In addition to the faculty pictured below, our Family Practice Residency Program is fortunate to have a contributing faculty that is impressive both in number and degree of excellence. Every specialty and subspecialty is represented, drawn predominantly from our organization and augmented by outside specialists from the Pittsburgh area.
Dr. Nickoloff completed her Family Medicine residency training right here at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh. She then returned to her hometown of Chicago where she had a rewarding practice and the privilege of helping to train residents and medical students for the past 15 years. Dr. Nickoloff enjoys hiking with her husband and two young kids. She also enjoys cooking and running (not in that order!), and cheering for her beloved Chicago Cubs.
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh
Clinical Interests: Women’s Health; Chronic Disease mgmt., OMT
Dr. Crawford-Faucher completed her residency at VCU Fairfax Family Practice and also completed a Faculty Development Fellowship through Virginia Commonwealth University. She spent 11 years as residency faculty in Philadelphia before moving to Pittsburgh. She served as the Residency Director
here for 5 years before transitioning to the Vice Chair position, and looks forward to continuing work with Forbes Family Medicine residents. Dr. Crawford-Faucher
enjoys family time with her husband, 4 (mostly grown) children, and Great Dane;
hiking and horseback riding.
Medical School: Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel)
Residency: VCU Fairfax Family Practice
Clinical Interests: Leadership development in family medicine, Primary
Care-led health care systems, promoting comprehensive family medicine
training and practice
Manasa Irwin, MD, joined the Forbes Family Medicine faculty in 2017, with a background ranging from community health to global health. She is currently the chair of the Government Practice and Advocacy Committee for the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians. Prior to her time at Forbes, Manasa worked at AHN’s Braddock Urgent Care Center for three years. She and her husband moved to Pittsburgh from Kenya, where Manasa provided patient care and clinical staff training as the medical director of a rural health clinic for 1½ years. Manasa, her husband and two kids live north of Pittsburgh. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, reading and traveling.
Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Residency: Emory University Family Medicine Program
Fellowship: UPMC St. Margaret Faculty Development Fellowship
Clinical Interests: Advocacy, Dermatology, Global Health, Mentorship
Dr. Wolfe is a Clinical Professor in the LECOM Department of Family Medicine and in the Drexel University Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine. He is a native of Pittsburgh and enjoys weight lifting/fitness, home renovation, music/arts and fun time with his husband and chocolate lab Lola.
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM)
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, St. Margaret
Fellowship: Faculty Development - University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine Masters of Public Health, Infectious Disease and Microbiology
Clinical Interests: Undergraduate Medical Education, LGBTQIA Care, HIV Specialist, Addiction Medicine, complex chronic disease management
Dr. Mark Cohee joined Forbes Family Medicine in 2022 and focuses on Primary Care with a special interest in education for residents in inpatient medicine as well as point of care ultrasound. Prior to joining Forbes, Dr. Cohee practiced in Charlottesville, VA as well as Bristol, TN.
In addition to his faculty position, Dr. Cohee will see patients in the clinic as well as hospital settings. He completed his medical degree at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA and then completed a residency in Family Medicine with Eastern Tennessee State University in Bristol, TN. He has broad clinical interests that include mental health, preventative care, care of underserved, procedures, and ultrasonography. Outside of medicine, he has interests in endurance cycling, camping, fly fishing, and spending time with his family.
Dr. DeFelice graduated from Forbes Family Medicine Residency in 2021 and continued on for his sports medicine fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital. Dr. DeFelice has now returned to Forbes Family Medicine Residency as a Faculty member and the Director of the sports medicine curriculum.
In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, golfing, and tennis as well as going to as many sporting events as possible, hanging with his Australian Shepard Kobe, as well as a movie fanatic.
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Forbes Family Medicine Residency
Fellowship: Allegheny General Hospital Primary Care Sports Medicine
Clinical Interests: Sports Medicine including field coverage, Hospital Medicine, Ultrasound, Teaching
Dr. Ferenchak graduated from the Forbes Family Medicine Residency in 2021 as a chief resident and will remain with the program as a Faculty Member, aiding in the training of both residents and medical students.
In addition to his faculty responsibilities at Forbes Family Medicine, he will see patients both in the hospital and clinic settings. Outside of medicine, his interests include traveling, cooking, trying new foods/restaurants, sports and spending time with his family.
Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH
Residency: Forbes Family Medicine Program
Clinical Interests: Skin procedures, sports medicine, lifestyle medicine, addiction treatment, pediatric/newborn care, preventive medicine, and advocacy/leadership development.
Dr. Gioia is a proud Pittsburgh native who completed her residency at UPMC St. Margaret and joined Forbes Family Medicine thereafter. She is the Forbes Family Medicine Medical Director, and her specific clinical interests include women’s health, pediatrics, and practice improvement. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two boys, and fur baby, doing outdoor activities, traveling, and supporting local restaurants!
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medicine Center St. Margaret
Clinical Interests: Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Global Health, Community Medicine
Dr. Cooper is the Director of Women’s Health for the residency, spearheads the Art of Medicine Curriculum, and is Medical Student Clerkship Director for students rotating through the Family Health Center. Dr. Cooper is also co-champion for the IMPLICIT ICC program, a multisite Eastern US research network aiming to examine and improve maternal and child health. Passionate about Family-Centered Maternity Care, she is an Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics (ALSO) Instructor. Elements of her education that inform her approach to medicine include her Art History major and her Master of Arts degree in Bioethics from the Pitt Center for Bioethics and Health Law. Glad to be home in Pittsburgh,
Mary can often be found gardening when not at work, or at a new museum exhibition. She marvels every day at the beauty of the world through her children’s eyes. She loves baking, hiking, and doing “projects” with her family.
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Residency: University of Massachusetts Worcester
Clinical Interests: Non-operative Obstetrics and Family-Centered Maternity Care, Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Medical Humanities, Bioethics
Janelle Johns assists the faculty in the residency program with the patient education and community medicine curriculums. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and earned her master’s degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She was a recipient of the 2002 Shirley Negley-Kobert Award from the Nurse Practitioner Association of Southwestern Pennsylvania. She is board-certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Prior to joining the Forbes Family Medicine Residency Program, she worked in primary care in an under-served urban Federally-Qualified lookalike Health Center. Her special interests include health maintenance, quality assurance, breastfeeding and LGBTQ care. Janelle enjoys going on “family adventures” with her husband and two sons.
Melissa completed her graduate education in Counseling Psychology at Chatham University in 2009. She has more than fifteen years of experience in behavioral health care and has been an adjunct instructor at CCAC since 2022. Melissa is a member of the Presston Volunteer Fire Department and serves on the Board of Directors for the Pittsburgh CISM team, which provides crisis aid for first responders.
Outside of work, Melissa enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, children, and two beagles. She's also an avid Pittsburgh Pirates and sports fan.
Graduate School: Chatham University
Clinical Interests: Crisis Management, Global Health, Mental Health First Aid, Psychopharmacology
Gilbert Rivera graduated from the School of Nursing of University of Puerto Rico in 2002. Gilbert is bilingual, fluent in Spanish and English. He initially worked as a Hospice Case Manager in Pittsburgh and has extensive experience in long term care.
Gilbert moved to Pittsburgh in 2002 to pursue his career in nursing. He has worked at various long term facilities in different roles including Director of Nursing. Gilbert joined Forbes Family Medicine in January 2018. Since that time, he has served as a lead and triage nurse until his recent appointment to the Clinical Manager position.
Gilbert is married and a father of two children. His personal interests include baseball, basketball and motorcycle riding.
After several years of academic medicine in Virginia, Dr. Johnson returned to her home state of Pennsylvania to join the faculty of Forbes Family Medicine. Her interests center in diversity, equity, and inclusion, with previous clinical experience in providing care for refugees after resettlement, and gender-affirming care. She has a passion for teaching, particularly as it relates to promoting health equity. Outside of work, she enjoys aerial dance and spending time with her husband and children.
Medical School: Medical University of South Carolina
Residency: University of Virginia Family Medicine Residency Program
Fellowships: University of Virginia Family Medicine Faculty Development Fellowship; American Academy of Family Physicians Health Equity Fellowship
Dr. Miller recently graduated from Forbes Family Medicine in 2020 and will be joining as faculty in the upcoming academic year. Prior to attending Forbes Family Medicine, she spent one year interning as an OBGYN resident in Upstate, NY. She will serve as clinical faculty at AHN Primary Care - Braddock and will work with medical students, residents and recently graduated Nurse Practitioners to deliver care to the Braddock Community.
Medical School: Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University (Formerly Stony Brook University School of Medicine), NY
Residency: Forbes Family Medicine, Class of 2020
Clinical Interests: Under-represented minority care, patient safety, quality improvement
Sarah Winter is clinical pharmacy specialist who assists with outpatient chronic disease state management. She graduated from Duquesne University, Mylan School of Pharmacy. After graduation she completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency, PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency, and Faculty Development Fellowship at UPMC St. Margaret Hospital in Pittsburgh. Following residency, she was a clinical pharmacy specialist at Allegheny General Hospital with a focus in anticoagulation. Her interests include evidence based medicine, interdisciplinary collaboration, transitions of care, and quality outcomes. She enjoys traveling, painting, hiking and exercise during her free time.
Mike Corpman is a clinical pharmacist who participates in daily rounds, providing insight into drug information and optimal pharmacotherapy. He grew up in Ohio and graduated from Ohio Northern University School of Pharmacy in 2009. He completed a one-year general practice pharmacy residency at Allegheny General Hospital, where he developed further clinical pharmacy skills. In addition to daily inpatient rounds, he plays an active role in the development of antimicrobial stewardship services within the hospital. His professional interests include infectious diseases and cardiology.
