Leadership

Gabriel Thelus, Haiti Community of St. Rose Leader, is a native of Jacsonville, Haiti.  His father’s dream was to create educational and job opportunities in their poor village.  As a result, Gabriel worked very hard to complete high school and learn English.  His determination was recognized by Brother Cosmas Rubencamp, a Catholic Xaverian brother long involved in Haiti.  Gabriel was given a scholarship to attend Virginia Tech, and he graduated in 1994 with an associate degree in Plant Agriculture.  He worked very hard in his classes and even made the Dean’s List during all semesters. After graduating, Gabriel returned to Haiti to live out his father’s dream of creating opportunity for his fellow countrymen.  He opened the first elementary school in the area, St. Rose de Lima School.  He also started a carpentry and welding apprenticeship program to teach skills to local men.  He began a market and a sugar cane mill.  Gabriel also works tirelessly to provide jobs and houses to the people of Jacsonville and surrounding villages.  He receives many visitors from the United States in the Mission House built in the community in 2009.  Gabriel is married to his wife, Maricile, and they have three children: Ti-Gabie, Garel, and Dominica.

Ketheline Rock Dantil, St. Rose School Nurse, is originally from the town of Pignon in the Central Plateau of Haiti.  She received her nursing degree from Centre Haitian Etudes Supérieures en Sciences de la Santé in Port au Prince in 2008.  She received additional training in pediatric diseases, vaccination, nutrition, and de-worming at the Grace Ministries in Port au Prince.  She is currently working as a nurse for the Catholic diocese of Pignon in a small clinic helping local people to receive desperately needed primary care.  She lives with her husband, Moussanto, a local veterinarian, and their son in the village of Jacsonville.  She noted the need for medical care and instruction in basic sanitation habits amongst the local children.  Thus, Ketheline currently volunteers one day during the week at St. Rose de Lima School to work with children who are ill.  She is interested in continuing to expand her involvement with the children of St. Rose and is committed to increasing the amount of public health education in the school curriculum.

Alison A. Smith, MD, PhD, FACS, Board Member, was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. She attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA, and graduated summa cum laude with dual bachelor degrees in Chemistry and Biological Sciences in 2007. She was presented with Virginia Tech’s “Woman of the Year” award and she was further recognized for her leadership role in the Hokies United organization following the mass shootings on campus. In 2010, Alison founded and served as the inaugural Executive Director for the non-profit organization, Sante Total, and she remains an active board member. She has participated in multiple medical service trips to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Kenya. In addition, Alison has served as an educator to train first responders in basic life support and trauma skills with Operation Smile in southeast Asia. In 2014, Alison completed the Physician Scientist Program at Tulane University receiving both medical and doctorate degrees. Alison graduated from General Surgery residency at Tulane University in 2019 and received recognition as the “Resident of the Year” from University Medical Center. She completed her Surgical Critical Care fellowship at University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio in 2020. Dr. Smith is a Trauma/Critical Care surgeon at University Medical Center in New Orleans where she serves as the Trauma Medical Director. She is an Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery at LSU Health Sciences Center. She is board certified in General Surgery and Critical Care Surgery. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband, Ed, and their children.

E. Alton Sartor, MD, MBA, Board Member, Director of Finances, completed his MD and MBA at Tulane and a Residency in Neurology at Columbia as well as a fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Sartor is currently Medical Director of Device & Digital Safety at AstraZeneca, where he leads AI strategy for patient safety and oversees digital health product development. Dr. Sartor has been involved with Sante Total since December 2010 and currently serves as Secretary and Treasurer, managing the 501(c)3 non-profit status. He has experience as a Senior Reactor Operator of Reed College’s nuclear reactor and has worked in both Kenya and Haiti on healthcare projects, continuing his commitment to sustainable healthcare solutions in rural communities. 

Carl Mickman, MD, Board Member, is originally from Minneapolis and taught high school science in inner-city New Orleans prior to starting medical school at LSU-New Orleans. He completed residency and a fellowship in Point-of-Care Ultrasound at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and has taught ultrasound in five different countries. He became involved with Sante Total shortly thereafter and has spent more than ten months living and working in Haiti with Sante Total, Project Medishare, and Doctors Without Borders. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at University Medical Center/LSU and Tulane Schools of Medicine.

Devi Yalamanchili, MD, Board Member, is currently an Internal Medicine & Pediatrics Assistant Member/Hospitalist attending at Moffitt Cancer Center and Assistant Professor at University of South Florida. She went to medical school at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans and completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency at University of South Florida College of Medicine. Her primary focus is in global health and service in resource-poor areas, and she has been extensively involved in both local and international medical service projects. She also serves as faculty advisor for Tampa Bay Street Medicine, a medical student-run free clinic serving the Tampa Bay area. She has been involved in international medical service projects since 2004 including work in India, Rwanda, South Africa, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. She spent almost 2 years working as a project coordinator for the American Red Cross both domestically and abroad, as well as with Volunteers of America working with sexually and physically abused children before deciding to pursue a medical career. Dr. Yalamanchili has been a medical volunteer with Sante Total since 2010 and is excited to be a part of the future endeavors to optimize the medical services for this community.

Violet Yeager, MSPH, DO, a devoted Board Member since 2012. Dr Yeager is clinician trained in Adult psychiatry along with Child and Adolescent psychiatry. She obtained her MSPH in Tropical Medicine from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Engaging in research since 2005, she undertook a research fellowship at the Tulane Traumatology Institute, specializing in supporting survivors of torture. Her interest is treating trauma survivors, disaster psychiatry, addiction, assisting refugee and asylum seekers, forensics, global health, and providing international medical services. Dr. Yeager has contributed to healthcare outreach efforts in regions such as Thailand, Vietnam, West Africa, and Mexico. Drawing from her experience in military logistical operations with the US Army, the US Navy, and the American Red Cross, she brings significant expertise to the Sante Total team.

Serena Murphy, MD, Board Member, graduated with the Class of 2016 from LSUHSC New Orleans, completed her General Surgery residency at the University of Vermont in 2022, and completed a fellowship in Colon & Rectal Surgery from UC Irvine in 2023. She currently serves as a Major in the United States Air Force, recently completing a six-month deployment as a Ground Surgical Team Surgeon in AFRICOM. Maj Murphy currently lives in San Antonio, TX and works at Brooke Army Medical Center as the Associate Program Director for Academics and Research for the General Surgery Program, where she is actively involved in surgical education. Passionate about international medical outreach, Serena has participated in five trips to Jacsonsville prior to her military service, collaborating closely with the local community to support and sustain the clinic through training and capacity-building initiatives. Serena has been volunteering with Sante Total since 2013 and is passionate about continuing her commitment to education and outreach to support Sante Total’s mission of providing accessible, high-quality healthcare.

Temrah Okonski, Board Member, has served on the Sante Total Board since 2015 and has been involved with the organization since 2012. She has been a consistent presence on Sante Total’s medical teams and has helped secure grants to support the construction of the clinic in Jacsonville. Temrah is a highly experienced physical therapist based in Maryland. She is the senior physical therapist at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Early Education & Development Center in Baltimore and also owns an in-home physical therapy practice, Enhancing Movement, serving clients throughout the Maryland area. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Simmons College (1988) and completed postgraduate fellowship training at Hermann Hospital in Texas and Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Temrah remains actively engaged in global health through medical mission work in Southeast and West Africa. She also volunteers with local organizations, including Cerebral Palsy Soccer and inclusive programs with Chabad. Her published work demonstrates her broad expertise and includes contributions to Young Children, Exploration of Neuroprotective Therapy, Journal of Prosthetics & Orthotics, Clinical Management in Physical Therapy, and other professional publications. Temrah is excited to continue improving healthcare and fostering sustainable change both abroad and in her local community.

Julia Clemens, MD, Board Member, Webmaster, graduated from Wesleyan University in 2016, where she majored in French Studies and Biology. She completed medical school at the University of Vermont and completed pediatric residency at University of Wisconsin in 2025. She is now a pediatrician at Access Community Health Centers in Madison WI. She was a part of the global health track at her residency and has been involved in global health education and global health in Guatemala, as well as her involvement with Sante Total. She started volunteering with Sante Total in 2013 and went on seven trips to Jacsonville prior to starting medical school and now has a role in running the website.

 Margarite Matossian, MD/PhD, Board Member, Student Leader, completed her MD/PhD at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and is currently a resident in Internal Medicine at the U of Chicago with the goal of becoming an oncologist. She is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received her BA in Biochemistry at Kalamazoo College where she was recognized for building Women in Science programs at local schools. Margarite’s research focus is cancer biology, specifically breast cancer. Margarite has been involved in Sante Total since 2015 as a second-year medical student and has participated in three trips. She has a role in coordinating trips to Jacsonville, and recruiting students from the medical, public health and other fields to participate in trips.

Sergei Robinson, DO, Board Member, completed medical school at Lecom in PA and did his internal medicine residency at Wright State University in Ohio. He is currently an internist and a flight surgeon for the USAF in Alaska and also works as a hospitalist in California. Sergei has been to Haiti multiple times since 2010. Initially he went to assist with water filtration and orphanage work. During officer training he met Serena Murphy who encouraged him to investigate Sante Total. Sergei has since been on several trips to Jacsonville and is always eager to come back!

Eric Delss, Board Member, earned degrees in architecture and urban design from Virginia Tech and Harvard University.  Recently, he completed studies in land preservation and conservation planning from the University of Pennsylvania.  Eric first visited Haiti as a student at Virginia Tech in 1998, where he met Gabriel Thelus and saw the foundations of what was to become the St. Rose de Lima School.  For over twenty years, Eric has worked closely with Gabriel, his wife Erinn, and parents Charles and Carol Delss to grow a strong connection between Jacsonville and sponsoring communities in Maryland and Pennsylvania.   As the son of a teacher and the husband of a teacher, he recognizes that the power for social change and improved community health rests in guaranteeing access to quality education.  Eric is excited to contribute to the efforts of Sante Total and to continue this important and necessary work. Eric lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two sons.