Deborah has worked in homeless, addiction, drug user health and HIV services for over 30 years as a social worker, researcher, educator, administrator, policy maker, Medical Director and provider. Deborah currently works for the San Francisco Department of Public Health in health planning for people experiencing homelessness and reproductive health justice for vulnerable populations. As a Street Medicine clinician, she sees patients on the street, at syringe exchanges, and in social service centers.

Deborah was the Medical Director of the Tom Waddell Health Center and then the SFDPH Transitions Division and Care Coordination Program. During the COVID-19 emergency, Deborah served as the San Francisco COVID Command Center Operations Deputy for Prevention, and Deputy of Equity and Neighborhood Health. Her local and national work has included medical integration into behavioral health centers; SF City Shelter Health legislation; HIV/STD prevention and treatment quality efforts for vulnerable communities; and development of San Francisco General Hospital’s Social Medicine consultation service.

Deborah has been a trainer for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council in Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Informed Care, STD/HIV Care, Quality Improvement, Shelter Health Care, Reproductive Health and Outreach. She is currently a Search Inside Yourself and Heart Math mindfulness trainer for the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Trauma Informed Equitable Systems Initiative.

Deborah has been trained as an herbalist, therapeutic yoga instructor, Compassionate Inquiry counselor, Certified Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner and Acupuncture. When not working, doing energy medicine or reading the Tarot, you can find Deb walking on the beach with a friend and her dog Poco, calling her kids in college, or knitting.