Doctors and Staff

Alex Zand, M.D.

Dr. Zand is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician whose interests include geriatric care, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and women’s health, among many others. He has been practicing since 1998 and his philosophy is to care for patients as if they were his own family. He believes in easy accessibility to care, and the power of nutrition in our daily health. In addition to providing excellent and comprehensive care to his patients, he serves on several boards at St. Joseph Hospital and local skilled nursing facilities. Dr. Zand is also on staff at St. Joseph Hospital, Hoag and Health South Rehabilitation. He is fluent in Farsi and conversational in Spanish. His hobbies include cooking, daily exercise, yoga, and meditation.

Ronald Daoud, M.D.

Dr. Daoud is board-certified in Internal Medicine and has been practicing medicine at St. Joseph Hospital since 1991. He is the Chairman of Medicine at a local hospital and is on staff at St. Joseph Hospital, Chapman Medical Center, and local skilled nursing facilities. Dr. Daoud’s clinical interests include general internal medicine, COPD, arthritis, hypertension, diabetes and hospice care. He is fluent in Arabic and conversational in French. He enjoys reading, jogging, and spending time with family.

Haleh Safavi, M.D.

Dr. Safavi is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician whose interests include geriatrics, women’s health, hypertension and diabetes. She has 10 years of experience in Senior Care at skilled nursing facilities and is an overall attentive and thoughtful physician. Dr. Safavi is also on staff at St. Joseph Hospital, Hoag and Health South Rehabilitation. Her hobbies include swimming and watching movies.

Sasan Salmi, M.D.

Dr. Salmi is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician whose interests include, but are not limited to, hypertension, arthritis and diabetes. Dr. Salmi has been practicing medicine for 28 years, with a focus on geriatric medicine for the past 18 years. He is also on staff at St. Joseph Hospital, Hoag and Health South Rehabilitation. He is a compassionate physician and his hobbies include tennis, skiing and barbequing.

Zahra Shahim, M.D.

Dr. Shahim is a board certified Internal Medicine physician whose interests include hypertension, diabetes, woman’s health and geriatrics. In addition to practicing medicine in St. Joseph and several other skilled nursing facilities, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, exercising and reading.

Kristin Theetge, ANP-BC

Kristin is a Board Certified Adult Nurse practitioner with a focus on the care of adult and geriatric populations. Kristin is also certified as a Public Health Nurse and has training in non-surgical aesthetic procedures. She has many years of experience working as a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner in the hospital, office, skilled nursing and long term care facilities. Kristin is passionate about helping people maintain a healthy lifestyle, illness prevention, and promoting an optimal quality of life for her patients.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Kovacs, FNP-C

Elizabeth is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner with special training in the care of children and adults of all ages. Her focus is providing preventive health services, patient education, disease management and illness prevention. She has been a Registered Nurse for over a decade, with a certification in Medical-Surgical Nursing. She advanced her career to Nurse Practitioner at the Masters Level, with a focus on Family. Her interests include Geriatrics, Diabetes, and Arthritis.

Megan Crum, MSN, FNP-C

Megan is a board certified family nurse practitioner who specializes in caring for patients across the life span. She has been a registered nurse since 2010 and has earned her advanced practice nursing certification at the Masters level in 2017 at California State University of Long Beach. She has a focus on family and is passionate about helping people maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Samantha Zimmerman, NP

Samantha is a board certified family nurse practitioner. Her interests include geriatrics and preventative care.

The treatment I have received (both emotional and physical) has been exceptional! Thank you to Dr. Zand and his caring staff.

Linda

I have been a patient of Dr. Zand for seven years. He explains to me everything in detail and is very patient. The staff is very nice.

Miyoko