About VEP Healthcare

VEP understands that our patients deserve expert medical care delivered with efficiency and compassion. We also understand that our physicians and advanced practice providers deserve to work within a high quality organization that puts a premium on the success of their careers as well as their physical and emotional well-being.

We exist to deliver quality, compassionate healthcare to those in need, within a culture supportive of our healthcare providers and to be recognized as the premier provider of health services in emergent and inpatient settings.

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

VEP Healthcare (VEP) began providing emergency medical management services in 1981. In the years since, our expertise has expanded into hospitalist services, intensive care, clinical decision units, telehealth, and surgicalist services. Today, the owners of VEP – our physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and corporate personnel – deliver clinical staffing and management services to major urban, smaller community, and rural hospitals nationwide. Our partner hospitals call our positive impact on quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction “the VEP Effect.”  

View Executive Leadership

Doctor Steve Maron, M.D – President and CEO

Steve Maron, MD, joined VEP in 1990. As President and CEO, Dr. Maron establishes the vision of excellence for VEP and he oversees all aspects of the management and growth of our emergency departments and hospitalist programs. Dr. Maron continues to work as a frontline physician in several VEP emergency departments.

Dr. Maron earned his BA at the University of California at Davis and his MD at Hahnemann School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He designed and taught a course in Wilderness Medicine. Before assuming the VEP presidency in 2001, he served as an emergency physician at several VEP hospitals and provided medical care through Doctors Without Borders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, West Africa, and Nicaragua.

Doctor Mitesh Patel, MD, MBA, FACHE, CPE – Vice President of Operations

Prior to joining VEP Healthcare, Dr. Patel served as the Vice President of Medical Affairs at Woodland Memorial Hospital since 2014, and brings with him more than 20 years of diverse health care operations management, teaching, and clinical experience. Areas of expertise include physician relations, process improvement and staff development.

He also served as the Vice President of Operations and Chief Medical Officer for the NorthBay Hospital and Vaca Valley Hospital, part of the NorthBay Health Care Group in Solano County.

Dr. Patel received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry from University of California, Berkeley. He received his medical degree from University of Health Sciences/the Chicago Medical School; as well as completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Patel also holds a Master of Business Administration/Health Care Management from University of Phoenix. In addition to being board certified in emergency medicine, he is also a certified physician executive and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executive.

Dr. Patel’s oversight responsibilities include: operations management, business development, marketing, strategic planning and program development, legal & corporate council and new clinical service offerings. He will also help provide contract start-up support and assist with driving performance at VEP’s sites.

Dr. Patel enjoys books on tape, travel and golf.

Doctor Tarannum Guller, MD, MMM – Vice President: Hospitalist Division

Dr. Tarannum Guller is a career hospitalist who joined VEP as the Vice President of our Hospitalist Division. She trained in Internal Medicine in Boston at Tufts and Harvard University and moved to the West Coast soon after Residency. She has worked at Sutter for over 8 years as hospitalist and also served as Chief Hospitalist while there. More recently Dr. Guller has worked as Medical Director of Transitional Care Services for Northern CA with Sound Physicians. She is presently completing her Master in Medical Management at Carnegie Mellon University. She brings an in depth knowledge of hospital medicine and inpatient services. She is charged with growth and success of our inpatient service lines. She continues to work clinically as a hospitalist.

Dr. Guller lives in the Bay Area with her husband and 3 children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, travel and just hanging out with her family.

Doctor Marc Hudock, PA-C – Vice President of Clinical Services

Marc Hudock joined VEP in 2001. He was raised in the Sacramento area and now lives in Folsom, CA. Mr. Hudock graduated from University of Nevada, Reno in 1997 with a Bachelors in Health Science Pre-Medicine with a minor in Biology. He subsequently received his certificate in Physician Assistant Studies from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA in 2001. Mr. Hudock has served as Allied Health Site Director at several facilities for VEP including Woodland Healthcare, Dameron Hospital Association, and currently at Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, California where he has been key in implementing new processes to improve patient flow and patient care. Mr. Hudock’s strengths include operations support, new contract and program development. He frequently travels to many facilities with the VEP family of hospitals to work with the local Physicians and APC’s on a variety of patient care topics. He was Chief Allied Health Officer for VEP for over eight years and has been largely responsible for the growth of the Advanced Practice Clinician role within VEP Healthcare.

Doctor Gary Tamkin, M.D., FACEP – Vice President of Provider Development

Gary Tamkin, M.D., FACEP, joined VEP in 2004 as the ED Medical Director of two ED’s, Mercy Medical Center Merced and Emanuel Medical Center. Dr. Tamkin received his Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Brown University, and his MD from the University of California, Irvine. He completed his emergency medicine residency at the Alameda County Highland program of the University of California, San Francisco, where he served as Chief Resident and where he met his wife, Sandy, who also practices emergency medicine. Dr. Tamkin is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He lectures nationally and he continues to teach emergency medicine at Highland.

Dr. Tamkin has a passion for pre-hospital care, having served as the Bay Area Medical Director of American Medical Response. Currently, he is the statewide Medical Director for the California Highway Patrol. He is also a past president of the California chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Tamkin and Sandy live in the San Francisco area with their two children, Emily and Megan.

Doctor Rob Wyman, M.D – Vice President of Quality

Robert Wyman, MD, joined VEP in 2008. As Vice President of Quality, Dr. Wyman oversees clinical quality, patient safety, operational efficiency, patient satisfaction, and regulatory compliance at all VEP emergency departments.

Dr. Wyman earned his BA at Boston University and his MD at New York University School of Medicine. Before joining VEP he worked for over 20 years in academic, urban, and suburban ED’s in the NY metropolitan area. He has been an ED Director for a total of 14 years at several ED’s including Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY, and an EMS Medical Director for almost a decade.

More recently, Dr. Wyman earned a Masters in Management in the Advanced Management Program for Clinicians at NYU. He also is a Certified Physician Executive and is certified in Health Care Quality Management. In addition, he has served on the executive teams of several hospitals, both as a Vice President of Patient Safety and a Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Wyman’s vision for VEP Healthcare is to ensure that all of our emergency departments combine highly capable providers, evidence-based practices, and essential systems for the provision of safe, high-quality medical care, and that we have the data to demonstrate it.

Doctor Ron Dieckmann, M.D, MPH – Director of Pediatrics

Dr. Dieckmann received his AB from Harvard College, his MD from Stanford University School of Medicine, and his MPH from the University of California, Berkeley. He was the Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital for 25 years and is Professor Emeritus of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Dieckmann created and administers our VEPeds program which ensures that ED’s comply with the national guidelines for pediatric care. He is the co-founder and co-Editor-in-Chief of PEMSoft, a powerful decision-support software program for pediatric emergency care. Additionally, Dr. Dieckmann is the founder and chairman of Kids Care Everywhere, a philanthropic organization that brings pediatric resources and expertise to countries throughout the developing world.

Doctor Jordan Kramer, M.D. – Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Kramer joined VEP in 1986, shortly after its inception. He earned his BA at Wesleyan University and his MD at the UCSF School of Medicine. Dr. Kramer worked at several ED’s before becoming the ED Medical Director at Woodland Memorial Hospital in 1990, a post he held almost continuously until 2013. As the VEP Chief Medical Officer since 2006, Dr. Kramer provides expertise in the review of the medicolegal history of new physician applicants, and he investigates and determines appropriate action plans for any potentially serious medicolegal incidents.

Doctor Kelly Danna – Chief Financial Officer

Kelly Danna joined VEP in 2016 as Interim Corporate Controller and advanced to Chief Financial Officer in 2017.

Kelly came to VEP from Sutter Health Medical Foundation with a fascinating background in positions such as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer

She earned her Bachelors in Business Administration with an accounting concentration from California Polytechnic State University and then went to school for a Masters in Business at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.

In addition to her extensive experience in finance and accounting, Kelly works in real estate as a Broker Associate.

View Board of Directors

Doctor Marc Futernick, M.D – Chairman

Marc Futernick, MD, FACEP, joined VEP in 2011 as the Medical Director of Emergency Services at California Hospital Medical Center. CHMC is a trauma center and is the oldest hospital in Los Angeles. Dr. Futernick has been the Medical Director at CHMC since 2006 and worked at Santa Monica-UCLA prior to that. Dr. Futernick received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles and his MD from Tulane University Medical School. He completed his Emergency Medicine residency at University of California, San Francisco-Fresno. Dr. Futernick serves on the Board of Directors of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. His current focus is to improve the quality of care given to patients with psychiatric emergencies. He lives in Pasadena with his wife, Christy, and his two teenage sons, Ben and Matthew.

Doctor Justin Chatten-Brown, M.D – Board Member

Dr. Justin Chatten-Brown serves as a Board Member on VEP Healthcare’s Board of Directors and is an Emergency Physician and ER Medical Director at Woodland Healthcare in Woodland, California.

Dr. Chatten-Brown graduated from the Vassar College in New York and subsequently attended USC Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, California. After completing his medical education, Dr. Chatten-Brown completed a Family Practice Residency at the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez, California.

Doctor Walid Ghurabi, DO – Ex Officio Member

Dr. Wally Ghurabi is medical director of the Nethercutt Emergency Center at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, a position he has held since 1981. He also serves as medical director of the Santa Monica Fire and Police departments and trains paramedics and other “first responders” on various aspects of emergency medicine, including pre-hospital care.

Dr. Ghurabi has been at the heart of the hospital’s response to several major disasters, including the Northridge earthquake in 1994, the Farmer’s Market tragedy in 2003 and the Santa Monica shootings in 2013. He directed activities at the Nethercutt Emergency Center, where victims from these incidents were taken for treatment.

In addition to overseeing emergency services at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica and advising Santa Monica fire and police personnel on medical issues, Dr. Ghurabi co-chairs UCLA Health’s Emergency Management Steering Committee and serves on numerous other committees. He also is a member of both the hospital’s and health system’s Board of Advisors.

A fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians, Dr. Ghurabi completed his training and residency in emergency medicine at Michigan State University before coming to California in 1980. During his illustrious career in emergency medicine, Dr. Ghurabi has cared for tens of thousands of people needing emergency services and has helped save countless lives.

He also has trained hundreds of resident physicians and paramedics, who, in turn, have put those lifesaving skills into practice to help others. Dr. Ghurabi is a recipient of the American Red Cross of Santa Monica’s “Spirit Award” for his work in promoting emergency preparedness, educating fire and police personnel and taking care of the Santa Monica community.

For Dr. Ghurabi, medicine is both a passion and a family affair. His wife, Hilda, and his daughter, Tamar, are nurses, while his daughter, Micheline, is an emergency physician in Orange County and his son, Raffi, is completing his residency at Pacific Hospital in Long Beach.

Doctor Larry Halem, M.D – Board Member

Dr. Larry Halem joined VEP in 2007 as the Associate Medical Director of Santa Monica UCLA. He also serves as the Associate Medical Director of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital since the grand re-opening in 2015. Furthermore, Dr. Halem serves as Regional Productivity Director for VEP, working with providers and the billing companies to improve documentation and coding.

Dr. Larry Halem grew up in Thousand Oaks, California. He graduated with a Bachelors degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, Riverside and earned his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency at Harbor UCLA in Torrance, California.

Dr. Halem lives in Manhattan Beach with his wife and two children, Max and Elle.

Doctor Stephen Liu, M.D – Board Member

Dr. Stephen Liu joined VEP in 2011 as Emergency Department Associate Medical Director at California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles. He became Emergency Department Medical Director at White Memorial Medical Center in 2013, in East Los Angeles which has a volume of about 60,000 per year.

Dr. Liu grew up in Texas and then attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with a BA in Economics and Chemistry. After also earning his Doctorate at the University of North Carolina, he completed the Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Residency Program at Stanford University.

Dr. Stephen Liu is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and serves on the Board of Directors of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. He lives with his wife and their 2 dogs and cat in Glendale.

Doctor Stephen Pratt – Board Member

Mr. Stephen Pratt is a Global Leader of Watson for IBM Services (GBS). Prior to IBM, Pratt worked at TPG Capital, where he oversaw the private equity investment firm’s data analytics portfolio. At Infosys, Pratt helped set up the company’s consulting business in 2004 and later on took on responsibility for functions such as systems integration. Prior to his departure from Infosys, he was heading the company’s energy and utilities business in the US.

Doctor Shayne Smith – Board Member

Having stepped away from a full-time corporate career of almost 30 years, Shayne now seeks to spend his time working with executive teams in for-profit and not-for-profit businesses – helping them to fulfill their growth aspirations and achieve their vision.

Shayne believes that true fulfillment comes with developing and working with highly effective teams that are passionate about what they do, but are willing to undertake the difficult and challenging decisions that maximize performance. Welcoming diversity, seeking to understand stakeholder perspectives, sharing the benefits of success, and being authentic, are leadership traits that he values and tries to inspire in others.

Shayne is active within the business community and serves on various non-profit boards. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Canada (since 2008), serves as a member of EWB-USA’s Corporate Leadership Council, and is actively supporting the reformation of EWB-International. Past roles include serving on the board of directors of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (2009-2011), and Chair of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce board (for Canada’s largest province 2008/2009). Prior to that, positions also included membership on the Conference Board of Canada’s Innovation Council and on the University of Ontario Institute for Technology’s Industry Liaison Committee.

Shayne received a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1988 and is a Professional Engineer in Canada. Subsequent studies include nuclear engineering programs at the University of Toronto and various management seminars at Harvard University and MIT/Sloan.

He lives in Pasadena, California with his wife Pam and teenage son Tyber. Together the family shares a passion for travelling the world. Shayne’s wife has been active in the medical field for her entire career, working as a neurosurgical intensive care nurse for 10 years, then as a consultant for pharmaceutical drug trials and related studies/conferences in the US, Canada, and internationally.

Doctor Ivan Ventura, PA-C – Board Member

Ivan Ventura is a Physician Assistant graduate from University of California, Davis PA program in 2003. He worked in family practice for 2 years and worked per diem in the emergency room where he discovered his true passion for emergency medicine and the challenges it poses. Mr. Ventura became the APC Director at Mercy Medical Center – Merced and shortly after, Regional Director of APCs for VEP. In this role he has the privilege of interacting with many of VEP’s sites and assists in department flow with implementation of Rapid Patient Management (RPM) system, and Human Resources issues. He has participated in many contract start-ups that have now become profitable sites for VEP.

Mr. Ventura’s hobbies are swimming (when he has the opportunity!) and watching movies. He is a father of 3 wonderful children; Eli 4, Evan 3 and Elyse 1mo (yes…they like names that start with “E”); which along with work give him little time to swim or watch movies!

Ivan was recently given the honor to serve in VEP’s Board of Directors. He looks forward to the learning experience and the opportunity to continue VEPs legacy of success in providing quality medical care; and continuing participation in shareholder and provider camaraderie.

1001 Galaxy Way, Suite 400, Concord, CA 94520 | Phone: (925) 225-5837 | Main Fax: (925) 225-5838

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