Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Specialist Panel
Audie Black, Ph.D., ABN
Joseph "Audie" Black, Ph.D., ABN is an Idaho native and board-certified Clinical Neuropsychologist. He is the owner of Idaho Neuropsychology, PLLC where he provides comprehensive cognitive, behavioral, and emotional assessments to adults. Dr. Black also provides short-term, targeted psychotherapy to adults living with neurological conditions and caregiver support services to their loved ones. Prior to launching his private practice, Dr. Black provided outpatient and inpatient (Level-1 Trauma and Neuro Rehab) evaluations to patients at two large-hospital systems, including St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho and Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, PA. Outside of direct clinical care, he is committed to professional service, including recently completing a term on the Executive Board of Directors for the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology (ABN) and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Continue Education Committee for the Idaho Psychological Association.
Audie Black, Ph.D., ABN
Clinical Neuropsychologist, Idaho Neuropsychology, PLLC
Abhilash Desai, MD
Abhilash Desai, MD is a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist, medical director of Idaho Memory & Aging Center, PLLC, a consultant at Saint Alphonsus Memory Center, and, an adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at University of Washington School of Medicine. He is the co-author (along with his mentor Dr. George Grossberg, a national and international leader in Geriatric Psychiatry) of the book Psychiatric Consultation in Long-term Care: A guide for healthcare professionals, 2nd Edition published by Cambridge University Press in 2017. He was the guest editor for Clinics of Geriatric Medicine special issue titled Healthy Brain Aging: Evidence based methods to preserve brain function and prevent dementia 2010. His practice focuses on helping patients with at risk of dementia, patients with dementia and their family members live the best life possible in all care settings – home, long-term care, hospital and hospice. He has been in practice for 24 years.
Abhilash Desai, MD
Geriatric Psychiatrist, Medical Director of Idaho Memory & Aging Center, PLLC
Jeremy Crowfoot, PharmD
Jeremy has worked with the Saint Alphonsus Geriatrics and Palliative Care clinics since their inception, in 2016. At this clinic his focus is on deprescribing, with a goal of attaining a safer regimen for patients. He graduated from the L. S. Skaggs College of Pharmacy, at Idaho State University, and completed a residency at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Prior to pharmacy school, Jeremy obtained a PhD in chemistry from the University of Nevada. Living in Meridian, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kids.
Jeremy Crowfoot, PharmD
Pharmacist, Saint Alphonsus Memory Care Center
Lisa Baxter Hong, OTD, OTR/L
Lisa Baxter Hong is an occupational therapist in eastern Idaho with experience in most practice settings. She found her passion for dementia while in the skilled nursing setting, after working through the disease process with several clients and family members. She has since attended many trainings, including a recent certification in geriatric care. She graduated in 2018 from Eastern Kentucky University, receiving her doctorate in Occupational Therapy with professional project emphasis on caregiver education and other related issues. While teaching in the ISU Master of Occupational Therapy program, Lisa teamed up with Joanne Trammel to provide dementia education to clients, communities as well as professional caregivers. Together they formed Aging Gracefully and spend time developing and providing resources to people with dementia and their professional and/or family care partners.
Lisa Baxter Hong, OTD, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
Oni Kinberg, LCSW, MSSW
Oni Kinberg decided to pursue a career to help support people in the aging process after working as a certified nursing assistant specializing in Alzheimer's care. He has a Master of Science in social work from the University of Wisconsin Madison and has worked at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise since 2003, where he is the Director of Social Work. Outside of the Veterans Home, he has taught person-centered care, ethics, dementia care, behavioral management education, music and memory, and additional subjects for the Idaho Health Care Association, among other organizations.
Oni Kinberg, LCSW, MSSW
Director of Social Work, Idaho State Veterans Home - Boise
Kara Kuntz, MD
Dr. Kuntz grew up in Idaho and Montana and received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University. After working as an engineer for 3 years she moved on to attend medical school at the University of Washington WWAMI program. She then moved to Boise, Idaho where completed her residency in Family Medicine followed by a fellowship in Geriatrics. She has practiced as a geriatric consultant, house calls provider, hospice provider and primary care provider for Saint Alphonsus for over 7 years. In the 2022 she took on a new leadership position as the Medical Director of the Saint Alphonsus Memory Center and Director of Geriatric Program Development. She enjoys teaching medical students, residents and fellows and works part time for the Full Circle Health Geriatric Fellowship Program. Dr. Kuntz and her husband have a 5-year-old daughter and love spending time in the outdoors.
Kara Kuntz, MD
Geriatric Medicine Specialist, Medical Director of the Saint Alphonsus Memory Center and Director of Geriatric Program Development, Saint Alphonsus
Susan Melchiore, MD
Susan Melchiore, MD completed her Internal Medicine Residency at University of California-Irvine. Following a chief residency at the UC-Irvine and Long Beach VA Hospital, she completed her fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at UCLA. She remained on the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Medicine with the UCLA Division of Geriatric Medicine and then moved to North Idaho to begin private practice. In 2008, she co-founded On Site for Seniors, a faith-based, nonprofit serving homebound seniors and their caregivers through house-call medicine and respite care that includes two adult day centers. She serves as Medical Director with a skilled nursing facility for 20 years and is the current Meical Director of the North Idaho Memory Clinic. She is on the teaching faculty for geriatrics with the Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine Residency in Coeur d’Alene.
Susan Melchiore, MD
Geriatrician, North Idaho Memory Clinic, Coeur d'Alene
Joanne Trammel, MS, OTR/L
Joanne Trammel is an occupational therapist who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She ahs over 30 years of experience working with adults in many different settings. Over the years, Joanne developed and interest in working with individuals living with dementia and their families. Currently, Joanne is the Program Coordinator and Clinical Senior Instructor for the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Idaho State University. She is excited to educate her students on the treatment interventions for dementia. Together with her colleague, Lisa Baxter Hong, she helped developed caregiver education and they work with the Alzheimer’s Association as community educators. Recently Lisa and Joanne started Aging Gracefully, LLC where they offer OT services to individuals living with dementia and their care partners.
Joanne Trammel, MS, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
