OUR STAFF

The dedicated professionals working hard to achieve the mission of Cascades East AHEC. CEAHEC staff members are all St. Charles Health System caregivers.

Chris Reeves

Operations Coordinator - CEAHEC/Student Services

Chris is responsible for the scholarship program, Inter Professional Education, contracts, invoicing and the day-to-day operations of our team.

Chris joined CEAHEC in May 2022 as Operations Coordinator. He graduated from Oregon State University – Cascades Campus with a BA in Social Sciences in 2014 and a MAT in Secondary Education in 2016.

Chris also has ten years of service in the Oregon Army National Guard. His previous experiences include social services for the state of Oregon, high school student support services, and operations in private industry.

In his free time, Chris enjoys running, cooking, and spending time with his wife and four dogs.

Click here to contact Chris.

Emily Clark

CEAHEC Education Specialist/K16 Coordinator

Emily’s primary responsibilities include Health Occupations, Diagnosis Day, Independent Job Shadows and MedStar Camp director.

Emily Clark joined CEAHEC in July 2022 after 10 years of teaching Health Science at the high school and middle school level in Alaska and Colorado. 

She has a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Gonzaga University and a Master of Arts in Education from University of Alaska Southeast. 

Emily grew up in Oregon, so is happy to return to her home state and help grow the future of the health field by working with high school students throughout Central Oregon.  

While not at work, she can be found on the trails, enjoying mountain biking and skiing with her husband and border collie. 

Click here to contact Emily.

Stephanie Leapaldt

CEAHEC Center Director St. Charles Student Services Supervisor

Stephanie came to CEAHEC in June of 2019 after nineteen years of teaching in Bend La Pine Schools. Spending those years at MVHS, where she taught science and for the last nine years Health Occupations, Anatomy and Physiology, and Biology.

She graduated from Oregon State University with a BS in Microbiology and minors in Chemistry and Education. After graduating she supervised a food safety lab for a private company for 12 years before moving to Central Oregon. She completed her teaching certification with Eastern Oregon University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Oregon.

Stephanie started as the CEAHEC Education Specialist and took on the Center Director role in March of 2022.

Click here to contact Stephanie

Rob Ross, MD

Director of Provider Academics, Research and Clinical Services 

Dr. Ross has oversight of St. Charles Health System’s Medical Education, CME, Medical Library, Clinical Research, National Health Service Corps, and Cascades East AHEC programs, in addition to his clinical leadership role supervising in the Anticoagulation clinic, and as Physician Advisor in Clinical Documentation Improvement and Utilization.

Dr Ross has been a major utility player flexing to meet needs in multiple departments for the health system with responsibilities that are extensive and scope of work that has varied on a routine basis.  In this position Dr Ross directly manages caregivers in the Departments of Education/CME, Research and AHEC while partnering for other functions to support providers in documentation and utilization management. 

He earned his medical degree from the University of Toronto, his B.S. in Genetics from the University of Alberta, and completed a Master’s of Science in Medical Education from the University of Southern California. Double-boarded in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine, Dr. Ross served as faculty and Program Director of OHSU’s Cascades East Family Medicine Residency Program based in Klamath Falls, from 1995 to 2012. An academic at heart, he continues to serve on the faculty of OHSU’s Dept. of Family Medicine, and endeavors to develop a Graduate Medical Education for Central Oregon.

Dr. Ross lives in Bend, and when he’s not mountain biking with his golden retriever Jessie, he serves as a sports medicine physician for the U.S. Olympic Ski Team.

Bill Hartrich

Student Services Specialist

Bill is responsible for scheduling medical students and PA students from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine Pacific Northwest (COMP-NW). In addition, he also works with placements for visiting students.

Bill, a Gonzaga University graduate with a B.A. in Public Relations, began volunteering at St. Charles in 2019 and shortly thereafter moved into St. Charles Guest Services. He joined the St. Charles Case Management team in 2021 before transitioning to CEAHEC in November 2023.

 Anchored in Central Oregon for 25 years, Bill, originally from Alaska, enjoys restoring and riding vintage mountain bikes. Additionally, Bill loves going on adventures with his wife and two grown children.

To contact Bill, email him or submit your request for a clinical rotation through MyClinicalExchange.