The providers at Neighborhood HealthSource are here to make your visit the best it can be. A trip to the doctor can be stressful, but our staff and providers are here to make it a comfortable experience and connect you with all the care, information, and resources you need to get well and stay well!
In addition to doctors, we have physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and behavioral health providers and counselors. Our doctors have completed specialty training and are board certified; physician assistants and nurse practitioners have completed advanced training and are certified in primary health care.
Nicki Ahles-Moses , NP, IBCLC
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner & Lactation Consultant
Nicki has been a certified pediatric nurse practitioner since 2007. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Catherine University in 2001. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. Nicki is also an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and enjoys assisting new and experienced mothers with breastfeeding concerns. She loves caring for children from newborn to adolescent and building relationships with them and their families.
Sofia Ali , MD, MPH
Medical Director
Dr. Ali is a Family Physician with over 20 years of experience serving patients in Twin Cities communities. She is passionate about prevention and partnering with patients to promote health and wellness rather than just treating illness and disease. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Ali holds a Master of Public Health degree and understands that many social conditions such as poverty, food access, and racism impact health. Dr. Ali received her BS from the American University (Washington, DC), Medical Degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, and Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. She did her Family Medicine residency at St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center (now Regions). She loves to spend time with her family, cook (and eat!), garden, take walks and to travel.
Dieudonne (Dee) Asambang , LPCC, LADC
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor
Dee brings a wealth of experience to the Behavioral Health Team at Neighborhood HealthSource. In addition to being a Licensed Alcohol & Drug Counselor (LADC), Dee is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) and Licensed School Counselor (LSC).
In addition to providing counseling and therapy, Dee plays an important role with our Medicated Assisted Treatment (MAT) program. He provides person-centered, trauma-informed services from a cognitive behavioral approach. His experience involves working with children, adolescents, adults with dual diagnosis and severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) in schools, inpatient, and outpatient facilities. Dee is very passionate about the influence of war, socio-economic factors, and immigration on addiction and mental health.
Emily Benzie , MD
Family Medicine Physician
Dr. Benzie graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and did her residency training at the University of Minnesota- North Memorial Family Medicine Residency program. She has been with Neighborhood HealthSource at the Sheridan Clinic since 2009. She enjoys getting to know and taking care of the whole family. Areas of particular interest include taking care of children, prenatal care, and office procedures. Dr. Benzie also speaks Spanish and especially enjoys caring for Spanish-speaking patients in their primary language.
La Dra. Benzie se graduó de la Escuela de Medicina de la Universidad de Minnesota e hizo su entrenamiento de residencia en el programa de Residencia de Medicina Familiar de la Universidad de Minnesota – North Memorial. Ella ha estado con Neighborhood HealthSource en la Clínica Sheridan desde el 2009. Ella disfruta el conocer y cuidar a toda la familia. Áreas de interés particular incluyen el cuidado de los niños, la atención prenatal, y los procedimientos en oficina. La Dra. Benzie también habla español y se deleita especialmente en atender a los pacientes de habla hispana en su primer idioma.
Connie Blackwell , NP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Connie, a certified nurse practitioner, co-founded North Metro Pediatrics (now Neighborhood HealthSource- North Metro Clinic) in 2005. As a registered nurse, she worked in hospital neonatal and ER units, triage nursing, and urgent care. In 2002, she received her master’s degree from St. Kate’s and was certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner. Shortly after, she co-founded North Metro Pediatrics and has applied her experience from over 30 years in pediatric nursing to build a model of care centered around prevention and educating families.
Robin Bresette , MD
Family Medicine Physician
Dr. Robin Bresette attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison before completing her residency at the University of Minnesota in Family Medicine. She has 14 years of experience as a family medicine physician, 11 of which she has worked at Neighborhood HealthSource. Her areas of interest include prenatal care, pediatrics, women’s health, and chronic disease. Outside of work, her favorite activities include yoga, gardening, biking, and snowboarding.
Chelsea Butay , LICSW
Behavioral Health Therapist
Chelsea is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker who obtained her Master of Social Work degree from New York University in 2013. Her practice at Neighborhood HealthSource prioritizes a therapy relationship built on open communication and compassion, partnering with people to support their movement toward healing and wellness as they define it. Chelsea sees individuals ages 12+, couples, and families dealing with stress, life adjustments, depression, trauma, anxiety, problematic substance use, and many other concerns. She is passionate about understanding the impacts of systemic factors on people’s experiences of mental health and relationships. Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys time with her family, community engagement, and getting to know Minnesota.
Patrice Dalton
Family Nurse Practitioner
Patrice Dalton worked as a medical assistant at Neighborhood HealthSource for five years starting in 2007. She later went on to receive her Master’s of Science in nursing from Walden University in Minneapolis. She returned to NHS in 2020 as Nurse Practitioner at our Central and Sheridan Clinics, where she enjoys serving patients of all ages. She is passionate about working in a community-based organization like NHS and treating patients from newborns to the elderly. Her hobbies include camping, fishing, and spending time outdoors with her two sons.
Cheri Friedrich , CPNP-CP
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Cheri received her Bachelor of Science in nursing, Master’s of Science, and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice, all from the University of Minnesota. She completed her Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certification from the College of St. Catherine and she is also a certified lactation consultant. Currently Cheri teaches in the pediatric nurse practitioner area of study at the University of Minnesota and she has maintained a clinical practice for over 20 years. She joined the wonderful inter-professional care team at North Metro Pediatrics in 2011. She loves caring for kids and their families from infancy to young adulthood. In her free time Cheri enjoys spending time outdoors with family, especially on a hiking trail or in the boat.
Cheri is also a lactation consultant. Lactation consultants can help you decide if breastfeeding is right for you before your baby arrives, and will continue to support you during the breastfeeding experience after your baby is born. They can help address any problems or concerns that come up at any point related to breastfeeding and breast health. If you plan on returning to work while continuing to breastfeed, our lactation consultants will work with you to develop a personalized plan to help manage that transition.
Erin Gillen , LPCC
Behavioral Health Manager & Therapist
Erin Gillen is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and received her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. Erin has worked in behavioral health since 2012 and at Neighborhood HealthSource since 2018. Erin’s areas of interest are mental health, co-occurring disorders, and integrated behavioral health. Erin believes that it is important to treat the whole person and consider all aspects including mental health, trauma, physical health, and social supports. Erin is trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy to work through trauma and adverse life events. Erin is also trained in Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy to help work through attachment and childhood wounds. Erin works with ages 16+ in areas such as depression, anxiety, trauma, bipolar disorder, relationship issues, stress, and substance use, among others. Outside of work, Erin enjoys spending time with her family, camping, traveling, listening to music, and being active.
David Goodman , MD
Family Medicine Physician
Aki Hughes-Polk
Behavioral Health Therapist
Aki has been serving Twin Cities communities for the past 18 years as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Her passion for helping people improve their mental health began as a small hope to support individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds. Aki takes a person-centered approach to therapy and seeks to understand the client’s heart as key to the healing process. She began this work 20 years ago in Tulsa, OK, interning with inpatient and outpatient chemical dependency, children and adolescents, and patients with eating disorders. In 2003, she completed her Master’s of Arts at Oral Roberts University. She received her Master’s of Science from Walden University in 2016, and will complete her Doctorate in 2021. Aki provides services to individuals with PTSD, depression, anxiety, grief/bereavement, stress, and parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Her next challenge will be to develop a support community for individuals ages 14+ with ASD to transition to living independently. She believes that each person has the potential to positively impact the life of another through community participation.
Christine Kengne , NP
Family Nurse Practitioner
Ranelle Kirchner , CDE
Certified Diabetes Educator & Nutritionist
Ranelle Kirchner is a Certified Diabetes Care Educator Specialist and Registered Dietitian, who received her training at Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern University in Chicago. She has been working in diabetes care and education for over 7 years, and has worked at Neighborhood Healthsource since 2018. She works mostly with adult patients living with type 2 diabetes, but also works with patients who have type 1, type 1.5, and gestational diabetes. Outside of work, her interests include cooking, writing cookbooks (new prediabetes cookbook released May 2021), cross-country skiing, biking, and gardening.
Alicia Klein , PA-C
Physician Assistant
Alicia Klein completed her Master’s of Science in PA studies from Rosalind Franklin University in 2010 and is currently obtaining her doctorate degree in Higher Education Leadership. Alicia has over 10 years of clinical experience as a family practice PA and has been with Neighborhood HealthSource since 2015. Her areas of interest include family practice medicine, chronic disease management, and preventative medicine. Her holistic approach to patient care includes shared decision making and compassionate quality care. She is full-time faculty at the Bethel University PA program and teaches pathophysiology, medical decision making, and precepts students. Outside of work, she is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children who love to bike, kayak, and snowboard.
Chris Olson , NP
Family Nurse Practitioner
Chris Olson completed a Masters in Nursing at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities before working in an ObGyn practice for 17 years. She went on to be certified as a family medicine nurse practitioner, and worked for four years at the family medicine clinic where she trained before joining the North Metro Clinic team in 2019. Her specialties include family planning and contraception consultation, STI testing, and chronic disease management (diabetes and hypertension).
Denise Roush , PA-C
Physician Assistant
Denise Roush holds a PhD from Yale University and received her physician assistant certification at the University of New England. She has been practicing as a physician assistant for 15 years, 5 of which she has spent at Neighborhood HealthSource. Her areas of interest include family practice medicine and prenatal care, adolescent health, and mental health.
Priyanka Sagar
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Eric Smith , PA-C
Physician Assistant
Amy Vint , PA-C
Physician Assistant
Amy Vint PA-C completed her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Iowa. She has been working in family medicine for 18 years and has been with Neighborhood Healthsource since 2007. She enjoys working collaboratively with children and adults to help them achieve their best health possible. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family outdoors.
