Meet Our Staff

Ellen Chang Wong, MD

Assistant Professor of Neurology Medical Director, Department of Neurology

Dr. Wong graduated from the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, with a scholarly concentration in Medical Humanities. She went on to complete neurology residency at USC/LA General, and fellowships in neurorehabilitation at UCLA and neurobehavior at USC. She now provides neurobehavior care for Los Angeles county patients at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Her goal is to provide holistic care for all her patients, and her interests include neurodegenerative disease and the use of multidisciplinary approaches to care for patients with dementia, particularly among the underserved.

Helena Chang Chui, MD

Professor of Neurology
Chair, Department of Neurology

Dr. Chui received her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University and completed her internship at the University of Iowa, Neurology. She is internationally recognized for her research in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular cognitive impairment. She is the principal investigator for the NIA-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, as well as a multi-institutional program project on vascular dementia. Dr. Chui is the author of more than 120 publications and has served on the editorial board for Stroke, Alzheimer’s Disease and Associated Disorders, and Archives of Neurology. She holds the Raymond and Betty McCarron endowed Chair at the Keck School of Medicine and serves as the Chair of the Department of Neurology. She is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurological Association, and the Society for Neuroscience.

Awards:

Dr. Chui was voted a Top Doctor by Pasadena Magazine in 2011.
2011 list of America’s Top Doctors, compiled by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.
Castle Connolly “Top Doctor,” 2015

Freddi Segal-Gidan, PA, PhD

USC – Rancho Los Amigos CADC
Director / Principal Investigator

Freddi Segal-Gidan, PA, PhD is a physician assistant and gerontologist. Dr. Segal-Gidan is the director of the Rancho/USC California Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and holds appointments as assistant clinical professor, department of neurology and family medicine in the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), and assistant clinical professor of gerontology at the L. Davis School of Gerontology at USC. Dr. Segal-Gidan received her medical training at the Johns Hopkins University Health Associate Program and was awarded her doctoral degree in gerontology-public policy from the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

Sonia Pawluczyk, MD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Dr. Pawluczyk was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After receiving her MD doctorate at the Medical School of the University of Buenos Aires, she completed the “Curso Superior de Psiquiatria” at Hospital Borda. She moved to Los Angeles and entered the residency training in Psychiatry at LAC+USC. She did a fellowship in Psychiatry and the Law and in Geriatric Psychiatry. She then joined the Department of Psychiatry and has been part of the Geriatric Studies Center since 1991. Dr. Pawluczyk practices at the Memory and Aging Center at USC and she is also a consultant at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. Dr. Pawluczyk is fluent in Spanish and is a member of the American Psychiatry Association and the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry.

John Ringman, MD

Professor of Neurology
Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine at USC

Dr. Ringman is Clinical Professor of Neurology at the Memory and Aging Center at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Neurobiology at U.C. Berkeley before going to medical school at McGill University, and doing his internship and residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He then came to Los Angeles to pursue subspecialty training in behavioral neurology and dementia. His current activities include performing studies of persons with or destined to develop familial Alzheimer’s disease due to known genetic mutations, clinical research in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease in association with the USC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and seeing patients with cognitive or behavioral problems referable to neurological and in particular, neurodegenerative disease.

Joseph R. Herrera, ASW, MSW

Geriatric Social Worker

Joseph, a dedicated social worker, has spent most of his professional career assisting families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Joseph’s deep-seated passion lies in helping families understand the effects of dementia on the patient and family. He provides them with education, guidance in creating a secure and protective environment for the patient that doesn’t compromise their independence, function, and abilities.

In addition to this, he offers assistance to create and manage a comprehensive care plan, provides resources, and facilitates a support group for caregivers of patients with Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease. He finds fulfillment in assisting families to navigate the complexities of the disorder, fortify their relationships, and establish a serene and loving environment for everyone.

Joseph is not only a co-principal investigator but also thrives on conducting research with the families affected by Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease. He holds a B.S in Clinical Psychology from CSUN and a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California.

For almost 8 years, he has been a valuable member of the Rancho/USC Neurobehavioral Memory Clinic team. Every day, he aspires to make a significant contribution in the battle against the disease, embodying his commitment to his profession and the families he serves.

Eva Torres, MSW, MPH

Social Worker

Eva Torres is a first-generation bilingual Latina who centers her work around improving health and equity among the Latino population. Ms. Torres received her double master’s in social work and public health with a concentration in health services from the University of Washington. She currently serves as a social worker for the Dementia clinic by providing diagnosis education and family counseling with a trauma informed and patient centered approach. In addition to providing resources for families experiencing dementia, her participation in research studies primarily focus on healthier brain initiatives and improving early detection for cognitive health screening.

Ruby Estrada

Office Administrator/Conference Coordinator

Ruby serves as the office Administrator that provides administrative and IT support to the California Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CADC) and Rancho Research Institute (RRI) located on the campus of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey California. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA).

Ruby helps patient’s families with questions and concerns regarding online forms submission and assist with enrollment in clinical research studies. She facilitates the onboarding for new hires, interns and volunteers. Ruby assist with submitting grant funding and reports clinical numbers and educational events to the California Department of Public Health per fiscal year.

In addition, Ruby is the conference coordinator for the Bi-annual, Many Faces of Dementia Conference which is designed to bring together health care professionals, including providers, clinical researchers, residential care facility, and community agency administrators in the greater Los Angeles area who care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Veronica Mendez

Clinic Coordinator

Veronica helps patients and their families in providing information for the California Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CADC). She also manages New Evaluation Intake forms, schedules appointments, answers questions and concerns, submits insurance information for approvals, and assists the doctors in preparation for clinic. She has worked at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center at the Memory Center and Gerontology Department for over 10 years. Veronica will assist you in making your visit more efficient and providing you with the help that you need.

Christopher Pu

Research Assistant

I graduated in 2023 from Cal State University Long Beach (CSULB) with a degree in Kinesiology: Exercise Science. I recently joined the Geriatric Neurobehavior & Alzheimer Center as a Research Assistant. I help with keeping patient’s charts up to date and sending data information to the California Alzheimer’s Disease Center (CADC).

Stephanie Yuen-Perales

Program Manager
(Dementia Care Aware Program)

Stephanie serves as the Program Manager for the Dementia Care Aware Program at Rancho Los Amigos. Dementia Care Aware aims to provide support and resources for Primary Care Providers to feel empowered to screen early and regularly for signs of cognitive impairment. In partnership with The University of San Francisco, Rancho Los Amigos leads six pilot clinics as early implementation sites within LA County Department of Health Services currently screening annually for dementia and cognitive impairment. The Dementia Care Aware Program provides screening tools and implementation training, practice support, a warmline, a medical-legal partnership, a podcast, and monthly ECHO sessions in support of this work.

Stephanie previously worked in the community-based non-profit sector for thirteen years helping to connect community members in underrepresented communities to much needed resources. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and has been a volunteer with The Pasadena Tournament of Roses for fifteen years.