Staff Directory

Cynthia Woods

Dr. Woods is a board-certified internal medicine physician. She attended medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed residency at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. She has special interests in chronic disease management, preventive care, medically supervised weight loss, and substance use disorder. She is certified to provide medication assisted treatment for substance use disorders. Dr. Woods’ goal is to educate and empower patients to become active decision-makers in their own care. Dr. Woods is a member of the American Medical Association and American College of Physicians. In her free time, she enjoys traveling abroad with her husband, and learning French. Dr. Woods looks forward to serving the Saint Paul community. She is currently accepting new patients.

Summer Johnson

Summer Johnson is the Chief of Strategic Development at Open Cities Health Center (OCHC) in Saint Paul, MN. OCHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center whose mission is to serve high risk and vulnerable populations regardless of ability to pay or insurance status. As part of her work, she oversees Nubian Moms, a program dedicated to reducing maternal and infant mortality in the African American community. She has directed multiple grant programs focused on Diabetes, HIV, cancer awareness and social determinants of health. Her role focusses, in part, on expanding access and removing barriers to healthcare. Over the course of 2019, she coordinated partnerships to bring optometry services to Union Gospel Mission, Catholic Charities, 2 charter schools, and various consulates, to name a few. She graduated with honors from the University of Utah with degrees in International Business and Human Development. Prior to her work at Open Cities, she was an Autism Specialist focusing on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and a home care health provider serving adults with severe developmental disabilities. Her work has taken her to Costa Rica to study food accessibility and living environments as they relate to childhood development. She is passionate about public health and ensuring healthcare is not only accessible, it is equitable.

Matthew Bauer

Dr. Bauer joined OCHC in 2009 with the goal of developing an advanced care eye clinic for the community.  He started with one exam room at our Dunlap location and has now grown the eye clinic into 2 locations with a total of 6 exam rooms and 2 pretesting rooms.  This growth has also lead to hiring a team of 2 other doctors and 3 other support staff to assist the community with providing the best eye care able to treat nearly all eye conditions.  The eye clinic team has also expanded to do eye exams off site at local schools, homeless shelters, and community spaces. Dr. Bauer graduated from the New England College of Optometry in 2009 with honors.  His passions include non-profit health care, health care delivery to underserved or neglected populations, and ocular disease.  He has a particular interest in diabetes, glaucoma, dry eye disease, and ocular surface disease management.  In 2011 his colleagues elected him to the Minnesota Optometric Association’s Board of Trustees and he became President of the organization from 2018-2019.  Dr. Bauer also is an adjunct faculty member of The New England College of Optometry, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences College of Optometry, and Midwestern University College of Optometry.  Currently he continues to be active in eye care and health care related issues though OCHC and the Minnesota Optometric Association as well as teaching nearly graduated optometrists. Outside of OCHC, Dr. Bauer loves being a father to his 3 daughters and spending time with his wife and friends.  He loves the outdoors, hiking, biking, and running.  Occasionally he’s been known to be out looking for geocaches in the city while running.

Archana Alegaonkar

Dr Archana Alegaonkar is a licensed dentist in the state of Minnesota, and she has been a practicing dentist for over 18 years now. She has been working in the twin cities since 2008. Dr Alegaonkar believes that a healthy smile and mouth is a vital part of overall wellbeing and as such preventative dentistry, comprehensive care and overall patient wellness are very important to her. Over the years she has worked in various dental settings from large group practices to public health clinics. She has experience working with patients from diverse and under-resourced communities. She enjoys informing and educating patients about their oral health while delivering compassionate quality care. She always strives to make the dental visit a positive experience for each and every patient. During the COVID 19 pandemic, she has made patient & staff safety as her highest priority and has enabled OCHC to continue to safely offer dental services to the patients. Dr. Alegaonkar lives in the twin cities metro area with her husband and kids aged 9 and 13 and 3-month old English Labrador. In her free time she enjoys practicing yoga, reading, art journaling, gardening and travelling with her family.

Vanessa Ng

Dr. Vanessa Ng, PsyD, LP joined Open Cities Health Center as a Clinical Psychologist and Director of Behavioral Health in 2014. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota and her doctorate at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Ng is experienced working with patients with complex histories to provide a safe, culturally sensitive environment to support their overall health needs. She is especially interested in providing integrative care by looking at the overlap between physical and mental health and considering creative strategies to help people flourish. Dr. Ng provides health consultation, individual therapy for adults, couples and family therapy, and psychological evaluation. She works with people living with chronic illness and pain, depression and anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, as well as other needs. Her therapy style is patient-centered, interpersonal/psychodynamic, and employs cognitive-behavioral and emotions-focused strategies. Dr. Ng also has competencies in clinical supervision and provides training for students in graduate programs towards clinical licensure.

Mark Garnett

Dr. Mark Garnett is a 2001 graduate of Northwestern Health Sciences University. Since graduating, he has owned and operated two private practices and is currently the department head and treating Chiropractic Physician at Open Cities Health Center. His mission: to serve and educate humanity by providing the highest quality of medical care available regardless of race, creed or socio-economic status. Clinically, his interests include a wide variety of topics that include neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction & injury, autoimmune disease, functional medicine, pediatrics, geriatrics, nutrition, physical rehabilitation and exercise science. His professional and business organizations affiliations include: Ramsey County Community Health Advisory Committee, American Chiropractic Association, Minnesota Chiropractic Association, Black Chiropractors of Minnesota and the Selby Avenue Business Association. He is currently serving as the Chiropractic Alumni Board Chairman at Northwestern Health Sciences University.

Lauren Peterson

Lauren Peterson is a Family Medicine Physician Assistant. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from St. Catherine University and a Master’s of Science in Nutrition at University of Nevada Reno. She earned her Master’s degree in Physician Assistant studies from St. Catherine University. Lauren Peterson is board certified with the National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants and Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Her special interests include preventative medicine, women’s health, and diabetes. Her professional affiliations include American Academy of Physician Assistants, Minnesota Academy of Physician Assistants and Physicians for a National Health Care Program Minnesota Chapter.

Michael Kamp

Dr. Michael Kamp in a board certified internist with a special interest in the underserved, refugee and immigrant population.  He is on staff at Regions Hospital and has been a clinical professor at the University of Minnesota, a staff physician with Health Partners at the Center for International Health, and a medical director of a large inner city health clinic. He is married with two sons. When he has time he enjoys biking, mountain climbing, music, reading and basketball

Samuel Boadu

Dr. Samuel Y Boadu is a licensed/certified family nurse practitioner (APRN) since 2006. He obtained his MSN at Metropolitan State University in 2006. He received his doctor of nurse practice (DNP) at the University of Minnesota in 2008. He also has an academic degree as MD, PhD from the University of Science, Arts, & Technology (USAT), College of Medicine, Montserrat in 2018. Dr. Sam Boadu’s professional experience includes retail walk-in clinic, urgent care, occupational health care, correctional health care, primary care, and MAT-Buprenorphine provider. He is one of the few primary care providers who provide HIV care. Dr. Sam Boadu is married with three children.

Ijeoma Ogbonnaya

Jean Thomas

Jean Brown Thomas Cole, born and raised in the south, to Kelly and Mary Brown. She is the second oldest of eight children and lived most of her life in a small town called Lambert, Ms. Jean is a mother of 3 biological children, 2 daughters and 1 son, and 4 stepchildren. She is married to Jessie James Cole. She started her nursing career over 35 years ago. She has worked for OCHC for all most 16 years. It has not always been easy, but it has always been very rewarding knowing that she helped someone feel better. Being raised in a loving and God-fearing family taught Jean values and respect for all mankind. Being raised in a home of parents that took in strangers, and shared with others the little they had, instilled in her something that is needed more in today’s society: “Love”. A father as a Pastor taught faith and love, and showed it every day of his life until God called him home. She will always cherish and be forever grateful for knowing how to show love to all of God’s creatures. In her words, “I am a servant of God, and that’s why I can serve His people with love and compassion.”

Sandra Griffin

Guillermo Chang

Residency at St. Paul Ramsey Medical Center Graduated with Honors in 1981 From Universidad Peruana Cayetano Herdia Facultad De Medicina Alberto Hurtado

Selase Agudu-Morgan

Selase Agudu-Morgan is a Family Nurse Practitioner with a practice focus in family medicine and primary care. Selase earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree from the Purdue University Global. She also has a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the John’s Hopkins University. Her special interests include pediatric and adolescent health, women’s health, preventative care, geriatric and palliative care, with a focus on quality care with compassion. Her approach to practice is to help patients manage their acute and chronic concerns, along with their preventive care through shared decision-making, advocate for a diverse patient population, varying in age, race and sex, ensuring that they are well informed, and feel empowered to make their own health care decisions. In her free time, Selase enjoys travelling and volunteering in underserved and resource constrained communities both locally and internationally.

Sarah Maier

Thomas Spray

Dr Spray Graduated from University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 2000 and has practiced in the Twin Cities ever since. He and his wife and 6 kids live in St Paul. Dr Spray has practiced dentistry in many settings: large group practices and various public health clinics serving patients in retirement facilities, children in a pediatric setting, North Minneapolis residents, and his current position in St Paul. He’s well trained in treating all age groups and providing most dental services but has settled in at Open Cities managing much of the oral surgical services there. Hobbies: spending time with family, music, and tinkering with carpentry projects.

Jessica Schara

Dr. Jessica Schara completed her Doctor of Optometry degree from Illinois College of Optometry. Her interest in pediatrics led her to complete a residency in pediatrics and binocular vision through the Illinois Eye Institute. Dr. Schara returned back to her native Twin Cities of Minnesota where she resides with her husband and two children. She is a member of the Minnesota Optometric Association and the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association. She also serves on the Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory committee for the state. Every summer she looks forward to volunteering as a Clinical Director for the Special Olympics Opening Eyes program. In her spare time, she enjoys reading.

Kate Hollenbach

Dr. Kate Hollenbach is a residency trained primary care optometrist with special interest in ocular disease. She is originally from Cedar Rapids, IA and completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Hollenbach completed her optometric degree at the New England College of Optometry in Boston, and her residency at the Columbus VA Healthcare System. She returned to Minneapolis with her husband in the summer of 2019. Every other year Dr. Hollenbach travels to Peru for one week to help give free exams to hundreds of patients in need; she has a passion for healthcare and education. In her free time, Dr. Hollenbach likes to read, travel, explore the Twin Cities, and play volleyball with her husband. Her current life goals are to improve her Spanish language skills and hike Kilimanjaro!

Jill Helgemoe

Nicole Terlouw

Counseling is Nicole’s passion and her purpose. She seeks to provide a safe, compassionate, and nurturing environment that inspires growth, transformation, recovery, and healing. She has worked with children, adolescents, adults, and couples for over ten years. However, she has a special heart for adolescents and young adults. This passion grew from her early work with teens in the foster care system and was furthered by seven years at a counseling center in Georgia. She specializes in the areas of transition, relationship problems, anxiety, depression, self-harm, anger, identity, and trauma. She takes a psycho-educational approach, blending different evidence-based treatment approaches while incorporating humor, media, and art which she tailors to the needs of the individual. She approaches health holistically; addressing the spirit, mind, and body. She completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Minnesota. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Family Social Science and a Master’s degree in Social Work and earned her clinical licensure in 2009.

Rachel Freyberger

Dr. Rachel Freyberger obtained her Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. She has been working primarily with populations that have experienced both interpersonal and community violence since 2012. Her specialties include narrative therapy interventions and strengths-based approaches that incorporate a multicultural lens. Rachel values patients for who they are and what they bring into the therapy room, and tends to take a holistic approach to her work as well, focusing on how a patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual health are impacted.

Ghazala Usman

Dr. Usman has dedicated her life to healing and restoring balance to people’s lives not only through her formal Western education as a Doctor of Chiropractic, but also intuitively drawing on her Eastern upbringing and experiences. She enjoys treating patients young and old, from all walks of life, with acute or chronic musculoskeletal conditions by diagnosing the underlying biomechanical dysfunction.

Todd Volk

Dr. Todd Volk joined Open Cities Health Center in 2019 after owning and operating chiropractic clinics in Massachusetts and Wisconsin. He completed his undergraduate pre-professional studies at the University of Northern Colorado prior to obtaining his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. He is board certified by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and is a past member of the American Chiropractic Association, Massachusetts Chiropractic Society, Wisconsin Chiropractic Association and the Wisconsin Chiropractic Society. Dr. Volk has spent his career helping patients with problems associated with injury from auto accidents, work or sports. Dr. Volk has a special interest in assisting with recovery from soft tissue injury. He also has a soft spot for the geriatric population and assisting in the improvement in pain and lost function from arthritic conditions. Dr. Volk focuses on providing every patient with highly personalized care that addresses all of their concerns. He looks to educate the patient and work with them as a team to accomplish their goals for health with the many resources available at Open Cities Health Center. He brings personal attention to each patient, is courteous of their time and condition, and looks to provide care that is most effective in meeting their goals. Dr. Volk is married and has a son and daughter who live in the Twin Cities area. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, working outdoors and travel.