About Us - Our Staff

John Hernried, M.D., President & Medical Director

Leadership of OTC Medical Group is provided by John D. Hernried, M.D., F.A.C.P. Dr. Hernried brings to OTCMG both a deep, caring interest and extensive experience in the treatment of obesity. Board-certified in Internal Medicine, he is also a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, North American Association for the Study of Obesity and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Hernried has directed weight loss programs for area hospitals and serves as Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of California, Davis; he also remains active in clinical research and is a well-known area lecturer on new topics in obesity. He has been listed as a “Top Doctor” in Sacramento Magazine, Solano Magazine and The Davis Enterprise. Dr. Hernried is a graduate of Texas Tech School of Medicine, and did his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California, Davis. He has been Medical Director at OTC since 1999, while also practicing internal medicine at Sutter West Medical Group (1994-1999) and most recently at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Hernried joined OTC full-time in 2005 in order to dedicate himself to the practice of bariatric medicine.

E-mail Dr. Hernried at jhernried@keepitoff.com.

Louise Crawford, M.A., behavioral educator, recently joined OTC after working at home as a published novelist (mystery/suspense), teaching writing, and being a “most of the time” stay-at-home mom. Prior to parenting, she received her Master’s in Psychology, specializing in addictions and recovery. Regarding weight issues, Louise said, “I gained 62 pounds when I was pregnant, took two years to lose it, and have kept it off for 15 years. I’m excited about the OTC program, helping others achieve and maintain their weight loss goals, and live the life they want to live.”

E-mail Louise at lcrawford@keepitoff.com.

Margot Wilcox, behavioral educator, returned to OTCwhere she first worked in 1984. During her absence, she and her husband Scott raised two children. Her oldest child just started college. A graduate of University of California Davis, Margot studied psychology and education. Margot said, “I returned to OTC to help patients as they take on the challenges of changing to more healthy and satisfying lives.” When time permits, she volunteers at the Davis Hospice and church groups. She enjoys reading and hiking.

E-mail Margot at mwilcox@keepitoff.com.

Joanne Nichols Kuchera has returned to OTC as our consulting Director of Behavioral Care. Joanne was an accomplished behavioral educator with OTC for 18 years from 1983-2001. She left to complete her training as a therapist and now works with us to oversee our behavioral program and train new behaviorists. In addition to her extensive experience with our program, Joanne brings several new programs to OTC, including comprehensive behavioral assessments administered to all new patients and Affective Management Skills Training, a mind/body therapy to help patients regulate and manage disturbing emotions especially beneficial for those suffering from depression and/or anxiety.

E-mail Joanne at jkuchera@keepitoff.com.

Tracy Smith, R.D., managing behaviorist has served patients at OTC since 2000 and was named managing behaviorist in 2005. Tracy earned a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics from UC Davis prior to starting her training as a dietician at San Francisco State University. She practiced as a registered dietician at the Veterans Hospital in San Francisco, and as a research dietician for two health studies at UC Davis Medical Center and Mercy General Hospital Health and Weight Management and Cardiac Rehabilitation programs.

E-mail Tracy at tsmith@keepitoff.com.

Pamela Perkins, director of patient services, has been in charge of introducing OTC to new and prospective patients since 1986. She presents our program in weekly information sessions, manages the patient intake process and heads up the patient relations area, addressing any concerns for patients in the program. A frequent speaker in the community on behalf of OTC, Pam is the ultimate resource for helping patients take the first step toward managing the disease of obesity. Prior to joining OTC, she managed the weight management program at Mercy General Hospital.

E-mail Pam at pperkins@keepitoff.com.

Diana Carlson, Behavioral Educator Diana has been with OTC since June of 2006. Prior to coming to OTC Diana spent worked as an administrator. She returned to school and in 2004 received her degree in psychology and counseling. She started her counseling career by teaching Active Parenting classes through Kaiser Hospital. Having been obese she understands the challenges of weight loss and weight maintenance. She is part of the new teen weight loss program.

E-mail Diana at dcarlson@keepitoff.com .

Exercise Physiologists

Ron Berryhill, C.S, C.S.
Bob Randel, B.A., C.S.C.S.
Kristie Kreum, B.A. C, P.T.
Michele Thomas
Greg Stewart, B.S., C.S.C.S., A.C.S.M., M.E.S.

E-mail exercise physiologists at exercise@keepitoff.com.

Physicians and Nurse Practioners

Nancy Cronheim, M.D.
Renae Klee, N.P.
Sharon Ball, M.D.
Kelley Berberich, FNP
Margolo Parsons, FNP
Ed Cheng, MD
Tracy Huynh, MD
Amit Kamboj, MD
Jimmy Tam, MD

E-mail medical staff at medstaff@keepitoff.com.