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Gayle joined Alsana in 2021, after accepting the role of Chief Executive Officer. She is an accomplished executive with an exemplary record of leading companies and teams within the healthcare services field. Most recently, she served as the CEO of ActivStyle, a national direct-to-consumer medical supply company.

Gayle attended the University of Illinois, where she received a B.S. in Communication and minored in Biology. She then earned a degree in Nutrition from the University of Illinois Medical Center, and went on to work as a registered dietitian, specializing in nutritional support.

Early in her career, she shifted from direct patient care to education and research.  As an accomplished author, Gayle has published more than 50 articles and contributed to books while working at the Midwest Nutrition Education and Research Foundation. Blending the best of her experiences, Gayle moved into leadership roles for regional and national healthcare service companies.

Gayle is skilled in improving patient care/outcomes and inspiring trust with partners. Her experience, and her passion for improving access to quality health care, make her an effective, results-driven servant leader.

Gayle and her husband are very involved in giving back to the community through various advocacy/support groups with the goal of making a positive difference in people’s lives-  particularly the underserved.  They also invest in bringing the “magic of live theatre and the arts” to young people.

As Chief Medical Officer for Alsana, Dr. Nicole Garber is responsible for maintaining consistency and quality of all medical programming. She has valuable experience working with individuals of all ages, eating disorder clients struggling with co-occurring diabetes, and clients with co-occurring mental health conditions, including personality disorders. She is also passionate about eradicating medical weight stigma.

Dr. Garber has cared for those in recovery from eating disorders for more than a decade. She most recently served as Chief of Psychiatry and medical director at The Meadows Ranch, an eating disorder program for women and girls in Arizona, and vice president of Psychiatric Services for parent organization Meadows Behavioral Health. Dr. Garber also served as medical director for Arizona Children’s Association, a mental and behavioral health non-profit focused on children and adolescents that qualify for Medicaid.

Dr. Garber received her medical degree from the Saint Louis School of Medicine. She then joined the Baylor College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry as a child and adolescent fellow and was named Chief Resident in 2012. She has also held Child and Adolescent Psychiatry professorships at the University of Texas Houston and the Baylor College of Medicine.

• APA Fellow status achieved in 2015
• Journal of Child Psychiatry and Human Development editorial board member
• Lectures at events for various organizations, including the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, the American Academy of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry, the National Eating Disorder Organization, and the Obesity Medicine Association, among others.
• Intensively trained in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
• Trained in Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT),

Heather says that coming to Alsana felt a bit like coming home. In her role as Chief Clinical Officer, Heather is responsible for nurturing the growth and success of our clinical treatment teams and maintaining the integrity and efficacy of our Adaptive Care Model®’s Therapeutic Dimension.

Heather is deeply passionate about helping people find a better relationship with themselves and says she finds great fulfillment when clients’ perception of what their life could be begins to expand and grow.

In her previous Alsana role as Regional Executive Director over Westlake Village programs and Virtual programs, Heather has proven to be a talented, natural servant leader with an authentic passion for supporting clients as well as each member of our treatment teams. Most importantly, Heather exemplifies a strong commitment to our Guiding Principles and the Alsana culture.

Heather holds both an MA in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University and an MS in Organizational Leadership from Grand Canyon University. She is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Supervisor (CEDS-S)

Heather has served as a clinician and clinical leader in eating disorder treatment for 15 years. Most recently, before joining Alsana in 2020, Heather served as the Regional Assistant Vice President of a multisite national eating disorder treatment provider where she focused on clinical consistency and the implementation of evidence-based practices.

Earlier in her career, Heather served in clinical leadership over other multisite providers as well as single program site treatment providers. She helped to develop and launch co-occurring eating disorder and substance use programs, recognizing the importance of transdiagnostic treatment.

Heather has been a chair of several well-known associations, including the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals, Los Angeles Chapter.

Between work, school, and three kids at home (including four-year-old twins!), Heather says she doesn’t have an abundance of free time but loves what she does.

She’s excited to be part of a team that embraces a compassionate approach to eating disorder treatment, and says it is the happiest privilege and honor to witness and support clients’ recovery.

I intend to support our teams by building on what they already do so well; we will get back to the foundational elements of Alsana, re-energize around our Guiding Principles, and nurture our Adaptive Care Model. We will explore how our therapeutic services can continually align with cutting-edge research in the treatment of eating disorders and co-occurring illnesses.”

-Heather Russo, LMFT, CEDS-S

Chief Clinical Officer for Alsana

Deandra Christianson leads Alsana’s operations across all treatment programs. Deandra has been positively impacting the eating disorder treatment field for almost a decade. She received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with a Counseling Specialization at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and is earning a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.

Deandra has spent several years serving in various leadership and clinical roles with another nationally recognized eating disorder and mental health treatment program before joining Alsana as the Chief Operations Officer in 2021. Deandra has enjoyed spending time volunteering for community agencies.

She is enthusiastic about implementing Alsana’s mission to help those recovering from eating disorders through a compassionate and supportive approach.

Julia Cassidy, MS, RD, CEDRD-S,  joined Alsana in 2022, serving as Vice President of Clinical Nutrition Services. She guides the Nutrition Dimension of Alsana’s Adaptive Care Model® and ensures the quality and consistency of care provided by Alsana’s Nutrition and Culinary staff.

Before that, she worked in the Behavioral Health and Eating Disorders field for 19 years, serving as Dietary Supervisor, National Director of Dietary, and National Senior Director of Nutrition and Wellness. Julia is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Supervisor and a Licensed Body Positive facilitator.

Throughout her work, Julia has presented on topics ranging from eating disorders, mental health nutrition, food flexibility, dietary application of exposure and response prevention in the treatment of eating disorders, and intuitive eating both nationally and internationally.

Julia is passionate about helping individuals heal relationships between food and their bodies. She teaches self-compassion and nutrition healing, which embraces the practice of eating for personal wellbeing.

Julia feels strongly about meeting clients’ needs through flexible, individualized eating based on hunger, satiety, nutritional needs, and senses satisfaction. She firmly believes in weight inclusivity and advocates for a world that accepts, respects, and celebrates body diversity.

As Vice President of Marketing and part of Alsana’s Growth team, Chris leads the Alsana marketing team bringing more than ten years of data-driven healthcare marketing and leadership experience.

Chris’ background is characterized as a builder of marketing strategies with a track record of cultivating collaborative, high-performance teams that respond effectively to environmental, competitive, and marketplace challenges. His responsibilities and oversight include digital marketing, content strategy, web development, public relations, reputation management, social media, field marketing and events, and brand value creation.

He and his team are fully aligned with Alsana’s mission to deliver an inspired and compassionate healing experience to as many people as possible. Chris is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine, and enjoys a good Angels baseball game, a relaxing day on Balboa Island, or a hearty backyard barbecue with his wife and family.