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Areas of clinical interest include depression, anxiety and PTSD. Valerie utilizes cognitive-behavioral strategies as well as mindfulness and acceptance based approaches.

Blake Fagan, MD, is a family physician at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) in Asheville, chief education officer at UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC, and a faculty member of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Fagan directs the office-based opioid treatment services provided at MAHEC’s family health centers and trains healthcare providers and medical residency programs across the state in medication-assisted treatment, safe pain management, and safe opioid prescribing practices. Dr. Fagan completed his undergraduate education at the University of Missouri–Columbia, medical school at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and his family medicine residency at MAHEC in Asheville.

I joined MAHEC in 2015, inspired by the quality,patient-centered, innovative healthcare that is the core of this organization.I was born and raised in northeast Ohio, then completed my undergraduate degree in psychology, medical school training, and family medicine residency training all at Brown University in Providence RI. After that, my next stop was Asheville, where I plan to stay!

My spouse and I were drawn to the cultural andoutdoor activity offerings this area provides and are delighted to be raisingour family here. I have a particular interest in full spectrum women’sreproductive health, pediatrics, group medical care including Centering Parenting(a group visit model for well infant care), and resident teaching. My favoriteaspect of family medicine however, is the diversity of seeing patients all theway from the newborn stage through end-of-life care.

My practice is full-spectrum, including prenatal/delivery care as well as adult/pediatric hospital care, although most of my clinical time is in our outpatient clinics seeing adults, children, and prenatal patients for their primary care needs. I see patients at both our Biltmore office and speak Spanish at a conversation level. I also provide transgender care services.

Dr. Oat-Judge is the Assistant Program Director and OBCurricular Director at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) FamilyMedicine Residency program in Asheville, North Carolina.

Dr. Oat-Judgereceived her medical degree from The John Hopkins School of Medicine in 2010and completed an OB/GYN internship at Brown Medical School in 2011, a FamilyMedicine residency at MAHEC in 2014, and a Maternal Child Health Fellowship atBrown Medical School in 2015. She provides comprehensive primary carefor patients of all ages (newborn through geriatric) and all genders.  Sheperforms a variety of procedures such as skin biopsies, joint injections,ultrasound, and management of pregnancy loss/miscarriage.  She has aspecial interest in reproductive health care and provides prenatal care forpregnant patients, hormonal treatment for transgender patients, and all formsof contraception including vasectomies, IUDs and contraceptive implants.

Dr. Oat-Judge speaks Spanish and welcomes Spanish-speaking patients.  Sehabla español! 

I’m originally from Falls Church, VA. I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2004. It was there that I first became interested in medicine while serving as an impromptu Spanish medical interpreter at a free clinic in the area. After college I joined Teach for America. I worked as a high school science teacher in Phoenix, AZ, while enjoying lots of active pursuits out West. I spent my summers abroad working with healthcare personnel in Honduras and Uganda and decided to switch career paths.

I graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 2010 and was thrilled to come to Asheville for residency training at MAHEC. My husband and I have settled here with our two sons, and continue to enjoy all of the wonderful outdoor activities Asheville has to offer. I became board certified in Lifestyle Medicine in 2019 and am the Program Director for the Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum.

I chose Family Medicine because I was excited by the opportunity to form long lasting relationships with patients and to help connect patients to valuable resources they need in the community.  I am thrilled to be working at the MAHEC Family Health Center at Newbridge, a satellite office on the North side of town.

Undergraduate:

Indiana University

Medical School:

New York Medical College

Residency:

Montefiore Medical Center, Primary Care and Social Medicine

Dr. Rebecca Bernstein has worked in WNC as an internal medicine hospitalist for the past 12 years. She has taught MAHEC family medicine residents on the inpatient teaching service. She served as medical director of the inpatient diabetes program creating a unique team of providers caring for patients with inpatient hyperglycemia and diabetes.  She also served at chairperson of the Mission Health Diversity Committee, educating healthcare workers on implicit bias and identifying local healthcare disparities.

Undergraduate:

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Medical School:

University of Maryland at Baltimore

Internship:

Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Residency:

Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Chief Resident:

Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Fellowship:

General Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Past faculty appointments:

University of Alabama at Birmingham (Associate Program Director)
University of Louisville (Associate Program Director)
Virginia Commonwealth University (Program Director, Associate Chair)

Dr. Stephanie Call was recruited to start the Internal Medicine Training Program at MAHEC in the fall of 2019.  Dr. Call is a nationally recognized educator, recently receiving the national Associate of Program Directors in Internal Medicine Distinguished Medical Educator Award.  She was also a recipient of the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award - one of the highest honors bestowed by the ACGME.  She is recurrently recognized by her learners and institutions, having received numerous teaching awards from each of the medical universities with which she was affiliated, including a recent University-wide Distinguished Teacher Award and an award recognizing her leadership in graduate medical education.  Dr. Call was also recognized as Working Mother of the Year in 2012 for demonstrating that you don’t have to choose between a fulfilling career and a wonderful personal life (And her three daughters, Alex, Katie and Emma, agree!).

Undergraduate:

Texas A&M University

Medical School:

Baylor University, College of Medicine

Internship:

Internal Medicine, Primary Care, University of Colorado

Residency:

Internal Medicine, University of Mississippi

Chief Resident:

Internal Medicine, University of Mississippi

Past faculty appointments:

University of Louisville (Associate Program Director, Medical Director)

Dr. Nancy Kubiak has a long history of involvement in graduate medical education in Internal Medicine, having served as an Associate Program Director and as the director of an Internal Medicine Resident and Fellow Outpatient Practice.  She has been repeatedly recognized for teaching excellence by her past institutions and trainees, and led curricular innovations in both primary care and in the foundations of quality improvement. She is joining MAHEC as an experienced educator, associate program director and medical clinical director.

Undergraduate:

University of Illinois

Medical School:

University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine

Residency:

Internal Medicine-Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati

Past faculty appointments:

University of Cincinnati, (Program Director of the Cincinnati Hospital Group Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency)

For 30 years Dr. Caroline Mueller has been a primary care physician, and her goal was nurturing residents in their knowledge, skills, and relationships with patients over their years of training in both the ambulatory and inpatient settings. She was the first resident to train as a med-peds person at the program in Cincinnati, so she knows what is involved to be a resident who is blazing trails. She was the Program Director for the Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency for many years, during which time the residency became one of the most successful in the country, but it was the opportunity to provide a challenging yet secure training environment that motivated her most. To be able to say "I have your back" to young physicians who are pushing themselves to be their best is a great honor. Other roles included ward team attending, student clinic attending, and humanism in medicine preceptor.

Carriedelle Wilson Fusco, MSN, FNP-BC, holds a master’s degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University and is board certified as a family nurse practitioner. Carriedelle joined the MAHEC Family Medicine Residency program in Asheville in 2012 and works with an interdisciplinary team to care for patients with chronic pain on chronic opioid therapy and patients struggling with opioid addiction and other substance use disorders. She also teaches medical, nursing, and pharmacy students; medical residents; other learners; and community providers in the management of chronic pain and substance use disorders. Carriedelle is the co-medical director for office-based opioid treatment services at MAHEC Family Health Centers. 

Dr. Dixon is originally from Tallahassee, Florida, and fell in love with Asheville and MAHEC during her Ob/Gyn residency many years ago. After spending time in private practice in South Carolina, she joined the faculty in 2012 and provides General Obstetric and Gynecologic care to adolescents and women of all ages. She has experience in managing a full range of general gynecologic problems including contraception, endometriosis, pelvic pain and prolapse, urinary incontinence and menopausal symptoms. Dr. Dixon emphasizes the importance of patient education and prevention to promote wellness. When surgery is necessary, she is committed to using minimally invasive surgical techniques. She has a special interest in office procedures including Essure tubal sterilization, hysteroscopy, and endometrial ablation.

• A.T. Still University Kirksville College ofOsteopathic Medicine
• Residency: Womack Army Medical Center, Ft. Bragg, NC
• Board Certified

Dr. Nathan Mullins is a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and addictionologist with expertise in substance used disorders in pregnancy.  He works as the medical director for an opioid treatment program as well as part-time faculty for the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) ob/gyn residency program. Dr. Mullins earned his medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and completed his residency at MAHEC. 

Nathan obtained his DATA-2000 waiver in 2016 and began treating pregnant and postpartum patients with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder as part of multidisciplinary team at MAHEC where he supervises and educates MAHEC residents and serves as a consultant for community physicians on the treatment of opioid use disorder in pregnant patients. Dr. Mullins is also the medical director for a community-based opioid treatment program that uses both methadone and buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder.

Dr. Kiran Sigmon is a general obstetrician and gynecologist with a particular interest in the diagnosis and management of vulvar skin disease and sexual pain. She started the MAHEC Vulvar Clinic in 2006 to assist other providers in the WNC region with difficult cases including recurrent vaginitis, lichen sclerosis, lichen planus, lichen simplex chronicus and vulvodynia, to name a few. She works with other local providers to provide patients with opportunities to explore treatments including physical therapy, acupuncture, and nutritional counseling. She also helps patients address the psychosocial components of living with chronic pain by working closely with local mental health professionals. Dr. Sigmon feels strongly about educating patients, other providers and the community about issues related to genital health and sexuality, and many local physicians rotate seeing patients with her in the Vulvar Clinic.

My clinical focus is on same-day appointments and acute care. I enjoy this role and the great work environment at the Family Health Center.

Dr. Vaughan is a clinical assistant professor for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His primary professional interests include non-surgical orthopedics, ultrasound medicine, regenerative medicine, exercise as medicine, and traumatic brain injury and concussion management. Aaron actively conducts research on the national level with the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

Aaron serves as the team physician for Warren Wilson College. He provides medical coverage for multiple local teams including the Asheville Rugby Football Club. Dr. Vaughan also serves on the board of directors for the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission and has been the medical director for multiple events including the 2018 and 2019 International Tennis Fed Cup, the Biltmore Marathon, the Lake Logan Triathlon, the Asheville Turkey Trot, the Hellbender 100-mile trail race, and the Haute Route international cycling race.

A graduate of Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dr. Vaughan completed his family medicine residency at the University of Virginia. He completed a primary care sports medicine fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was the team physician for Carolina Hurricanes professional hockey team as well as for the university. Aaron has called Western North Carolina and Asheville home since 2013. He enjoys travel, trail running, and cycling among other outdoor activities.