CIBD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Medical Director
- Vice President of the Board
- Member of the CIBD Physician Team
Board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology, Dr. Soni's clinical and research focus is hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, especially as they relate to teens.
In his pursuit to finding innovative ways to connect with teen patients with hemophilia, Dr. Soni worked on a grant for special strategic communications training from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create interactive media aimed at connecting with teens with hemophilia. The goal is to provide teens with information about their disorder, so that they can take control of their health, and live productive lives as adults. More recently, he received the distinguished international Bayer Hemophilia Clinical Training Award.
A member of the CIBD physician team, Dr. Soni has medical staff privileges at CHOC Children's Hospital in Orange, CA. Dr. Soni completed medical school at Saint George's University in Grenada, West Indies, completed his residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and his fellowship at Children's Hospital of Orange County where today he is a hemostasis/thrombosis clinical research fellow director. He earned certification in clinical trials and product development from UCI's graduate program.
Dr. Mahajerin is a pediatrician and pediatric hematology/oncologist who joined CIBD's team of physicians in 2013. His areas of research interests include thrombosis and thrombophilia, as well as institution-wide bioinformatics endeavors. Prior to completing his pediatric residency and pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at Indiana University/Riley Hospital for Children, he earned his medical degree from Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Board
Before becoming CIBD's Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Staton served in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer for several large Health Plans including Promise/Blue Shield of California, the California division of Molina Healthcare, and the Central California Alliance for Health. Mr. Staton has extensive experience managing financial and operational functions at both the Plan and Provider side of the Healthcare industry, having more than 30 years of experience and has served on our Board of Directors for over 8 years. Mr. Staton earned both his bachelor's degree and M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. In his leisure time he enjoys golf, kayaking, and wine tasting.
Job Titles:
- Member / Director, RBS Laboratory, Stanford University
Shortly after completing his internship in Pediatrics at Stanford University, Dr. Glader served in the U.S. Army as a research hematologist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. His medical career continued on the east coast when he became a fellow at Children's Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School. Later, he returned to Stanford as the Chief of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division, where today he is a Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology. Dr. Glader's research interests include genetic hematologic problems, in particular bleeding and bone marrow failure disorders. Currently, he serves as the medical director of the RBS Special Studies Laboratory at Stanford, in addition to being the Clinical Coordinator for hemophilia gene therapy studies. Co-editor of Wintrobe's Textbook of Clinical Hematology, Dr. Glader, earned his Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Illinois, and his medical degree from Northwestern University.
Dr. Buchbinder specializes in bone marrow transplant of patients with non-malignant blood disorders. Patients with aplastic anemia, beta thalassemia and other rare disorders requiring transplant are cared for through the continuum of pre-transplant, transplant and post-transplant therapies. His special interests include the psychological/social impact of a transplant on family members.
Prior to joining the hematology team at Children's Hospital of Orange County and CIBD, Dr. Buchbinder completed his fellowship training at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Buchbinder has medical staff privileges at St. Joseph's Hospital and UCI Medical Center, both located in the city of Orange.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Medical Director
- President
- Executive Officer, Board President / Founder / President
Board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology, Dr. Nugent specializes in all aspects of bleeding and clotting disorders, hematology, bone marrow failure, anemia, and immune disorders. Dr. Nugent founded CIBD with the goal of serving children and adults with genetic blood disorders, and their families, with comprehensive care tailored just for them. In 2005, she was named the National Hemophilia Foundation Physician of the Year, and later one of the Best Doctors in America in 2007-2008. She was also named Physician of the Year in Orange County. More recently in 2011, she received the Physician Circle of Care Award from Cal-Optima.
Dr. Nugent serves as a Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Among her peers, Dr. Nugent is the chair of review subcommittees for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/National Institutes of Health, and head of program projects for the hematology committees of the American Society of Hematology and International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis. Dr. Nugent received her fellowship training at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Seattle and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Upon graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, she completed her residency and internship at Denver Affiliated Hospitals in Colorado. Dr. Nugent speaks Spanish.
Dr. Vanessa Salinas is board certified in pediatric hematology-oncology and in general pediatrics. She completed her pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship at CHLA and also completed a Coagulation and Bleeding Disorders fellowship at CHLA. She specializes in all areas of hematology with special focus in hemophilia and rare bleeding disorders, and red cell disorders, including sickle cell disease and thalassemia.
Dr. Salinas is interested in helping our hemophilia community and empowering our patients and families, through education and participation. She works closely with the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California, and was awarded as the Medical Professional of the Year in 2019. Dr. Salinas participates in clinical research studies as principal investigator as well as co-investigator. Dr. Salinas advocates for recycling, and she enjoys nature and outdoor sports.
Esteban Gomez, M.D. specializes in all aspects of hematology with a special focus in bleeding disorders and red cell disorders. Upon earning his medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, he completed a combined residency program in internal medicine and general pediatrics. He then completed his pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at Children's Hospital of Oakland. He is board certified in internal medicine, general pediatrics, and pediatric hematology/oncology.
A hematologist, Dr. Puthenveetil's clinical emphasis is in hemoglobinopathies, including Beta Thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Board certified in pediatrics and in pediatric hematology/oncology, she completed her fellowship training at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
Before serving her pediatric residency at St. John's Medical College Hospital and at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York, she earned her medical degree from St. John's Medical College in Karnataka, India. Dr. Puthenveetil has medical privileges at CHOC Children's Hospital and UCI Medical Center, both in Orange, CA. Dr. Puthenveetil is fluent in Hindi.
Job Titles:
- Board Secretary / Research Administrator, Hematology Research Team, Children 's Hospital of Orange County
Beginning her career at the State of Wisconsin's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation was the spark that led Ms. Birschbach to a lifetime interest of providing and improving services for people with chronic illnesses. Today, working in the hematology division at Children's Hospital of Orange County, she is the Research Administrator for Dr. Nugent's hematology research team. Ms. Birschbach has been instrumental in providing factor therapy to patients with rare bleeding disorders nationwide, particularly those with Factor XIII deficiency. Her tireless efforts with Dr. Nugent resulted in a new FDA-approved Factor XIII concentrate. Ms. Birschbach plays a vital role in fellowship training-preparing future hematologists-and is also part of the administrative staff supporting Region IX.
Board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology, Dr. Hsieh specializes in all aspects of hematology, with an emphasis in Factor 13 deficiency, as well as rare bleeding disorders. She has medical staff privileges at CHOC Children's Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital, and UCI Medical Center, all in Orange.
After earning her medical degree at the College of Virginia in Richmond, she completed her fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology and her residency in pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Orange County. Dr. Hsieh speaks fluent Vietnamese.
Job Titles:
- Member / President & CEO, Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California
In dedicating her career to education and research of sickle cell disease and related disorders, Ms. Brown has served a variety of healthcare-related non-profits. Currently, she is the Board Chair for the Community Health Charities of California, and also a board member of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, and Painted Turtle Camp, a summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses. She also lends her leadership skills serving as the Director of Camp Crescent Moon. In 2012, Ms. Brown was recognized for her work by the American Camp Association when she received the Legacy Award for the ACA Southern California/Hawaii section. Ms. Brown is a graduate of California State University, Los Angeles where she earned her B.A. in education and psychology.
Nina Hwang, M.D. specializes in all aspects of hematology with a special interest in thrombosis/clotting. Upon earning her medical degree from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/The Chicago Medical School in North Chicago, Illinois, she completed both her general pediatric residency and pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship at CHOC Children's Hospital of Orange County. She is board certified in general pediatrics, and is board eligible in pediatric hematology/oncology. Dr. Hwang speaks conversational Mandarin Chinese.
Job Titles:
- Member / Chief Information Security Officer, State of California Department of Industrial Relations
Living with severe hemophilia, Randall Curtis has translated his condition into a benefit to others. His real-life experiences have led him to develop hemophilia database systems, collaborate with the Universal Data Collection Working Group at the CDC in Atlanta, and serve 25 years at the Genetic Disease Branch of the California Department of Health Services. Mr. Curtis holds a B.S. in Genetics, an M.B.A. in Computer Information Systems, and is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has presented data at national and international meetings, and is currently working on the Hemophilia Utilization Group Study (HUGS