Meet Our Team
Erik Soiferman, DO, MBA, FACOI, FACP, owner of Bridges Palliative Care
Erik manages day-to-day operations, supervises staffing, financial management and marketing, and develops and implements growth strategies. His goal is to provide each patient with a “WOW” experience that makes them feel his passion to deliver quality, affordable, and convenient healthcare.
Erik is Board Certified in Internal Medicine by the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine. He holds a certificate of Added Qualifications in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, is a Certified Medical Director (American Medical Directors Association); a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Internists and the American College of Physicians.
An Associate Professor of Medicine at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erik received his undergraduate degree at Muhlenberg College, his medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and an MBA from Temple University.
Erik is passionate about history, specifically the United States Revolution and Constitution, and served on the Board of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He enjoys playing guitar and spending time with his wife and 4 children.
Dr. James L. Tweedy, DO, FACOPF
Dr. James Tweedy joined Bridges Palliative Care in 2020 after a career in family medicine in South Philadelphia. Dr. Tweedy served in the United States Navy and then as a firefighter/paramedic for the City of Philadelphia before attending medical school at Philadelphia College for Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). He received his undergraduate degree from Temple University and completed his medical training at Riverside Hospital in Wilmington, DE. He also served as Chief Resident at St. Agnes Medical Center in Philadelphia. Dr. Tweedy is Board Certified is Family Medicine and as Medical Review Officer. He is a Fellow for the American College for Osteopathic Family Practitioners and an Associate Professor of Medicine at PCOM. Dr. Tweedy is a proud husband, father and grandfather and active in his Masonic Lodge.
Marla Osner, CRNP, Vice President of Clinical Services
Marla Osner, CRNP is the Vice President of Clinical Services. She completed her Nurse Practitioner degree in 2014 and practiced emergency medicine from then until 2019 when she joined Bridges Palliative Care. Her move was based on a desire to focus on the whole person and family, rather than dealing strictly with acute medical issues. Since starting with the company, Ms. Osner has taken on administrative duties and currently serves as the Director of the Clinical Palliative Care program for Bridges Palliative Care. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and dog. Her many outside interests include traveling, boating, Horseback riding, reading, scuba diving, and hiking.
Sandra S. Kerstetter, Vice President of Business Development
Sandy joined the Bridges Palliative care team in 2022 bringing with her 20 years of experience in geriatric medicine, senior living, and dementia care. She is responsible for creating strategic business partnerships, accelerating growth and fulfilling the vision to transform the healthcare experience by integrating palliative care into the lives of people living with chronic health conditions. Sandy received her undergraduate degrees in 2003 in Political Science & Economics from Temple University. Sandy has a passion for volunteer work which includes coaching youth baseball, reading & gardening clubs for children, and providing cancer patient support through Legacy of Hope. Sandy enjoys running, hiking, traveling and is an avid reader. Her greatest joy is being a Mom and raising her sons.
Email: sandy@bridgespalliativecare.
Frances Garbarino, CRNP, Director of Wound Care Services
Frances Garbarino, CRNP is the Director of Wound Care Services for Bridges Wound Care. After graduating with her Associate Degree in Nursing from Thomas Jefferson University in 2008, Frances obtained both her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Nursing and Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner from Gwynedd Mercy University in 2012 and 2013. Since then she has practiced wound care medicine both as a nurse and a nurse practitioner in many
settings. She was the Vice President of Clinical Operations for a large hospital-based wound care center where she was able to provide excellent care to patients in a lower income demographic and show excellent wound outcomes. She is an Adjunct Professor of Nursing in the Nurse Practitioner program at Gwynedd Mercy University as well as a Clinical Associate Professor for the Graduate School of Nursing for the University of Pennsylvania.
Jaymee Weitzman, CRNP
Jaymee graduated from Drexel University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science
and Nursing and from Lasalle University with a Master’s Degree as a Nurse Practitioner. She started her career as a nurse on the floors of a subacute facility for chronic ventilator-dependent patients. After a short stint working in a hospital, she returned and took over a leadership role as the Director of Nursing. She then obtained her Nurse Practitioner degree and has been working in long-term care setting providing acute and palliative care to this population since 2018.
Donna DeLarge MSN, CRNP, AGACNP-BC
Donna graduated with an ASN in 2009 from the Community College of Philadelphia. She then obtained her BSN in 2014 shortly followed up with her MSN in 2016. She has served as a registered nurse in the palliative care and hospice field for the last three years. Her career has been dedicated to serving patients and their families in community and home based settings. Donna is especially passionate about educating people on their disease process, medications, and how to live an improved quality of life. She now proudly and passionately serves palliative care patients with Bridges Palliative Care. Donna is married and has two adult children. Her son serves in the United States Navy and her daughter is an author and artist. Donna enjoys eating and cooking, reading, playing instruments, diamond painting and going to church
Agnes Mathew, AGNP-A
Agnes joined the Bridges Palliative Care team in 2022 to treat patients exclusively in skilled nursing facilities in New Jersey. Agnes loves being a Nurse Practitioner to make a difference in the lives of the patients she serves and being able to see the direct impact her services provide. She has worked as a nurse for the last three decades with experience in sub acute care, acute care, critical care and ICU. After she obtained her Adult Gerontology Acute Care APN certification, she moved back to her original care setting environment focusing on a holistic approach to patient care. Agnes enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies and traveling.
Bridget Wright-Grant, AGNP
Bridget is a dedicated healthcare provider who brings more than 15 years of experience with the Adult-geriatric population. She completed an ASN program from Community College of Philadelphia in 2015. While working as a registered nurse, she expanded her role to include wound care and infection control for the geriatric population. Having obtained her master’s degree in 2022, she now comes to Bridges Palliative Care as an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner. She is passionate about focusing on the quality of life for patients. She is a married mother of three girls. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, taking trips and making memories.
Lori Cannon BSN, MSN- AGACNP
Lori has been an RN for over 20 years practicing mainly in the acute care setting. Lori practiced nursing on a telemetry floor at Robert Wood Johnson for about 11 years and prior to that practiced in intensive care and the home care setting. Lori graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in the science of Nursing from Penn State University in 2003 and from Walden University with a Master’s Degree as a Nurse Practitioner in 2022. Lori decided to enter into Palliative care because she is passionate about helping those with chronic disease, enjoys teaching patients and their families and is eager to grow in her career and apply her knowledge and evidence-based practice to provide quality care. Lori is married with 3 children and 1 dog and enjoys reading, cooking and running in her free time. Lori’s goal is to continue her education and keep learning as a lifelong commitment.
Amy Litzburg, Business Office Manager
Amy plays a vital role in the day to day business operations at Bridges Palliative Care. A loyal and flexible team member, she brings a wealth of experience in Office Management, Accounting, and Human Resources from her background in hospitals, medical practices, case management and urgent care settings. Originally from upstate New York, Amy has called the Philadelphia area home for 30 years. She’s a mom of one and her hobbies include gardening, spending time with her dog and two cats, listening to music, and watching crime shows.
Email: amy@libertyucc.com
Erika Gibson, CRMA, Palliative Admissions Coordinator
Erika has been a Certified and Registered Medical Assistant since 2016. She has experience in family practice, urgent care, and palliative care. She is excited to be a part of the Bridges Palliative Care team to learn and grow her skills. Erika is newly engaged and is planning a destination wedding in Antigua Guatemala. She is a busy mom of a teenager and pre-teen boy/girl twins! Her hobbies include traveling, spending time with her family and getting lost in a good book.
Rita Templin, Care Management Coordinator
Rita graduated from West Chester university with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. She brings with her 29 years of medical experience. Rita has spent most of her career working in a hospital setting for both medical and mental health-she was even responsible for developing a mental health crisis department in an emergency room setting. She has experience as a patient navigator assisting people living with congestive heart failure
Rita has been married for 28 years, has 3 grown children and 2 fur babies. Her hobbies include exercising, running, shopping, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. Rita volunteers for the Red Corner Benefit working with families battling childhood cancer.
Amy Strauss, MSN, FNP-C, AC-PNP
Amy Strauss is a double board-certified family nurse practitioner and acute care pediatrics nurse practitioner. Amy attended Pottsville Hospital School of Nursing where she earned her diploma as a registered nurse. She then attended Pennsylvania State University, where she continued her education and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BS) and graduated Magna cum laude. Amy worked full time for the next two years as an ICU nurse then as a pediatric/labor and delivery nurse. To build on her passion for continued education Amy then attended Bloomsburg University and earned her Master of Science in Nursing. She went on to Rush University where she earned her post graduate certificate in acute care pediatrics and became a board-certified acute care pediatric nurse practitioner. Amy also works as a palliative nurse practitioner where she cares for patients and families facing chronic, complex, and/or life-threatening conditions. Amy is an advocate for health promotion and wellness and states: “In seeing many patients throughout my career, from beginning of life to end of life, has put things into perspective for me. We only have once chance at this life and it’s time to start thriving not just surviving.”
Amy is married to her husband Paul. They have two teenage children, as well as a puppy who is in training as a therapy dog. She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society and the Make a Wish Softball League. Amy enjoys hiking, walks, swimming and spending time with family and friends.
Meghan S. Rolston, MSN, AGNP-C, CCRN
Meghan Rolston is a Pennsylvania native who has called New Jersey home for 12 years. She attended Albright College where she received a Bachelors in Marketing with a concentration in Music. After some time in the corporate world, she decided to follow her passion of caring for others and returned to higher education to enter the world of healthcare. Meghan got her start in nursing at Capital Health in Trenton, where she attained her Associates in Nursing and accepted her first job on the Stroke Unit. She transitioned to the Intensive Care Unit and completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Thomas Edison State University and earned her certification in Critical Care.
During her time at the bedside, she developed strong interests in social determinants of health and their effects on patient outcomes. Meghan is also a strong proponent of patient autonomy, effective patient education, and holistic care for both the patient and their families. These passions helped her to continue her education and complete her Masters of Science Degree in Nursing from Rider University and her certification in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care. Meghan lives in Lawrenceville, NJ with her family, two dogs (Finn and Shannon), and a cat (Phannie). Her happy places include Carolina beaches, her deck, Dave Matthews Band concerts, and anywhere spent with her family and friends listening to music whether it be live, on vinyl records or from streaming services.