Pediatric Clinic

Dr. Ana Ramirez is a licensed psychologist and Director of the Pediatric Clinic at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research. She received her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Clinical Psychology and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research. Her research experience includes the development of an eating disorder prevention program and her current research interests include treatment development, evaluation, and outcomes, and the adaptation of available treatments for culturally diverse patient populations. Dr. Ramirez has training in family-based treatment, dialectical behavior therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Her clinical experience includes treatment of eating disorders across the diagnostic spectrum and ages in inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and outpatient settings. Dr. Ramirez emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and is fully bilingual. Her passion is working to ensure that ethnic minorities have equal access to evidence-based treatments. Dr. Ramirez provides therapy to Spanish-speaking patients and their families within the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research.

Dr. Mary Ellen Trunko, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, was one of the founding members of the UC San Diego Health Eating Disorders Center in 2005. Throughout the years and substantial growth of the organization, she has been a key member of the executive leadership team responsible for planning, developing, implementing and managing clinical services. As Medical Director of all adult, adolescent and pediatric treatment programs, Dr. Trunko leads the psychiatric/medical teams servicing PHP and IOP patients. She oversees all aspects of safety in the provision of care, performs comprehensive psychiatric evaluations and medication management, coordinates primary care and other medical services, and supervises and teaches junior faculty, staff and trainees. Dr. Trunko has been involved with clinical trials at the EDC investigating medication treatments for anorexia and bulimia, and is recognized nationally for her publications on pharmacological interventions for eating disorders.

Dr. Trunko earned her MD degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. Following back-to-back residencies at UCSD in internal medicine and psychiatry, she became boarded in both specialties, an unusual combination that is highly relevant to the understanding and treatment of eating disorders.

Cosmina Ciobanu M.D. is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Pediatric and Adolescent Eating Disorders Program at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research. She is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSD School of Medicine. She attended the University of Notre Dame on a full tennis scholarship and graduated Magna Cum Laude, double majoring in Science Preprofessional Studies and Anthropology. She completed medical school and her adult psychiatry residency at the University of California, San Diego. She received specialty training in child and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine, where she served as a chief fellow. She is double board certified in adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry. She joined the UCSD Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research in October 2019 and has greatly enjoyed working in a team based setting treating children and adolescents with eating disorders and other comorbid conditions.

Daphna Finn, M.D. is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who joined the UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research in the summer of 2021 following the completion of her medical and subspecialty training. She cares for patients in the partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs and is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCSD School of Medicine. Dr. Finn has extensive training in the use of medications to treat pediatric mental health conditions as well as experience with evidence-based therapeutic approaches, including cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, family-based therapy and motivational interviewing. She enjoys fostering openness, trust and curiosity with her patients and partnering with families to better understand their child and provide helpful treatment recommendations in challenging circumstances.

Dr. Finn completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital, where she was a chief fellow and a clinical fellow of Harvard Medical School. She earned her medical degree and completed residency training at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She is double board certified in adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry.

Venus Estepa-Morse, Registered Nurse welcomed the opportunity to work for the UCSD Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research Program in December 2012. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and an Army Veteran. Her career as an RN includes sub-acute care, travel medicine and experience with adult, adolescent and pediatric eating disorder patients in a partial hospitalization setting. At UCSD, she is the Adolescent and Pediatric program charge nurse, attends to the medical needs of the patients and assisting the physicians to coordinate care throughout the patient’s treatment process. Venus enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Breanna Strong, Registered Nurse joined the UCSD Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research in November 2019. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Medical Anthropology from California State University, San Marcos. Her career as a nurse includes both inpatient and outpatient experience in Medical/Surgical Oncology and ambulatory care in Family Medicine. At UCSD, she attends to the medical needs of the patients in the Adolescent and Pediatric Programs along with assisting the physicians to coordinate care throughout the patient’s treatment process. She enjoys working on an interdisciplinary team of professionals and supports UCSD Health’s mission and vision to maintain a patient and family centered health outlook through teaching, research, and clinical excellence. Breanna spends her free time hiking, exploring new restaurants, and traveling with family and friends.

Amanda Reddy, Registered Nurse joined the UCSD Eating Disorder Treatment and Research Program in November 2019. She received a Master's Degree in Nursing from the University of San Diego in 2012. Her career as a nurse includes adult acute care experience at SHARP Memorial and pediatric acute care experience at Rady Children's Hospital, including caring for eating disorder patients on the Medical Behavioral Unit. At UCSD she attends to the medical needs of patients in the Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric Programs along with assisting the physicians to coordinate care throughout the patient’s treatment process. Amanda enjoys spending time outside and traveling with her family.

Dr. Shir Zion is a postdoctoral fellow at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research. She has a Psy.D. in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. During her externships and clinical internship, Dr. Zion trained at inpatient and intensive outpatient hospitals treating mood and anxiety disorders, substance-use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, self-injurious behavior, and suicidality. She has been extensively trained in evidence-based treatments including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Dr. Zion has given several talks and conducted research on disordered eating, food selection, and the training programs recommended to become an effective eating disorders clinician.

Adrianne Gault is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Following her undergraduate education at Gonzaga University, she moved to Southern California to pursue her Master’s Degree at the University of San Diego. Since 2017, Adrianne has trained and worked at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center in the Pediatric and Adolescent clinics, and now enjoys working on the Medical Behavioral Unit, supporting patients with a wide variety of medical and psychiatric diagnoses. She has extensive training in diagnosing and treating ARFID, and Exposure and Response Prevention for treating OCD. When she is not at Rady’s, she is likely rooting for the Padres with her husband, playing Trivia with friends, cuddling with her two cats, or at the beach!

CC Gerlach is an Associate Marital and Family Therapist that has been working in the Pediatric Clinic at the UCSD Eating Disorder Center for Treatment and Research since August 2021. She earned her Master’s Degree at the University of San Diego and her B.A. in English/Linguistics at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has training in evidence-based treatments such as Family Based Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Exposure and Response Prevention. She has clinical experience in working with high acuity Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Anorexia Nervosa, and other related co-morbidities in a PHP and IOP setting. She has a particular passion in the intersection of eating disorders and children on the Autism Spectrum. In her free time, she enjoys practicing mindfulness/self-compassion, seeing live music, and trying out new restaurants in San Diego.

Lucia Damian is a Marital and Family Therapist working in the Pediatric Clinic at UC San Diego Health Eating Disorders Center (EDC). She received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and minored in Applied Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She received her Master’s degree in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego. While at USD, Lucia began her training at UCSD EDC in August 2021 and has continued working for the EDC. Her clinical experience includes the treatment eating disorders in addition to a variety of co-morbidities within this population. Lucia has training in evidence-based practices such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Family-Based Treatment (FBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Lucia is passionate about working with children and their families. During her free time, she enjoys outdoor activities, going to concerts, and spending time with her friends and family.

Neha (she/her) is a doctoral psychology intern at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center and Rady Children's Hospital Outpatient Psychiatry. Currently, Neha is a counseling psychology doctoral candidate at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. She is originally from the West coast and received bachelor's degrees in Psychology and American Studies from UC Berkeley (Go Bears)! Clinically, Neha has received training in the delivery of evidence-based treatments, such as CBT, ACT, MI, and interpersonal process therapy (IPT), to treat a diverse array of mental health concerns, including trauma, mood, anxiety, and eating disorders. She has had the opportunity to work with adults, adolescents, and youth, and is passionate about incorporating loved ones into the treatment and recovery process, as well as creating safe spaces for patients who hold minoritized identities. Neha's research focuses on improving the accessibility and applicability of eating disorder treatments for marginalized racial/ethnic groups, specifically South Asian populations. Her doctoral dissertation aims to develop and test a cultural adaptation of a common eating disorders measure for South Asian American women in hopes of improving symptom identification and referral rates for this vulnerable group. Outside of work, Neha enjoys going to the beach, trying new foods, snuggling her cat, and listening to true crime podcasts!

Jessica (she/her) is a pre-doctoral psychology intern at the University of California (UC) San Diego Eating Disorders Center (EDC) and doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Previous to starting at the EDC, Jessica received specialized training in evidence-based treatments for feeding and eating disorders with adolescents, adults, and families. Jessica’s research interests examine the sociocultural effects on disordered eating among men and women as well as methods to address diversity, equity, and inclusion to promote culturally sensitive intervention and prevention strategies. Her doctoral dissertation examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on binge eating in a demographically diverse US community sample. She is passionate about helping individuals work towards a balanced relationship with food and body image as well as, ultimately, creating a life worth living. Apart from work, Jessica’s life worth living includes trying new coffee shops, going to the beach, practicing yoga, and spending time with friends and family.

Brenna Yob is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who works in the pediatric program at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center. She has been working with the eating disorder population since 2022. Brenna graduated with her BS in Psychology from UC San Diego in 2020 and earned her MA in Marital and Family Therapy from the University of San Diego in 2023. During her time at USD, Brenna completed her practicum at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center where she gained clinical experience working with individual patients and their families while also providing group therapy. Brenna found that during her practicum year she gained a passion for working with pediatric patients who have a diagnosis of an eating disorder, as well as their families, and continued working at the UCSD Eating Disorders Center after graduation. Brenna has experience utilizing evidence-based approaches such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Family Based Treatment (FBT) working with feeding and eating disorders, mood disorders and anxiety disorders. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, meditation, and spending time with her cat.

Michelle Rogers is a Marital and Family Therapy trainee working in the Pediatric Clinic at the UCSD Eating Disorder Center for Treatment and Research. She is currently working towards her Master’s Degree at the University of San Diego. Michelle earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from UCSD in 2020. After graduating from UCSD, Michelle worked for a non-profit organization that specialized in bringing fentanyl overdose awareness and DUI prevention programs to high school students across California. Some of her favorite activities include traveling, going on adventures, and spending time with her husband, loved ones, and two English Shepherds.

Pamela Limon is a Marital and Family Therapist trainee working in the Pediatric Clinic at the UCSD Eating Disorder Center for Treatment and Research. She is currently working towards earning her Master’s Degree in Marital & Family Therapy at the University of San Diego. Originally from Mexico City, she earned her B.S. in Psychology at the Iberoamericana University before moving to San Diego to pursue her graduate degree. Throughout her Bachelor, she had the opportunity to work with various populations in the mental health sphere. After graduation, she worked as a preschool tutor and volunteered at an NGO providing virtual mental health assistance to underserved communities. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga, spending time with friends, getting lost in a good novel, and traveling.