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East End Community Health Center
EECHC Staff
Gary Murray, CMA
Judy Geiselhart, RN  Judy is a registered nurse at the East End Community Health Center.
Nurse Judy plays multiple roles. Some days she is the nurse and some days you will
hear her on the other end of the phone as she helps out at the front desk. Judy attends to
patients and also handles other health-related duties like records for obstetric patients.
She is a calming, friendly presence around here. We like to tease Judy, as she is the
“extra-credit queen” of the office. If there’s an article about any
health-related topic in the paper, Judy will find it. The great thing about Judy is that
she shares all information with the staff. Although we tease poor Judy, we do appreciate
her thoughtfulness. Judy is great with children and adults, but the kids really appreciate
her “Rugrats” uniform. Judy is from Pittsburgh and lives with her husband,
Chuck, daughters, Melissa and Jennifer, and son Chuck. They have a crazy dalmatian named
Mickey, whom they all love.
Cassie Avon, RN
Renee Rowe, LSW
Dan Lapp, MD See a picture of Dr. Lapp with his son
Christine Andrews,
MD See a picture of Dr. Andrews with her children
Karen Velazquez,
MD See the UPMC Physician Directory listing about Dr. Velazquez.
J.A. Brennan  J.A. is director of Family and Community Medicine Ambulatory Services at UPMC
Shadyside (that's her official title -- administrative director is the short version). She
runs three departments: the Family Health Center, The East End Community Health Center
(EECHC), and the Center for Complementary Medicine. She has been involved with EECHC since
the early planning stages, when it was still a dream. We like J.A. because she looks at
the "big picture" for us. (She also loves a good joke.) Her role is to ensure
that EECHC is in compliance with the policies and procedures of UPMC Health System as well
as regulatory agencies. She relies on Gary and Kathy K. to keep the office running well
and is very proud of the great staff at the center. (The feeling is mutual!) J.A. and her
husband, Kevin, have two children. Brittany is a freshman in college and Joshua is in
first grade.
Kathy Klobucher, RN  "Kathy K." is the nurse coordinator at the
center. She shares administrative duties with Gary Murray and clinical duties with the
nurses. Kathy was raised in East Liberty and has fond memories of her neighborhood. She
stayed close to home and studied nursing at the UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing. Before
joining EECHC, Kathy worked in a family practice setting, in both clinical and
administrative positions, in Pittsburgh. We like Kathy K. for her sense of humor and her
gentle manner with all patients. (She also makes us laugh a lot!) Kathy resides in the
Penn Hills area with her husband. She has three grown sons, two of whom are twins. Kathy
loves to shop in her spare time and has been known to take road trips with her buddies at
the drop of a hat!
Joanne DiBucci Joanne is our transcriptionist. She does most of her work in the comfort of her home. Joanne visits us once each week in the office to pick up all the important stuff she needs. We like Joanne because of her easygoing nature and big smile. She gets all the important stuff into the computer for us to better serve our patients. She lives with her husband and two children in Pittsburgh. Although she isn't often seen, she is greatly appreciated!
Lisa Schlar, MD
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Gary is the office manager at the East End Community Health
Center. He’s the one who keeps us running smoothly with knowledge about insurance,
billing information, referrals, and scheduling. If you call our office, chances are that
you’ll speak with Gary. He’s the friendly voice on the phone, helping patients
get what they need. Behind the scenes, Gary does our staff scheduling, ordering, and gets
patients durable medical equipment. He keeps us on our toes with regard to regulations,
standards, building safety/security, and the CORRECT way to use the fax machine. (Help!)
On a personal note, Gary is addicted to concerts, loves his tropical fish, and likes to
travel. Gary loves the Pittsburgh Steelers, too. We like when Gary bakes for us …
great pound cake! 
Cassie is a registered nurse with the East End
Community Health Center. Nurse Cassie plays two roles: nurse and front-desk person. Cassie
attends to patients and handles other health-related duties, like PAP test reminders for
female patients. Cassie has a nickname, but we aren’t allowed to mention it
here, and we can’t say why she has a nickname. (So just keep calling her
“Cassie.”) Cassie is patient and pleasant with all of the people who visit our
office. She can coax a smile out of almost any child. We like Cassie because she makes us
smile, too! Cassie is also from the 'Burgh. She lives with her husband, Tom, and sons,
Andy and Mike. Oh! Almost forgot … Cassie has exemplary typing skills, too. What more
could we ask for? 
Renee
is a social worker at the East End Community Health Center. She does short-term counseling
and can help find community resources for patients. Renee works with young children,
adolescents, and adults. People with stress, anxiety, addiction, weight, family,
relationship, school, and work issues come to talk with her. (Your right to privacy is
always respected by everyone in our office.) You might also encounter Renee out in the
East End community at health or resource fairs for the public. Anyone is welcome to call
for more information on Renee’s services or those of our office. On a personal note,
Renee was raised in Pittsburgh and is a big Steelers fan, but not as big a fan as
Gary. She loves to travel, and she loves her dogs, Homer and Zelda.
Family practice physician Dan Lapp is our medical
director and cheerleader. Dr. Lapp (in our biased opinions) is a great physician, but also
a good person. He is in tune to the needs of patients and is able to address those needs.
Dr. Lapp meets with children, adolescents, adults, older adults, and pregnant women. He
delivers babies at UPMC Shadyside. Dr. Lapp takes time to really talk with patients to
understand how other areas of their lives are going, not just their physical health. He is
respectful of their wishes and invites their thoughts, with the desire to have people
become involved in their own health care. Dr. Lapp speaks fluent Arabic, which is a great
help with some of our patients. He is our resident “sweet tooth” (hide those
baked goods!). Dr. Lapp lives with his wife, Carmine, and his children, Zena, Sam,
and Maya.
Family practice physician Christine Andrews is
our voice of reason. Always the model of professionalism, Dr. Andrews is pleasant and
funny, yet respectful of patient needs. She has a soothing voice and works well with
children, adolescents, adults, and pregnant women. We value her knowledge and clinical
skills (again, our biased opinion!) since these are of great benefit to our patients. Dr.
Andrews really enjoys providing care for women to have healthy babies, and she likes to
deliver those healthy babies at UPMC Shadyside. She also likes to take time and
really talk with people to get a feel for how she can best meet their needs. Dr. Andrews
is originally from Ohio, but has, luckily, settled in the 'Burgh with her family. Dr.
Andrews lives with her husband, Charles, and children, Alexander and Isabella.
Dr.
Velazquez is a family practice physician and a native Pittsburgher who grew up on the
North Side of the city. She has a strong interest in community medicine and connecting
with the people in our neighborhoods. We love "Dr. V." because she really takes
time to get to know her patients and has a real sense of caring. She enjoys working with
people of all ages, and our patients really benefit from her knowledge and kindness. Dr.
Velazquez’s laughter (and singing) is a wonderful addition to our health center. She
lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, Eric, and her children, Joe and Athena. She enjoys
jogging daily, preparing and eating vegetarian meals, and going to church. She also likes
plants, flowers, TV, and exploring different areas of the city.
