practitioner

    Leah Murphy is a family nurse practitioner. She earned her master’s degree in family nursing from the Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, Kentucky. She completed a bachelor’s degree in nursing science at the University of Rhode Island, and earned a BA in philosophy from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She joined the Brown Health Services team in 2020.

    As a RN, Leah worked at Newport Hospital, Providence Community Health Centers, and VNS of Bristol and Newport Counties. As a NP, she also currently works for Southcoast Health in primary care.
    Previously, Leah worked for a community health center and at the Memory and Aging Program at Butler Hospital. Other work experience includes the SNAP Outreach Project at URI and research related to food accessibility and nutrition status of Rhode Island’s homeless population.

    Leah’s interests include socioeconomic factors that impact health and chronic disease prevention and management. She loves time outdoors and eating delicious food.

  • Hannah Nesbeda Headshot

    Hannah Nesbeda

    Nurse Practitioner

    Hannah Nesbeda joined the staff in 2023. She earned a BA in psychology with a concentration in neuroscience from Williams College, after which she spent a few years working as a ski patroller, raft guide, and EMT before obtaining a BS in nursing from Simmons University. She worked as a staff nurse in the cardiac surgery ICU at Boston Medical Center for 10 years before training to become a nurse practitioner, earning her MSN from Simmons University in 2013. Hannah is certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and is licensed as an APRN with prescriptive authority in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island;  in addition to her role with Health Services, she works in high-risk adult internal medicine/primary care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. 

    Hannah is particularly interested in integrating comprehensive mental health care into the primary care setting and developing strategies for improving shared decision-making and health literacy for all patients. Outside of work, she is an accomplished mixed media and textile artist and maintains a studio in an art collective in Fall River, MA. She also enjoys gardening, cooking, and - when they let her - sharing the couch with her three dogs.

  • Adam Pallant, M.D., Ph.D.

    Adam Pallant, M.D., Ph.D. (he/him)

    Clinical Director

    Adam Pallant joined the staff in August 2017. Pallant received his B.A. in biochemistry from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and his M.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Rochester. He completed his specialty training in pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. 

    Prior to joining the Health Services team, Pallant had been the pediatric residency director at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a primary care pediatrician at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence for 19 years. He has a special interest in the intersection of mental and physical health.

    When free, he loves to be outdoors —especially body surfing at the ocean — and, while not a great cook, he's a serious foodie.

  • Gita Pensa headshot

    Gita Pensa

    Staff Physician

    Gita Pensa, M.D., FAAEM, joined the staff in 2022 after over two decades of practice as an emergency physician, and is board certified in emergency medicine. She is Adjunct Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine. She has practiced in myriad settings, from small community hospitals to large academic trauma centers. Dr. Pensa graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (now Perelman School of Medicine) and subsequently completed her emergency medicine residency training at George Washington University in Washington, DC, serving as Chief Resident in her final year.  Honors include AOA (Alpha Omega Alpha) Honor Society, the Dean's Excellence in Teaching Award (Brown, 2020), National Faculty Mentor of the Year (Emergency Medicine Residents' Association, 2018) and the RI American College of Emergency Physicians' Special Service Recognition Award (2019).  She is also an avid podcaster, and enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and spending time with her family.

  • Sheila C. Raimondo

    Sheila C. Raimondo, D.O. (she/her)

    Staff Physician

    Sheila C. Raimondo joined the staff in February 2011. She earned a B.A. at the College of the Holy Cross and a D.O. at the University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her residency in family practice at Cranston General Hospital in Rhode Island. She is board-certified by the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. Previous affiliations include Health Services at Rhode Island College and Johnson and Wales University and urgent care centers.

  • Tanya Sullivan, DNP, APRN, CNP

    Tanya Sullivan, DNP, APRN, CNP (she/her)

    Assistant Clinical Director/Nurse Practitioner

    Tanya Sullivan joined the staff in January 2019. She has been certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for the past 17 years and is licensed in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island as an advanced practice nurse with prescriptive privileges. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from University of Massachusetts Boston, her Master of Science in Nursing from the MGH Institute of Health Professions and her bachelor’s in psychology from Providence College. 

    Prior to joining Brown University Health Services, she was the associate director of Wellesley College Health Services and also worked in family and adolescent community health. Sullivan’s clinical interest includes supporting students with complex and diverse health and mental health concerns, including eating disorders. 

    She enjoys early-morning running, paddle boarding and anything outdoors with her family.

  • Jessica B. Wilder, CNM, WHNP

    Jessica B. Wilder, CNM, WHNP (she/her)

    Nurse Practitioner

    Jessica B. Wilder, CNM, WHNP, is a nurse practitioner in Health Services, joining Brown in September 2020. Wilder graduated from Smith College with a B.A. in women's studies and biology, followed by receiving her BSN and M.S. from Columbia University in 2007. While living in New York City, she joined the team at NY Presbyterian Hospital in the maternity unit and worked there for several years. After moving to Rhode Island, she began her career as a certified nurse-midwife with Women's Care, handling full-scope midwifery. Her passion for women's health led her to join Planned Parenthood of Southern New England in 2008 as a full-time nurse practitioner, while also serving on their panel for policies and procedures, and quality improvement. 

    During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two sons, Jack and Theo, visiting the beach and watching bad reality television.

  • Micayla Zelny

    Micayla Zelny

    Nurse Practitioner

Administrative Staff