Audra Puffer, APRN, FNP-C, MSN
Family Medicine
Audra is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, she worked for 4 years as a registered nurse caring for hospitalized patients. Audra is passionate about providing compassionate, evidence-based and holistic care to the geriatric population. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, reading, and exploring more of Austin.
Megan Quint, APRN, FNP, MSN
Family Medicine
Megan Quint is a Family Nurse Practitioner certified with a Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University. She has many years of nursing experience with a special interest in geriatrics. Prior to joining Austin Geriatric Specialists Megan was a provider in Geriatric Psychiatry specializing in Dementia care. Megan is committed to developing strong relationships in order to provide individualized care, tailored to meet each patient and family's specific needs. In her spare time, she enjoys time at the lake with her husband and two children.
Courtney Ratheal, APRN, A-GNP, MSN
Internal Medicine
Courtney is a board certified Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with a Master’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to joining Austin Geriatric Specialists, her career began on a Geriatric Trauma Unit, she then transitioned on home health and home care for many years. Courtney’s focus has always been on the geriatric population and she is honored to provide holistic and compassionate care. Outside of work, she enjoys time spent outside with her husband and their two dogs, collecting plants, and travelling.
Michelle Rogers, APRN, AGPCNP, MSN
Family Medicine
Michelle is a board-certified Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. She obtained her Bachelor’s and Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington. Throughout her healthcare career as a critical care nurse and hospice case manager, she developed a love for Geriatric medicine. The goal of her practice is to approach the care of her patients with a holistic approach to maximize their health and quality of life. She considers caring for the geriatric population as an honor and privilege. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, reading, and trying new restaurants.
Allison Russell, APRN, FNP-C, MSN
Family Medicine
Allison is a Family Nurse Practitioner certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. After graduating with a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2017, she joined Austin Geriatric Specialists. Allison is experienced at providing comprehensive, compassionate geriatric care across a variety of settings, and as a native Austinite, she has a strong commitment to serving the healthcare needs of our growing community. In her spare time, Allison enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two children.
Kristin Sagebiel, APRN, GNP, MSN
Internal Medicine
Kristin is a board certified Gerontological Nurse Practitioner as well as an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. Kristin has been a nurse for 27 years and a NP for 18 of those years with most of that time practicing in post-acute and long-term care. Geriatrics and palliative/hospice are Kristin's passion. She loves interacting with patients and their families to develop a plan to help reduce hospitalizations and improve quality of life on an individualized level. When not caring for patients, Kristin enjoys spending time with her kids, hiking, camping, traveling, reading, and helping others in many other roles. Kristin is also very involved in church including helping care for the babies/toddlers and leading small group.
Marilu Sanchez, APRN, AGCNS-BC, MSN
Internal Medicine
Marilu Sanchez is a board-certified Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist with a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. As an advanced practice nurse, she is passionate about, improving quality of life through compassionate, holistic care to patients and their families. In her free time, she enjoys long naps, puzzles, new foods, and exploring national parks.
Joan Stacy, APRN, AGNP-BC, MSN
Internal Medicine
Joan came to Austin Geriatric Specialists after completing an Advanced Care Fellowship at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. She graduated from Texas Women’s University in 2013 where she served as a research assistant studying care for post-operative mastectomy patients and participated in a cross-cultural comparative study of women’s health care in southeast Asia. Before graduate school she gained extensive experience in hospice and palliative care while practicing in a dozen states from Hawaii to Massachusetts. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Olivet Nazarene University in her home state of Illinois and is a lifelong Cubs fan.
Gabrielle "Gabby" Tovar, APRN, FNP, MSN
Internal Medicine
Gabby is a Family Nurse Practitioner certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin and attained her Master of Science in Nursing from UT Arlington. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, Gabby worked for five years in Austin as an acute care, medical-surgical nurse. She is joining AGS with NP experience including Internal Medicine and PM&R training. In her free time, Gabby enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids.
Joyce Tseng, APRN, AGCNS-BC, MSN
Internal Medicine
Joyce is an advanced practice registered nurse and Adult Health-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist - board certified. A proud Taiwanese-American, born and raised in Texas, Joyce is a two time graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. Joyce is a member of the Austin Advanced Practice Nurses Association and Sigma Theta Tau. Through her work, Joyce offers a holistic, patient-centered approach with a focus on health promotion, acute and chronic disease management, and patient education. Prior to joining AGS in 2017, Joyce has worked in Skilled nursing facilities, long term care, and home health/transitional care. She has a passion for geriatric care and palliative care. In her downtime, Joyce enjoys hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family, friends, her dogs and chickens.
Natalie Vallot, APRN, AGCNS-BC, MSN
Internal Medicine
Natalie is a board-certified Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist with a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin. Her health care career began as a Respiratory Care Practitioner gaining experience in critical care and chronic disease, which she brought into nursing while working in skilled nursing and long term care. As an advanced practice nurse, she is passionate about serving the community and providing compassionate, holistic care to patients and their families. In her free time she enjoys traveling, gardening, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and two beloved dogs.
Emily Wallace, APRN, FNP-C, MSN
Family Medicine
Emily is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner accredited by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Emily received her Bachelor’s and Master’s in nursing from Texas A&M University. Prior to joining Austin Geriatric Specialists, Emily worked as a critical care nurse for eight years specializing in trauma and surgical patients. She developed a love for geriatric care throughout her nursing career. Emily’s mission is to deliver exceptional patient-centered care across the lifespan that focuses on health promotion, disease prevention, and empowers individuals to become actively involved in their health care choices.In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time outside with her husband, son, and two dogs.
Catherine Ward, APRN, AGCNS-BC, MSN
Family Medicine
Catherine Ward is a board certified Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist who earned her MSN degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2018. A native Detroiter, Catherine attended Michigan State University for her undergraduate studies in English Literature. After relocating to Austin in 2007, she taught middle and high school Reading & Language Arts for several years before attending graduate school and has also served as a Clinical Instructor for UT Austin's School of Nursing. Catherine is passionate about providing holistic, patient-centered care for the geriatric population, as well as educating future nurses. In her free time, Catherine enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and friends, is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and loves to travel, roller skate, read horror novels, go out dancing, play video games, and craft.
Vanessa Weaver, APRN, AGCNS-BC, MSN
Palliative Care
Vanessa is a board certified Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Austin Geriatric Specialists, Vanessa had a successful career as an Inpatient Rehabilitation Registered Nurse in Austin, TX. Her primary passions have always been to help patients restore their independence, strength, and overall well-being. As an AG-CNS, Vanessa is dedicated to providing holistic and compassionate geriatric care. She strives to be an advocate for the vulnerable and underserved. And her primary goal is to provide each patient with the individualized care that is specific to their health needs and goals.
Ryan Webb, APRN, ACNS-BC, MSN
Internal Medicine
Ryan received his RN and MSN from the University of Texas at Austin and is a board-certified Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist. He is passionate about providing a holistic approach to treating acute and chronic conditions for the aging population in Central Texas. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son and daughter and staying active outside.
Shonita Wilson, APRN, FNP-C, MSN
Family Medicine
Shonita served honorably in the US Army for seven years, including a tour of duty in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, before pursuing a nursing degree. In 2011 her nursing career began, providing her experience in various healthcare settings, including acute care, case management, outpatient cardiac rehab, hospice, and home care. During her time as a hospice and home care case manager, Shonita developed an interest in chronic care management, particularly in the aging population. To contribute more effectively to improve patient outcomes, she continued her education and, in 2022, received her Master’s degree from Texas A&M University, becoming certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner. She is committed to providing holistic, patient-centered, quality care in her community, focusing on health promotion and disease prevention whenever possible. Shonita enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, reading, kayaking, and weight training.
Carolyn Wisco, APRN, FNP-C, MSN
Family Medicine
Carolyn is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a Master of Science in Nursing from Texas State University in Round Rock. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She has a background in primary and urgent healthcare as Nurse Practitioner and over ten years of experience as Registered Nurse in the hospital setting. Carolyn is a devoted patient advocate and uses a holistic approach to provide comprehensive, quality, and compassionate care to all her patients. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors with her dogs, swimming, running, biking, and spending time with family and friends.
Ping Ye, APRN, ACNS-BC, DNP
Internal Medicine
Ping graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a MSN in nursing in 2007 and DNP in 2021. She is a certified Adult Clinical Nurse Specialists who has worked primarily in long term care, taking care of frail elders since her graduation. She joined Austin Geriatric Specialists in May 2009 and continues to focus her practice in the area of Geriatrics.