Our Clinic
The Tennessee Memory Disorders Clinic’s multidisciplinary team has expertise in providing clinical care and support for those with memory disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative dementias for over 6,500 patients in the East Tennessee region and in the Southeast.
Dr. Monica K. Crane, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Monica Crane is a fellowship-trained geriatric medicine physician and a nationally recognized expert in multidisciplinary dementia care. She earned her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her residency training and a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Crane serves as Medical Director of the Tennessee Memory Disorders Foundation and Clinic and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. She previously served as Associate Director of the Cole Neuroscience Clinic at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she was also Director of Clinical Research. Her work has included leadership of numerous studies in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Amber Tayman, FNP-BC, MPH
Clinical Provider
Amber Tayman, BSN, MSN, MPH is a family nurse practitioner from Morristown, Tennessee. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee. She began her nurse practitioner career in primary care for older adults and has worked with Dr. Monica Crane at Genesis Neuroscience Clinic since its opening in April 2017. She also holds a Master of Public Health degree and applies expertise in health education and behavior change in both clinical care and statewide work with the Tennessee Dementia Action Collaborative.
Sarah White, FNP-C
Clinical Provider
Sarah White, BSN, MSN is a family nurse practitioner from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Mary Washington College in 2004 and completed both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating summa cum laude in 2007. Sarah has clinical experience in family medicine, home health, and urgent care. She joined Dr. Crane’s team in October 2017 and provides comprehensive care to older adults with complex medical needs.
Celia Gruzalski, MA
Executive Director
Celia Gruzalski earned a B.S. in Psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education at the University of Colorado. She has spent her career working in the nonprofit sector in East TN directing and building adult day programs, and previously with Jewish Family Services of Denver, CO. She promotes dignity and advocacy of those living with dementia by empowering care partners through support and education, as well as training and coordinating community teams to strengthen the services and support available to this population. She serves on the Knox County Office on Aging Senior Information and Referral Board of Directors, Senior Companions Council, Alzheimer’s TN Virtual Dementia team, Purple Cities Alliance, and as a Caregiver Support facilitator.
Kathy Broggy, CNA
Front Office Manager
Kathy began her career as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and has worked in nursing homes, home health, assisted living, hospital staffing, and at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. While working in senior living, she transitioned into the role of activity director. Several years later, she joined Genesis Neuroscience Clinic, where she had the opportunity to work with Dr. Crane, whose work in dementia care she had long followed. Her career has consistently focused on supporting older adults and individuals living with dementia. In 2013, she created the Facebook initiative “Help Make Knoxville, TN the First Dementia Friendly City in the USA.” In 2014, she co-founded the Purple Cities Alliance, a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting dementia-inclusive communities. The Purple Cities model has since been adopted by multiple cities across the United States.
Eduardo Chacon, MPH, CHES
Clinical Coordinator
Eduardo (Ed) Chacon recently graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Epidemiology and a minor in Statistics. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Microbiology in 2022. He joined the clinic as a Clinical Intern in 2020 and became a Clinical Assistant in 2022. He completed his Applied Practice Experience (APEx) with the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) Emergency Preparedness & Epidemiology Division and plans to pursue MD/PhD training in immunology and infectious disease, with future service interests including the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Clinical Research & Nursing Staff
Lee Watson
Clinical Research Coordinator
Ira Katigbak
Clinical Research Coordinator
Amber Hinshaw
Lead Medical Assistant
Emma Mañalac
Medical Assistant
Thu Ha
Medical Assistant
Scheduling & Referrals Team
Gracie Lin
Scheduling Assistant
Arshaan Radman
Scheduling Assistant
Olivia Jones
Scheduling Assistant
Clinical Assistants & Lead Interns
Gabby Pence
Clinical Assistant
Jerome Jarjoura
Clinical Assistant
Zuha Khan
Clinical Assistant
Maya Ibrahim
Clinical Assistant
Ozge Yuksel
Clinical Assistant
Ruhaan Shah
Clinical Assistant
Kelen Lu
Clinical Assistant
Madelyn Bowman
Clinical Assistant
Omar Almashharawi
Clinical Trials Intern