our shared purpose
ABOUT ACCESS
Access began as a community of action; a shared desire to make a difference. Since our inception, we’ve remained a genuine experience of fellowship, built on shared values, common goals, and collaborative work.
our history: a legacy of care and training
How the San Francisco community came together to form Access Institute
In the 1990s, sweeping cuts to healthcare funding led to the closure of community mental health clinics across San Francisco, sharply reducing access to long-term care for low-income and marginalized communities. The closure of the community mental health clinic at UCSF Mt. Zion deepened this crisis, eliminating both essential services for patients and a vital training ground for future clinicians.
Access Institute was founded to protect and advance this proven model of community-based care. As an independent mental health clinic, we provide high-quality, long-term treatment without arbitrary limits and train the next generation of clinicians committed to equity and excellence.
Built by a community that refused to let this care disappear, Access Institute exists to ensure compassionate mental health care remains accessible to those who need it most.
OUR TEAM
Staff
Laura E. Mason, MNA
Executive Director
Jeremy Mintz, PsyD
Director of Training
Paulina Gavilanez
Director of Operations
Bart Magee, PhD
Clinical Director & Founder
Sydney Emerson, PsyD
Assessment Program Manager
Laura Rivera
Rodriguez, LMFT
In-School Mental Health Program Manager
Naomi Kosman-
Weiner, PsyD
Staff Psychotherapist & Elder Program Liaison
Sam Tucker, MD
Volunteer Psychiatrist
PROVIDERS
Doctoral Interns
Liam Bang, MA
Liz Yoon, MA
Kate DeCoste, MA
Joseph Huang, MA
Elizabeth Dyer, MA
Fellows
Leo Guillemin, MA
Bhavana Vadrevu, MA
Nora Gomperts, ASW
Mary-Frances Miller, AMFT
Rose Dawydiak-Rapagnani, PsyD
Demetrio Donzelli, MA
Angela Diieno, AMFT, JD
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
Sapna Bakshi, DNP, PMHNP
Dana Littlepage DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-C
Mariana Valenzuela, RN, DNP, FNP
Board of Directors & Advisory Board
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Laura Powell, President
Eliana Sur, Vice President
John Ramsbacher, Secretary
Nancy Kokolj, Treasurer
Caroline Duffy
Nina Kaiser, Ph.D.
Christine Lin
Krista Mitzel, Esq.
Katherine Robertson, Psy.D.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Robin Beers, Ph.D.
Jeanne Wolff Bernstein, Ph.D.
Barbara Blasdel, Ph.D.
David Blazevich (Past President)
Victor Bonfilio, J.D., Ph.D.
Cary Dakin, Ph.D., LMFT
Douglas G. Denton (Past Board President)
Amy Wallerstein Friedman, LCSW
Joel Ginsberg, J.D., M.B.A. (Past President)
Francisco Gonzalez, M.D.
Toni Vaughn Heineman, DMH
Phyllis Kempner, Ph.D.
Ellen Koskinas
Michael Krasny, Ph.D.
Maureen Murphy, Ph.D.
Jean Robertson
Stephen Sabin, Psy.D. (Past President)
Joan Sarnat, Ph.D.
Lee Slome, Ph.D.
Linda Tucker, PsyD (Past President)
Harriet Wolfe, M.D.
