Presenting Vegas Inc’s 2026 Health Care Headliners

Vegas Inc’s Health Care Headliners recognizes the medical professionals whose work strengthens healthcare in Southern Nevada. Physicians, researchers, educators and administrators alike are helping meet the community’s most urgent health care needs while working to ensure quality care remains accessible for years to come.

The 2026 Health Care Headliners originally appeared in a special issue of Vegas Inc’s Health Care Quarterly. Sign up to get each of Vegas Inc’s special publications delivered to your inbox on the day of their release.

Ati Hakimi, MD

Community Outreach

Family medicine physician, Vegas Direct Primary Care

Ati Hakimi has built her work around the idea that healthcare should be personal, accessible and rooted in the community. Through service, mentorship and advocacy, she has carried that philosophy well beyond her own primary care practice.

Across Southern Nevada, Hakimi has invested in the people and networks that shape the region’s medical community. She founded Fierce Female Physicians of Las Vegas, a group of more than 50 women physicians that creates space for mentorship, support and collaboration. In a market still working to attract and retain physicians, the group creates a professional network where women physicians can find mentorship, support and connection.

At Volunteers in Medicine Southern Nevada, Hakimi cares for geriatric patients, many of whom face financial, language and access barriers. She also mentors UNLV pre-med students and serves on the board of Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada, extending her support to both future physicians and families facing serious illness.

Hakimi’s outreach extends into the wider community as well. She has given wellness talks for organizations such as Dress for Success, Women United, St. Jude’s Ranch and the Nevada SBA, using those settings to make health information feel more accessible and useful outside the exam room.

Kyaw Thein, MD

Research Science

Medical oncologist and hematologist, Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada

For patients facing complex cancers, Kyaw Thein is helping open the door to newer and more targeted treatment options. At Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, he has focused on bringing advanced clinical trials, biomarker-driven treatment strategies and early-phase drug development into patient care.

Thein has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than 30 clinical trials, helping oversee the quality and safety of interventional studies in the region. He has also published more than 65 peer-reviewed articles, delivered more than 150 oral and poster presentations at major international meetings, and helped expand access to Phase 1 “first in human” trials that are often available only at major academic centers.

Teaching and clinical leadership have become another major part of Thein’s work. He serves as division chief of hematology and medical oncology at Sunrise Hospital, teaches at Touro University Nevada and UNLV’s Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, and helps lead the UNLV Head and Neck Cancer Tumor Board. That work gives students, residents and fellows closer exposure to a fast-evolving field that needs more specialists.

In a field that depends on both innovation and expertise, Thein is helping strengthen the local foundation for advanced cancer care.

Jessica Woods, RDH, MPH

Dentistry

Founder, Dental Hygiene Direct

Jessica Woods’ background as a registered dental hygienist has been one part of a broader career focused on public health, policy and access to care.

Through Dental Hygiene Direct, Woods has helped bring preventive services to students across Southern Nevada, making it easier to identify disease early and reduce barriers to routine care. She also helped establish a low-cost dental clinic for uninsured adults, broadening that same focus on access beyond pediatric care and into the wider community.

Woods’ influence reaches into policy as well. She played a key role in legislative efforts to expand the scope of practice for dental hygienists and dental assistants in Nevada, a change aimed at easing workforce shortages and improving access to routine care. The effort reflects a broader approach that combines clinical expertise, public health strategy and policy to strengthen care delivery statewide.

In addition to her clinical and policy achievements, Woods also works through Executive RDH, her leadership and consulting platform. She uses it to speak, consult and mentor on prevention, workforce sustainability and oral health’s role in overall well-being.

Scott Scherr, MD

Emergency Medicine

Regional Medical Director for Emergency Services, TeamHealth and Sunrise Health System

Scott Scherr is energized by the fast decisions, close teamwork and high stakes that define emergency medicine. As a regional medical director, he oversees emergency and hospital medicine programs responsible for more than 500,000 patient encounters annually while helping support the clinicians and systems behind acute care.

In Las Vegas, that work has included oversight of seven freestanding emergency departments in the Sunrise Health System, bringing 24/7 care, imaging and lab services closer to patients in high-growth and underserved areas. Scherr also partners with hospital executives, facility leaders and front-line clinicians to improve quality, strengthen patient experience, support recruitment and retention, and build teams that can perform under pressure.

The city saw that pressure at its worst on October 1, 2017. Scherr rushed in from home to help as Sunrise Hospital received more than

250 patients in just two hours after the Route 91 Harvest shooting. He was one of more than 100 physicians who responded that night, joining nurses, EMS professionals and hospital teams in one of the largest emergency responses Las Vegas has ever faced.

Scherr continues to mentor clinicians, support emergency departments and help strengthen disaster readiness, with the same focus on making sure acute care teams are ready when patients need them most.

Taryn Bragg, MD

Physician

Pediatric Neurosurgeon, University of Utah/Intermountain Health

For children in Nevada who need neurosurgical care, Taryn Bragg fills a role no one else in the state does. She is the only full-time, board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon practicing in Nevada, caring for children with conditions ranging from hydrocephalus to brain tumors and complex spinal disorders.

Since arriving in Las Vegas in 2020, Bragg has worked to improve response times, standardize protocols and strengthen coordination for children with serious neurosurgical conditions. She was instrumental in Sunrise Children’s Hospital attaining Level II pediatric trauma status, a major step in expanding care for critically ill and injured children.

Bragg’s work on pediatric brain abscess cases after the COVID-19 pandemic drew international attention. After noticing an unusual rise in cases in Las Vegas, she reported the trend locally and helped bring broader scrutiny to it. That effort contributed to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reopening its investigation, confirming the increase was part of a larger national pattern.

Within education, Bragg works closely with residents and medical students, lectures nationally, and launched the first pediatric neurosurgery rotations for UNLV medical students in 2026. She has also educated police, child advocates and clinical teams on trauma care and child abuse recognition.

Carolyn Mulroney, MD & Aaron Goodman, MD

Innovation

Medical and Program Director & Clinical Director, Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy

For Southern Nevadans facing complex blood cancers, advanced treatment is now closer to home because of Carolyn Mulroney and Aaron Goodman. At MountainView Hospital’s Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program, the duo helped build Nevada’s first allogeneic transplant and CAR-T program, giving patients access to highly specialized care that once required out-of-state travel.

That work has quickly changed the landscape for cancer care in the state. In January, the program completed its 100th stem cell transplant, a milestone that signals both strong demand and rapid growth. The center now offers a full continuum of care for blood cancer patients, backed by a dedicated day hospital and nurse navigation program designed to support patients through treatment.

Mulroney and Goodman have been central to that progress. Mulroney, the program’s medical director, has helped lead the rollout of allogeneic transplant and engineered T-cell therapy in Nevada. Goodman, the clinical director, has brought deep expertise in transplant and rare blood cancers, along with a national research and guideline-writing record.

Together, they have expanded what is possible for cancer care in Southern Nevada, and their work is helping more patients stay in their community while receiving some of the most complex cancer care available.

Florence Jameson, MD

Lifetime Achievement

CEO, Volunteers in Medicine

Long before she founded a clinic, Florence Jameson, saw what compassionate care could mean when her own family needed help and could not pay for it. That experience would guide her in building a model of care for uninsured and underserved Nevadans as a physician and founder of Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada.

For more than 15 years, Volunteers in Medicine has delivered nearly 100,000 medical visits, dispensed more than $41 million in medications, and provided more than $54 million in medical and dental care at no cost to patients. Under Jameson’s leadership, the organization has grown to include the 13,000-square-foot Ruffin Family Clinic and support from more than 500 volunteer medical professionals.

Jameson’s work has never stopped at one unmet need. Last year, Volunteers in Medicine served 100 obstetrics patients, many with high-risk pregnancies, through its maternity clinic. Earlier in her career, Jameson also established the first free medical clinic for incarcerated girls at the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center.

Jameson is also the founder of the Tree of Life Dispensary that has become part of a broader community impact. By pledging up to 70% of its profits to local charities and underserved populations, it has helped generate more than $1 million in charitable contributions to local nonprofits.

Crystal Momii

Education

Program officer, University of Nevada, Reno Extension

Children and families across Southern Nevada have encountered healthier habits in practical, approachable ways because of Crystal Momii’s work. Through University of Nevada, Reno Extension, she has spent more than two decades making nutrition education engaging and accessible in Title I schools and community settings.

In classrooms, cafeterias and school-based programs, Momii has turned nutrition education into something students can see, taste and practice. Her work has included nutrition lessons, school lunchroom initiatives and farmers market activities that introduce fruits and vegetables in a memorable, low-pressure way.

Student outcomes show the impact. In 2025, among thousands of students who participated in the Pick A Better Snack program, 60% to 95% reported improvements in eating habits, reduced sugary drink intake and physical activity. Her leadership in programs tied to Chefs for Kids and smarter lunchroom strategies has also helped increase food consumption, improve participation, reduce waste in local schools and strengthen everyday nutrition education for young students.

Where food insecurity and diet-related health concerns remain pressing issues, Momii’s work stands out for its consistency and reach. She is helping children make healthier choices early and giving schools stronger tools to support lifelong health.

Patty Scott, RN

Nursing

Quality, Patient Safety and Regulatory Officer, University Medical Center

Patty Scott draws upon decades of experience in nursing and health care leadership to foster a culture of collaboration and clinical excellence at University Medical Center. Working alongside nurses, physicians, CNAs and clinical leaders, she has helped make patient safety a more consistent part of daily practice.

Scott’s work has supported strategies that reduce unintended complications and injuries, including stronger training and new processes aimed at preventing patient falls. She has also worked with UMC’s nursing division to support new strategies aimed at improving nursing quality, including training, infection-reduction task forces and new care processes.

Some of UMC’s biggest advances have come under Scott’s leadership. She played a prominent role in strengthening the hospital’s stroke program that earned certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center in 2025. She also helped support the development of new practice groups and care models across the system, building workflows that made growth possible without losing focus on safety or coordination.

What stands out in Scott’s work is that it never drifts far from the bedside. Even in a leadership role, she has continued to build systems around the realities nurses and patients face every day, helping make safer, more consistent care part of UMC’s culture. 

Brian Greenlee, RN, MSN

Manager/Administrator

Executive director, Southwest Medical Associates Hospice and Optum Palliative Care

Brian Greenlee is helping reshape how Southern Nevada thinks about hospice and palliative care. As executive director of Southwest Medical Hospice and Optum Palliative Care, he leads services for more than 170 hospice patients and more than 800 palliative care patients.

Under Greenlee’s leadership, the program has grown while maintaining high standards. In 2025, Southwest Medical Hospice increased patient census by 22%, earned a zero-deficiency clinical survey from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and ranked in the top 20% of hospices nationally based on caregiver and family surveys.

During this time, the hospice moved into a new building, adopted a new electronic medical record and adjusted to new Medicare regulations, all while continuing to deliver high-level care. Greenlee’s focus on supporting clinicians and educating families has helped make hospice and palliative care more accessible in a part of the system that patients often misunderstand or reach too late.

In Southern Nevada, where end-of-life care can be difficult to navigate, Greenlee’s leadership stands out for its steadiness and practical impact. He is helping more patients and families find comfort, dignity and support during difficult moments.