Paula McNichols- Executive Director
In 1972, Paula went to work for Brookside as a part-time Medical Technologist and has been there since. She has held a succession of positions: Lab Supervisor, Health Center Operations Manager, Assistant Director for Finance and Operations, and finally becoming Executive Director in 1990.
In addition to her work at Brookside, Paula is actively involved in a variety of projects at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Partners HealthCare System and the Mass. League of Community Health Centers where she is currently a member of the Boston Conference of Health Centers, a member of the League’s Governmental Affairs Committee and the Board of Directors. Paula is also on the Boston Visiting Nurses’ Board of Directors, a member of the Jamaica Plain Health Planning Committee and the community health center representative to the citywide Alliance. Paula has held board positions at other organizations and institutions such as the Massachusetts College of Art, City Year and Neighborhood Health Plan and was a member of the Tufts Health Plan Advisory Committee. She continues to be actively involved in a broad variety of community initiatives, both locally and across the state.
Robert Hartley, M.D.- Medical Director
Robert Hartley graduated from Harvard University Medical School in 1977. He completed his internal medicine residency here in Boston at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and continued on to a fellowship in rheumatology at the same hospital in 1984.
Elizabeth Scanlan, N.P.- Nurse Manager
Elizabeth Scanlan, RNC NP MSN received her RN BSN from Villanova University in 1973 and her MSN from Boston University in 1977.
In 1978 she began working at Brookside as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and has been providing primary care for families here for the last 30 years. She became the Nurse Manager in 1985.
Elizabeth is responsible for the operations of the Medical Department and works to ensure an environment that supports family-centered care in a diverse community. She is responsible for personnel management and the professional development of the nursing and clinical support staff. She implements the Quality Improvement program in the Medical Department, and manages the Medical Department budget. Elizabeth participates in several Brigham and Women's Hospital-wide committees and creates systems to meet compliance standards. She and her staff work to improve patient satisfaction, and to provide high quality family-centered coordinated care.
Pedro Garrido-Castillo, Ph.D.- Director of Family Service
A native of the Dominican Republic, Dr. Garrido-Castillo began his behavioral health career by working in the field of addiction treatment in 1974. He received his doctorate from Boston College in 1984.
From 1985 to 1987, he was a Clinical Neuropsychology Fellow at the Geriatric Neuropsychiatry Unit at Boston City Hospital. He has worked in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, including acute care, rehabilitation, and medical-psychiatry units. At Cambridge Hospital he was first Senior Supervising Psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist (1988-1990) and then Director of the Latino Mental Health Program (1990-1996). He also worked at Harvard Community Health Plan (now known as Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates) from 1992-2001. He has had a private practice in psychotherapy and assessment since 1985.
Currently, Dr. Garrido-Castillo is theDirector of Family Services at Brookside Community HealthCenter, affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where heis involved in direct care ofpatients as well as supervision and training. He is an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Department of Psychiatry.
Maria Dievler, R.D.- Nutrition/WIC Director
Maria received her BS in Dietetics from the University of Delaware and an MA in Nutrition from New York University. She is a Registered Dietitian as well as a licensed Nutritionist in the state of Massachusetts. Maria began her career as a clinical dietitian at a community hospital in NJ. After completing her Masters Degree in 1980, Maria then worked as a Public Health Nutritionist for the New York City Health Department for 8 years where she was responsible for providing community nutrition services throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC.
Maria came to Brookside in 1988 and has been the Director of WIC and Nutrition for 20 years. She also directed the Tobacco Treatment program for Brookside from 1994 until 2002 and is currently Chairperson of the Patient Health Education Committee.
Steve Colchamiro, M.D.- Dental Director
Stephen Colchamiro graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelors in Science degree in Chemistry in 1966. In 1970, he graduated from The Harvard School of Dental Medicine and began his dental career. He has been a faculty member of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine since 1970 and has been a staff dentist of Brigham and Women’s Hospital since 1971. He came to Brookside as the Dental Director in 1971 where he has been ever since. Over the years, Dr. Colchamiro has held numerous positions at the B.U. Goldman School of Dentistry, the Forsyth School of Hygiene, as well as the Martha Eliot Health Center. The winner of numerous awards and author of various publications, Dr. Colchamiro remains one of the essential members of the Brookside team and one of its finest assets.
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