PREP - Key Persons

Anthony Velasco

Job Titles:

HIV Specialist
Senior Nurse Practitioner Specialist
Senior Nurse Practitioner Specialist, MSN, AGPCNP - BC, AAHIVS

Working closely with his colleagues in other disciplines such as behavioral health, community health, nutrition services, and social services, Anthony is able to provide services designed to address the full spectrum of wellness needs. He derives great joy and pride from building collaborative relationships with his patients, and from partnering with all members of DAP Health's interdisciplinary team to offer caring, comprehensive, and compassionate care. In addition to being a Nurse Practitioner, Anthony is a credentialed HIV Specialist who has been working in HIV care since 2010. He provides compassionate care to people living with, and without, HIV. He also performs high-resolution anoscopy for detection, treatment, and management of anal dysplasia. An ally of the trans community, he provides comprehensive gender-affirming care and advocates creating better access to safe and gender-affirming spaces for all. Prior to joining DAP Health, he served as a clinical nurse supervisor in the medical department at UC San Diego Health specializing in HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and AIDS-related malignancies. His outside activities include working on research studies through universities such as UCLA and California State University San Bernardino, where he is able to assess and address the health disparities and disease burdens faced by sexual and gender minorities. Anthony is also passionate about global health equity and has served on medical missions in Haiti and Honduras, and annually in the Philippines with Global Health Force, a non-profit organization providing access to free health care in underserved communities in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. He currently serves in the Nurse Practitioner Committee of the American Academy of HIV Medicine, president-elect of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Greater Palm Springs Chapter, and Co-Chair of DAP Health's Transgender Health Program. "By providing care that fosters empowerment and engagement, I am able to develop strong partnerships with my patients in a collaborative, inclusive, and stigma-free environment." DAP Health clinicians, including Anthony, provide the latest HIV/AIDS treatments in a safe, judgement free environment. They are skilled in working with LGBTQ+ individuals to craft treatments that work and enhance their patients' quality of life. Services includes HIV testing; STI screening; linkage to care; HIV medications, including antiretrovirals, PEP and PrEP; patient education; mental health services; dental services; and more.

Athalie LaPamuk

Job Titles:

Member of the Board

Bertil Lindblad

Job Titles:

Member of the Board
President, United Nations Association USA, Pomona Valley Chapter

Bertil Lindblad, former director of the UNAIDS New York Office, and UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, served as Senior Adviser for International Initiatives at Pomona College, in Claremont, California between 2013 - 2016, bringing more than 30 years of experience in large and complex global organizations focused on international cooperation and development. Lindblad, a 1978 graduate of Pomona College, assumed his post as Director of the UNAIDS New York Office in 2008, after serving four years as UNAIDS Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, based in Moscow. There he coordinated the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of UNAIDS programmes to strengthen UN country team responses to HIV/AIDS in the region. His previous posts with UNAIDS include Deputy Director of the New York Office, where he was part of the UNAIDS team that coordinated the first, and groundbreaking, General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2001 as well as sveral follow up General Assembly High Level Meetings on HIV/AIDS. Prior to joining UNAIDS, Lindblad served as Senior Advisor/Child Protection at UNICEF headquarters in New York, providing policy and program guidance in the area of child protection and child rights. He led the development of a new UNICEF policy on child protection, with the Convention on the Rights of the Child as the framework, adopted by the Executive Board in 1996, and served as the organization's spokesperson on these issues with media and donors. From 1984 to 1994, he held senior positions with Swedish Save the Children, including Asia Coordinator and Country Representative in Vietnam. His international career began in Moscow, where he served in the Commercial Section of the Swedish Embassy from 1980-82. At Pomona College, Lindblad majored in government, with substantial course work in French and Russian. He also holds a certificate in International Relations from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris and a certificate in French from the Sorbonne.

Bruce W. Finch

Job Titles:

Member of the Board

Bruce W. Finch has spent the past 40 years in the global travel industry, primarily focused on corporate travel and events. Bruce graduated from Salem State University with a BS in Geography with a concentration in Travel and Tourism. Bruce has worked on both the supplier and buyer sides of the travel business including such companies as Eastern Airlines, The Gillette Company, Fleet Boston Financial as well as owner/manager of his own travel company in the Boston area. Most recently, Bruce was the Senior Director of Global Travel and Meeting Services for Autodesk, Inc. Bruce served as chairperson of the Technology Committee for the New England Business Travel Association, co-chaired the Global Business Travel Association's Technology and Sustainability committees. Bruce served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives and the Salem State University Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. After retiring from Autodesk in 2020, Bruce and his husband Keith moved to Palm Springs full time from Boston. Both are active volunteers for DAP Health and other Palm Springs area non-profits.

C.J. Tobe

Job Titles:

Director of Community Health and Sexual Wellness
Director of Community Health and Sexual Wellness Services

C.J. Tobe is our Director of Community Health & Sexual Wellness. He's dedicated his career in community health to eliminating barriers and improving access to health care and social support services for those living with and/or at risk for HIV/STIs. C.J. joined DAP Health in 2015 as a medical case manager and has advanced through roles in clinic case management, prevention programs management, and community health program management.

Carol Wood

Job Titles:

Registered Nurse
Chief of Clinical Operations

Carol Wood joined the Desert AIDS Project in July 2017, accepting the newly created position, Director of Clinical Administration. Carol brings over 40 years of healthcare experience having served in various executive leadership including acute care, skilled nursing, home health, hospice, and graduate medical education. Prior to starting with D.A.P., Carol served as Director of Operations for Graduate Medical Education at Hemet Valley Medical Center. She has previously held positions as Chief Administrative Officer at KPC Global Management, Chief Operating Officer at Inland Empire Home Health & Hospice, President/CEO at Ramona VNA & Hospice, SNF Administrator at Hemet Valley Healthcare Center and Ramona Manor Convalescent Hospital, Utilization Management Supervisor at Partnership HealthPlan of California, Administrator at IME Services, as well as various supervisory and management positions on inpatient units at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital. Ms. Wood has been a Registered Nurse since 1977 and earned her Bachelor's Degree from the University of La Verne in 1983. She is a licensed California Nursing Home Administrator, Certified Forensic Nurse, and Certified Hospice Administrator. Ms. Wood has also served as an expert witness for the Board of Registered Nursing since 2000.

Carolyn Caldwell - CEO, President

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
Member of the Board
President

Carolyn Caldwell is president and chief executive officer of St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach since June 2017. Caldwell has 20 years of executive hospital leadership and more than 30 years of health experience. Caldwell was Desert Regional Medical Center's (Tenet) executive officer prior to joining St. Mary. Additionally, Caldwell is an American College of Healthcare Executives fellow. She received a master's in health care administration from Texas Women's University and spent 12 years in clinical services, as well as a bachelor's in zoology and chemistry.

Chris Boone

Job Titles:

Assistant Chief of Philanthropy and Presidential Priorities

Chris works to connect DAP Health's largest donors to impact with responsibility for coordinating, crafting, and overseeing the execution of the relationship management strategies for all prospects capable of making the largest gifts to DAP Health. Prior to joining DAP Health in November 2022, Chris was the senior regional director of development for the Western U.S. at the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), where he co-managed the national major gifts program and team that produced over $10m in revenue annually for the organization. Before NPCA, Chris was the director of development and communications for the Los Angeles Youth Network (LAYN), an organization that focused on unhoused youth and foster care. Preceding LAYN, Chris managed the individual giving program at The People Concern, an agency in Los Angeles that focuses on unhoused adults. Chris is a native of Seattle, Washington and a graduate of the University of Washington. After college, he worked at a few organizations, most notably spending seven years at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of their communications team, focusing on their grantees and partners as an audience. Chris served on the Human Rights Campaign's board of governors from 2009-2014 and its board of directors from 2014-2020. He remains involved as a member of the board alumni group. Chris enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and going on hikes with his partner Tyler and their Husky, Donner.

Cortney Weir

Job Titles:

Chief Development Officer

Cortney joins the DAP Health family having had a very specific connection to the early days of the organization, when it was still known as Desert AIDS Project. Moving to Palm Desert as a teen in 1984, Cortney and her roommate lived in a 10-unit apartment complex where they were the only two women among nine gay male couples of various ages. When those new friends soon became ill with HIV and AIDS, Cortney and Elizabeth provided care and support to them, often driving them to their appointments at DAP. For her, coming to DAP Health in November 2022 was like coming home. A true California girl, Cortney spent the first half of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area. She moved to the Coachella Valley for the second time in her late 20s. When her youngest son was diagnosed with autism in 1996, Cortney joined a group of other concerned parents to form a local chapter of the National Autism Society in order to better serve the desert community. Thus her love for philanthropy and mission delivery was born. Cortney has since gained experience working for various national mission-driven organizations, such as the American Heart Association, Best Buddies International (where she was the director of development for 11 states coast to coast), and the Arthritis Foundation (where she served as executive director for six years right here in the Coachella Valley). Cortney's most recent venture was as regional director for the California Southland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, where she worked for nearly six years. On her successful professional life in non-profit and new role with DAP Health, Cortney reflects, "Knowing that every day I am working to move an important mission forward has been the hallmark of my career. And there is no more compelling and important mission than that of DAP Health and the people and communities we serve. I am so honored to be part of this team." Today, Cortney lives in La Quinta with her husband of 34 years, John, and their two rescue dogs, Butler and Maggie, as well as an assortment of rescue cats. She enjoys traveling, reading, movies, outdoor activities, and spending family time with John and her two adult sons, Tucker and Harley.

Dane Koch

Job Titles:

Director of Retail

Dane Koch joined Desert AIDS Project in 2012, assuming the role of Director of Retail in 2014. Dane brings over 35 years of retail experience, having held senior positions with companies such as Montgomery Ward and Michaels Stores, Inc. In addition to his responsibilities of managing the Revivals Stores, Dane supports DAP as a member of the Leadership Team.

Daniel Jo

Job Titles:

Dentist
Dr. Daniel Jo Dentist

Dr. Daniel Jo Dentist Daniel is a native Californian who is a member of both the American Dental Association and the California Dental Association. Prior to joining DAP Health in 2015, he attended the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry and then worked in private practice where some of the many services and procedures he offered included surgical/non-surgical extractions and bone grafting, crown/bridge/inlay/onlay, cosmetic concerns, root canal therapy, and dental cleanings. Daniel provides a comfortable, relaxed environment for his patients, thoroughly explaining the purpose of all the procedures they will undergo, what they can expect during the process, and assuring them that they will get the best possible care. DAP Health's dental clinic offers basic dental services such as fillings, crowns, extractions, and dentures, plus the dental hygienists provide cleanings as well. Daniel has been involved with a number of community service organizations where he has provided restorative dental procedures pro bono. He has taken several international service trips to provide dental/medical care, including trips to Nicaragua and Uganda. He has also performed restorative dental procedures at a number of California community organizations. He finds his work at DAP Health very fulfilling and enjoys being part of an organization that is working to help underserved and marginalized communities. "I am always learning and trying to provide the best care for our clients. I enjoy using my skills as a dentist to help alleviate pain." DAP Health clinicians, including Daniel, provide the latest HIV/AIDS treatments in a safe, judgement free environment. They are skilled in working with LGBTQ+ individuals to craft treatments that work and enhance their patients' quality of life. Services includes HIV testing; STI screening; linkage to care; HIV medications, including antiretrovirals, PEP and PrEP; patient education; mental health services; dental services; and more.

David Brinkman - CEO, President

Job Titles:

Chief Executive Officer
President

David Brinkman, M.B.A., Chief Executive Officer & President, joined DAP Health in 2006. David has led the organization through a period of unprecedented expansion, increasing the number of people served, diversity and volume of services, number of volunteers and donors, and size of the budget by 500%. Under his leadership, DAP Health established a dental clinic, a permanent supportive housing community, 3 primary care clinics, a wellness center, a behavioral health clinic, a department of Community Health, and a vocational program as well as achieved Federally Qualified Health Center status. During his tenure, DAP Health was named one of the "Top 20 HIV/AIDS Charities" by About.com, for the high percentage of funding spent on programs vs. overhead, fundraising efforts (raising $100 for every $15 spent), and financial transparency. In addition, Charity Navigator, America's largest independent charity evaluator, awarded DAP Health "four-star status" for 10 consecutive years. This is an achievement reached by only 5% of all nonprofits they rank. Mr. Brinkman has served the not-for-profit community for over 25 years. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Lewis & Clark College and a Master of Business Administration degree, with an emphasis in Ethical Business Management, from Pepperdine University. He is also a Specialist in Planned Giving certified by the American Institute for Philanthropic Studies. He was twice invited by the White House Office on AIDS to present on the work of DAP Health and the success of Get Tested Coachella Valley. Mr. Brinkman services on the Board of Directors of UCR School of Medicine, National AIDS Housing Coalition and is a mentor at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. He also is a prominent voice for community-based organizations, the local LGBTQ community, and a leading advocate at State and Federal levels.

David Morris

Job Titles:

Chief Medical Officer
Chief Medical Officer, AAHIVS

Whether patients come to DAP Health specifically for HIV Care, or are HIV-negative and looking for high-quality primary health care, David and his skilled staff of doctors, nurses, and assistants are here to serve the residents of Coachella Valley. David maintains an ongoing, nationwide search for his Dream Team to help ensure DAP Health continues offering quality health care at every stage of adult life. David takes pride in his service to the LGBTQ+ and straight communities. His calm personality, deepened by a natural sensitivity to providing stigma-free care, is a great fit for DAP Health. These traits translate into a comforting manner of assurance to his patients who feel confident that their care is in good hands. David's patients bond with him over his excellent current, progressive, and integrated approach to their medical care and his ability to build trust with them through honest, clear communication. Before joining DAP Health in 2016, David was Medical Director and Attending Physician at Pride Medical, an LGBTQ+-oriented clinic in Atlanta, from 1999 to 2015. He is a certified HIV Specialist and Board-Certified Family Medicine Physician with a proven commitment to the medical excellence of hospital and outpatient clinical experience. David attended medical school at the Emory University, School of Medicine in Atlanta and did his residency at Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah. His certification and licensure includes the American Board of Family Medicine; American Academy of HIV-Medicine; California (Physician's) Medical License, (Medical Board of California); and Georgia Physician's Medical License. David has been a part of missions to El Salvador, where he did research on the effect of chiropractic adjustments in lowering blood pressure, as well as volunteering with Doctors/Surgeons Without Borders in Colombia. He also volunteered with Dr. Robert Grant of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation on "Ending the Epidemic with PEP and PrEP." Among his research projects at DAP Health are HRA/Anal Dysplasia and Treating Antibiotic Resistant Gonorrhea.

Dr. Christina Vu

As a primary care physician in DAP Health's medical clinic, Dr. Vu will be taking care of HIV PrEP and PEP patients as well as the general population. A California native who is fluent in Vietnamese, Dr. Vu did her internal medicine residency at Desert Regional Medical Center and completed a fellowship in infectious disease at Los Angeles County+ USC Medical Center. She takes great pride is being able to provide quality care to people from all walks of life. Dr. Vu, an osteopath, treats patients as a whole; She looks at their overall wellbeing including physical and mental health and not just their individual symptoms. From there, she can assess the entirety of the illness, make the necessary connections between mind and body, and assign a treatment plan. She provides individualize care based on where clients are coming from. "I want to meet them where they are and from there, create a plan based on goals with them, alongside them, as opposed to just making it a directive." Dr. Vu's passion is to serve underprivileged populations as an infectious disease specialist and to provide care to vulnerable populations in the community. Her interests lie in public health and hospital epidemiology, HIV, and hepatitis C. Being an infectious disease trainee during the COVID-19 pandemic gave Dr. Vu an opportunity to be involved in the research and study of trends and characteristics associated with severe coronavirus disease and related pulmonary infections. When not at DAP Health, Dr. Vu spends her time volunteering. During her fellowship at USC, she started a non-profit organization to help bring mobile medical clinics to people living with homelessness. Here in the Coachella Valley, Dr. Vu created a wellness program during her residency at Desert Regional Medical Center. She is also a classically trained pianist and enjoys playing everything from contemporary music to classical and hopes one day soon to add jazz to her repertoire. DAP Health clinicians, including Dr. Vu, provide the latest HIV/AIDS treatments in a safe, judgement free environment. They are skilled in working with LGBTQ+ individuals to craft treatments that work and enhance their patients' quality of life. Services includes HIV testing; STI screening; linkage to care; HIV medications, including antiretrovirals, PEP and PrEP; patient education; mental health services; dental services; and more.

Eve E. Fromberg-Edelstein

Job Titles:

Member of the Board
Member of the California Bar

Eve E. Fromberg-Edelstein was raised the Palm Springs area. Eve has been a member of the California Bar since December 1997. Ms. Fromberg-Edelstein graduated from the University of San Diego in 1994 and California Western Law School in 1997. Ms. Fromberg-Edelstein has practiced real estate, business and corporate law. In 2008, Eve was the CEO of Smile Factory, a local non-profit agency which provides free dental screenings and treatment to public school children. This experience gave her invaluable experience in working with non-profit organizations and knowledge of the day-to-day operational challenges they face. Ms. Fromberg-Edelstein has provided corporate and governance counsel to several nonprofit clients. Ms. Fromberg-Edelstein other areas of practice include real estate and general business law. She also has facilitated many board retreats and spoken as a legal expert of board governance and legal compliance. Eve is a member of the Desert Bar Association, California Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. Ms. Fromberg-Edelstein resides with her husband Mark and son Jack in Rancho Mirage. Eve is involved with many local organizations. She has served as a board president for Pathfinder Ranch, and Cielo Vista Charter School Governing Board. She has served as a commissioner with the City of Rancho Mirage Housing Commission, a board member for The Foundation for Palm Springs Unified School District, Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs, and as board president of Palm Springs Pathfinders, a woman's auxiliary organization.