Family Medicine Residency Program Faculty
The Adventist Health Ukiah Valley Family Medicine Residency Program has an outstanding core faculty with diverse clinical skills who will provide residents with continued learning and individualized teaching. Below are some of the faculty members that will be part of our program.
Our page is currently under construction, but please stay tuned as we continue to add faculty and expand on their professional bios and residency roles.
Faculty Members
Dr. Tim McVay, Program Director
Dr. McVay was born and raised in rural southern Illinois. He enjoys the process of engaging family medicine residents to grow in their knowledge, skills and character on their way to becoming attending physicians themselves. As the program director he strives to create a residency culture in which physicians in training can thrive personally and as a team. His personal interests in medicine are varied and he especially enjoys global health. Prior to joining our team, Dr. McVay helped create a medical school as well as a family medicine residency in the Middle East. He also served the Saudi royal family as a physician, for a brief stint. He loves exploring and developing his spiritual life and spending quality time with his wife, four adult children (and spouses) and now grandchildren. He considers it a privilege to be a physician in order to care for patients and their families. One of his favorite quotes is, "A joyful heart is good medicine."
Dr. Matthew Swain
Associate Program Director
Dr. Swain grew up in Maryland near Washington, DC. He says teaching residents is second nature since he has made a habit of talking through his exams and medical decision making with patients. He believes in balancing compassion with academic rigor and discipline instills respect for the patient, each other, and the profession.
He loves spending time with his wife, two adult daughters and their Great Dane and two Maine Coon cats.
His practice and leadership style has been shaped by his experiences as a medical technician and secretary before becoming a doctor. He is grateful that the Navy offered him the opportunity to provide humanitarian care in 11 countries Including combat service in Iraq with the Marine Corps. His favorite medical quote is in French and is attributed to Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau, is “guerir quelquefois, soulager souvent, consoler toujours” Which translates to “cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always.”
Dr. Graham Chelius, Family Physician (with Obstetrics)
Dr. Chelius graduated college a semester early from the University of Montana- Missoula so he could tour the nation with the Montana Repertory Theatre, and then graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. When he completed residency at North Colorado Family Medicine Residency he was awarded outstanding family medicine resident of the year for the state of Colorado. Dr. Chelius then practiced in Sitka Alaska for nearly 5 years where he started the first program to treat opioid addiction with medication there, he still returns occasionally to work in Sitka. During his 15+ years working on Kauai he delivered over 1000 babies, started the first addiction treatment program in a correctional facility in the state of Hawaii, and as the Regional Behavioral Health Administrator began several new mental health and substance abuse programs.
As a board-certified Family Medicine physician with surgical OB training, he works in and out of the hospital. His interests are improving access to women's health and addiction medicine services for struggling communities. He hopes to inspire the residents he trains to embrace the diverse opportunities in Family Medicine and be competent physicians and community advocates.
He has been married since '98, has two adult children, is an Eagle Scout and has been a scout leader since forever, and started a new Sea Scout organization on Kauai. He enjoys working on and racing cars, and has 4 welders. He and his wife a avid birdwatchers and have a ridiculous number of binoculars.
Dr. Emily Bender, Family Medicine with Obstetrics
Dr. Bender was raised in rural Alabama, which is what inspired her to join our team – having the opportunity to fill the gap in access to care for rural communities. She is passionate about full spectrum family medicine for the ability to care for a variety of patients and build lasting relationships.
Dr. Bender earned her medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama. She completed her family medicine residency in Fort Collins, Colorado, and earned her Maternal-Child Health fellowship from University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A board-certified family medicine with obstetrics physician, Dr. Bender says she see it as a privilege to care for her patients. She believes that being a physician allows her the unique and profound insight in people’s lives.
In her free time, Dr. Bender loves being outdoors, running, riding her bike or hiking. She’s looking forward to exploring everything that Mendocino County has to offer.
Dr. Brian Gould, Sports Medicine
Dr. Gould graduated from Western University of Health Sciences, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific-Northwest where he also completed a teaching fellowship in osteopathic manipulative medicine. This was followed by residency at Idaho State University of Family Medicine in Pocatello, ID. Dr. Gould received additional specialty and MSK procedural training by completing a Sports Medicine fellowship at John Peter Smith Primary Care Sports Medicine in Fort Worth, TX. Dr. Gould lives in Ukiah with his wife and children and is practicing sports medicine and non-operative orthopedics.
Dr. Casey Johnston
Pediatrics
Dr. Johnston is a board-certified Pediatrician who completed medical school at the University of California Davis and residency in Pediatrics at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Johnston also earned her master's degree in Anthropology from Stanford University. Dr. Johnston serves as the residency Outpatient Pediatrics Curriculum Director and teaches pediatrics to resident physicians at the Mendocino Community Health Clinic.
Dr. cameron Macinnis, Family Physician
Dr. MacInnis graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and did his family medicine training at Idaho State University in Pocatello, ID. He was trained in full spectrum family medicine and is passionate about helping patients of all ages and in all stages of life. He grew up in Healdsburg, and is very excited to being moving back to Northern California.
Dr. Nicholas Montano, Critical Care
Dr. Montano serves as the Director of Resuscitation and Critical Care for the North Coast Network. In this role, he develops clinical and education programs aimed at optimizing team performance and enhancing the quality of care in high acuity and clinically complex cases.
As part of our faculty, Dr. Montano provides clinical support and guidance for our residents as they care for patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
He brings a unique skillset and experience, both as a physician and medical educator with dual board certifications in Emergency Medicine and Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine and over 20 years of experience in adult learning. His training and experience are centered on trauma-surgical critical care and resuscitation dynamics, while his career has been enriched by roles in prehospital emergency medicine and rescue services as a Firefighter/EMT.
Dr. Montano earned his medical degree from University of California - Davis and his residency in Emergency Medicine from Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center. He went on to complete fellowship training in Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine from Loma Linda University Medical Center.