About Us - Our Staff

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

Leadership of The Hernried Center is provided by John D. Hernried, M.D., F.A.C.P. Dr. Hernried brings to The Hernried Center 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 The Hernried Center since 1999, while also practicing internal medicine at Sutter West Medical Group (1994-1999) and most recently at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Hernried joined The Hernried Center 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 The Hernried Center 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 The Hernried Center 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 The Hernried Center where 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 The Hernried Center 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, LCSW has returned to The Hernried Center as our consulting Director of Behavioral Care. Joanne was an accomplished behavioral educator with The Hernried Center 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 The Hernried Center, 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 Behavioral Educator has served patients at The Hernried Center since 2000 and was named managing behavioral educator in 2005. Tracy earned a bachelor's degree in managerial economics from UC Davis prior to starting her training as a dietitian at San Francisco State University. She practiced as a registered dietitian at the Veterans Hospital in San Francisco and as a research dietitian for two health studies at UC Davis Medical Center. She also worked as an outpatient dietitian facilitating behavior change for the Mercy General Hospital Health and Weight Management and Cardiac Rehabilitation programs.

E-mail Tracy at tsmith@keepitoff.com.

Diana Carlson, Behavioral Educator Diana has been with The Hernried Center since June of 2006. Prior to coming to The Hernried Center 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.

Janet Page has been a Behavioral Health Educator for twenty years. She has worked in a variety of settings including private practice, a managed care facility, and an obesity treatment clinic in the Pacific Northwest. She has a degree in Education, as well as Health/Fitness and Lifestyle Management. In addition to personal coaching and teaching, Janet has extensive public speaking experience on the subject of “How to Lose Weight: The To-Do Approach to Long-Term Weight Management.” Janet says that she continues behavioral weight management work because, “it is extremely rewarding for me to see the positive, and often radical life changes that people experience with less weight, improved fitness, and better nutrition. Clients who become true self-managers of their own health represent the best success I can ask for.”

E-mail Janet at jpage@keepitoff.com .

Jill Burns, MS, RD, Behavioral Educator, joined the Hernried Center in January 2009. She holds a Master’s in Nutrition and Health Promotion emphasizing Sports Nutrition and a B.S. in Community Nutrition. She has worked previously as a Cardiac Rehab Dietitian for the UC Davis Medical Center and for 3 Women's Health Research Studies. She enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children, coaching youth soccer, leading girl scouts, experimenting with healthy cooking, reading, and being physically active.

Sheri Bell is our new Patient Services Director. She is a former administrator for PM&R and neurosurgery practices, and brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience from those previous endeavors. She is a medical assistant who has earned an Associate of Science degree. Sheri is happily married with two girls, ages twelve and nine. As such, she is highly involved with the Elk Grove Select Soccer club (for which both daughters play). “I am very excited to be with The Hernried Center and am looking forward to being able to combine my medical and administrative skills to assist people in rediscovering their future.”

E-mail Sheri at sbell@keepitoff.com.

Lisa Tami, R.D., Behavioral Educator, joined the Hernried Center in April, 2009. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics from California State University, Sacramento and has been a Registered Dietitian for over ten years. Her background includes working as a clinical dietitian, a health educator, and as a nutrition specialist for a local health club. In 2007 Lisa received her certification for adult weight management through the American Dietetic Association.

E-mail Lisa at ltami@keepitoff.com.

Jason Blessinger, M.Ed., Exercise Physiology, has been an exercise physiologist for over 8 years. Jason has worked in a variety of facilities which include Enloe Medical facility, University of Virginia Medical Center, Sacramento State Student Health Center, UVA General Clinical Research Center, UVA Childhood Obesity Center, and many more health and fitness settings. With a Masters degree in exercise physiology from the University of Virginia, Jason brings the Henried Center an extensive knowledge of exercise and weight loss. Jason is a certified Health and Fitness Specialist through the American College of Sports Medicine and has been a certified personal trainer for over 8 years.

E-mail Jason at exercise@keepitoff.com.

Physicians and Nurse Practioners

Sharon Ball, MD
Vern Manzano, MD
Reza Sepehrdad, MD
Kelly Berberich, FNP
Margolo Parsons, FNP
Kelleen Porte, FNP

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