St. Mary FM Faculty
David Berdy MD, CPE, Program Director
Dr. Berdy graduated from The University of Toledo College of Medicine and went on to complete Family Medicine training at the W.W. Knight Family Medicine Residency at The Toledo Hospital. As a Philadelphia transplant, he has spent the last 13 years in academic medicine; most recently as the Founding Program Director for an inner-city safety-net hospital in Humboldt Park, Chicago, where one of his key achievements was creating a fully integrated undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education program serving the professional development of medical students, residents and community physicians across the continuum. Dr. Berdy has particular clinical interests in Travel Medicine, Palliative Care, and is also certified in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture through McMaster University. He joined St. Mary Family Medicine because of the mission driven focus of Trinity Health and its dedication to marginalized communities. Outside of medicine, he likes to travel, landscaping, playing soccer and is a musician at heart.
Mary Elizabeth Vitucci, DO, Associate Program Director & Director of Osteopathic Education
A graduate of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Vitucci completed her residency at the former Mercy Suburban Hospital where she became Chief Resident. She has specialized skill in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and also serves as the Director of Osteopathic Education for St. Mary Medical Center. Her faith is integral to the care she provides to the whole family aligning perfectly with Trinity values. When she’s not serving our community, she can be found “down the shore” with her husband and three children.
Jessica Mayer, DO, Core Faculty, Family Medicine
Following medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Mayer completed her internship in Delaware County/Crozer Chester Hospitals and residency at Mercy Suburban Hospital where she rose through the ranks to lead medical education at both the program and health system level beginning in 2018. She has a particular clinical interest in pediatrics and joined the program at St Mary for its mission to provide high quality healthcare to those facing challenges connecting to the broader health system. When she’s not teaching residents and students, she enjoys knitting, crocheting and travel with family to National Parks or Disney.
Xinye (Joy) Ge, MD, Core Faculty, Family Medicine/Behavioral Health
Dr. Joy graduated from Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and completed her residency training at St. Vincent Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania. Additionally, she is fellowship trained in Behavioral Health through the University of Alabama where she serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry. While behavioral health is a key clinical interest, she is also focused on social determinants of health and lifestyle medicine. She chose St. Mary for its proximity to home and the ability to provide advanced behavioral medicine in an academic setting. Outside of medicine she enjoys cross-stitch and spending time with friends and felines.
Denise Centeno, Family Medicine Center Administrator
Denise has led operations at St. Mary Family Medicine Center for nearly two decades having begun her career at the Episcopal Hospital on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia. She has been central to the integration of maternal, child, and adult health care into a comprehensive Family Medicine Practice. Her clinical interests revolve around the social determinants of health and underserved populations. Denise has chosen St. Mary Family Medicine for its support of a true medical home model including financial assistance, food and housing support, transportation services, integrated mental health to name a few. When she is not in the office, you can find her on long walks, reading murder mysteries, cooking for family, and perfecting her barista skills.
Lenora Gaunt, Program Coordinator
Before joining St. Mary Family Medicine as Program Coordinator, Lenora was part of three successful startups of Home Health Agencies where she was responsible for all non-clinical operations of the business. She helped lead deficiency free surveys within the agency and obtain five-star ratings with CMS as a senior leader with full oversite of the Health Network of 250 physicians and value-based programs. Lenora joined St. Mary Family Medicine because of the Catholic principles which support individual spiritual and professional fulfillment. She enjoys spending free time with family and friends, especially her two granddaughters.
Darin Geracimos, Affiliated Faculty, Emergency Medicine
Dr. Geracimos, went to medical school here in Philadelphia at Sidney Kimmel Medical College and completed Emergency Medicine with St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City. He has been a clinical fixture at St Mary Medical Center for over eleven years and currently serves as president of the medical staff. Dr. Geracimos’ clinical interests are in the realms of emergency department workflow and patient experience and came to St. Mary for the focus on quality patient centered care. Aside from medicine, he enjoys marathon training.
Joanne Hullings, DO, Affiliated Faculty, Clinical Skills
Dr. Hullings completed her training in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at the Delaware County Medical Center and has been a longstanding Emergency Room Physician at St. Mary Medical Center. She interfaces with residents during morning report and for clinical skills focused workshops. Her clinical interests are acute burns and traumatic lacerations and chose St Mary for the holistic approach to addressing both physical and spiritual needs of patients. Dr. Hullings is actively engaged with medical students at her alma mater, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and leads a weekly didactic session for MS3 and MS4 students at St. Mary Medical Center and Nazareth Hospital. Outside of medicine she connects with friends, with nature, and enjoys journaling as well as scrapbooking.
Karen Appiah, MD, Core Faculty, Hospital Medicine
Dr. Appiah graduated from The School of Medical Sciences at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana before completing residency at the Saint Francis Hospital Family Medicine Residency in Wilmington, Delaware, where she received the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Resident Teacher Award. Her clinical interests include hospital medicine and patient advocacy. She chose St. Mary for its dedication to the community and to give back to the health system that was key to her development as a family physician. To maintain resilience, she cherishes baking with her three kids and bonding over their family favorite shows together.
Uzma Shahzad, MD, Core Faculty, Hospital Medicine
Dr. Shahzad graduated from Quadiad E-Azam Medical College in Pakistan before Family Medicine Residency at Mount Sinai South Nassau and Geriatrics Fellowship at NYU Winthrop. Dually certified in Family Medicine and Geriatrics, Dr. Shahzad has been instrumental in teaching residents and medical students on the hospital wards and long-term care settings which highlight her clinical interests. She chose St. Mary Family Medicine for the highly collaborative work environment and diversity of patient care experiences. Dr. Shahzad enjoys travel, cooking and candle making in her free time.
Roman Tatarowicz, MD, Core Faculty, Obstetrics
Dr. Tatarowicz went to St. George’s University School of Medicine before completing residency at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. He is the medical director of Obstetrics and currently the Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He has been a part of St. Mary for more than a decade and was recently appointed to the Obstetrics Expert Panel, as well as The Womens’ and Newborns’ Clinical Excellence Council for Trinity Health nationwide. His clinical interest is in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and came to St. Mary because of the transformational impact it has on the community it serves. When he is not delivering babies, he serves as a scenic designer for local and off-Broadway theatre companies including the oldest theater in America, Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theater.
Anna Zacharcenko, PsyD, Core Faculty, Behavioral Health
Dr. Zacharcenko serves as Director of the Behavioral Health Education for the St. Mary Family Medicine Residency. She completed her Master of Science Degree at Villanova and her Doctorate in Psychology through the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Prior to joining the professional staff at St. Mary, she served as a clinical associate professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine where she provided extensive training to psychology and medical students in the provision of health psychology services for diverse populations and she developed an interdisciplinary grant funded Cardiovascular Health Intervention program for post-menopausal patients. She has served as the consulting psychologist to the former Temple Health Women’s Care, a multidisciplinary specialty practice and to the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging and leads the Geropsychology special interest group for the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. She has co-authored and published an invited chapter on integrating cognitive behavioral interventions in the primary care setting and has presented at several professional medical conferences. An avid patron of the arts, Dr. Zacharcenko appreciates the multiple venues that Philadelphia has to offer and loves a good cup of tea.