Staff

Deborah Biller, M.D., Medical Director

Board Certification:  Family Practice, Hospice and Palliative Care

Dr. Biller received her Medical Degree from the University of Maryland in 1978.  She completed an internship at the University of Hawaii and a Family Practice residency at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Camp Pendleton, California.  She served as a medical officer (Commander) in the U.S. Navy until 1986 when she moved to Monterey where she was in private practice for 12 years.   From 1995-2000, Dr. Biller participated in the care of AIDS patients as part of the Outpatient Immunology Services at CHOMP (Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula).  She served as Medical Director for several skilled nursing facilities and home health care over the years and well as Medical Director of Westland House (formerly Hospice House) from 1993 – 2007.  Since 1998 Dr. Biller has concentrated her Family Practice work at the Big Sur Health Center where she is Medical Director. She is a member of American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is currently on staff at CHOMP.

Sharen Carey, PA-C,
Executive Director,
Physician Assistant

Board Certification: National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants

Sharen started her career as a laboratory technician for Dr. Jonas Salk at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California.  She became a licensed Clinical Laboratory Scientist in 1969, working at Children’s Hospital in San Francisco for 2 years, followed by 7 years in immunology and cancer research at the University of California at San Diego. With a keen interest in medicine, Sharen returned to school at the University of Southern California where she completed her Family Practice training in 1981.  She has been a Physician Assistant at the Big Sur Health Center since 1987.  In 2005 Sharen received the Outstanding Service Award from the California Academy of Physician Assistants. In 2006, she was honored as one of the Ten Outstanding Women of Monterey County. Sharen was Administrator of the Big Sur Health Center from 1990-1994 and 1998-2008. She became the center’s first Executive Director following a strategic plan update and reorganization in early 2008.  Sharen is a member of the California Academy of Physician Assistants. She is a member of the Allied Health Staff at Westland House.

Bill Benda, M.D.

Board Certification: Emergency Medicine

Dr. Benda received his professional training at Duke University, University of Miami School of Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.  He has served as Director of Emergency Medical Services and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA, with Doctors of the World in Rwanda during the 1994 ethnic conflict, and as Medical Director of the Big Sur Health Center in 1996.  His clinical work has focused on patients with breast cancer, animal-assisted therapy, and physician health and well-being, and his research on therapeutic riding for children with cerebral palsy has been funded by the National Institutes of Health.  Dr. Benda is a co-founder of the National Integrative Medicine Council, a non-profit organization for which he has served as Director of Medical and Public Affairs.  He is the associate editor of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine as well as Integrative Medicine – A Clinician’s Journal, serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Holistic Medical Association and the Board of Directors of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and lectures extensively on a variety of topics in the integrative arena.

Janyce Brumsey, RN, Registered Nurse

Born in Virginia and raised in New York City, Janyce came to California in 1979.      Initially working as a Nurse’s Aid at Beverly Manor, she later attended Maruine Church Coburn School of Nursing in Monterey. Upon  graduation in 1993, she worked as a registered nurse at Natividad Medical Center.  After leaving Natividad, she worked at Crestwood Skilled Nursing Facility as a Wound Care Specialist and Nursing Supervisor, from 1994 until 2001. She joined the staff at the Big Sur Health Center in June of 2001.  Her passions are reading, quilting and kayaking.

Felicitas Tejeda “Fela”, Front Office Manager

Originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Fela came to California at the age of 11. After graduating from Carmel High School she worked at Apple Pie Preschool as a teacher’s aid.  She frequently accompanied Spanish-speaking patients to the Big Sur Health Center to assist with translation, so when there was an opening at the health center for a receptionist in 1997, it was obvious that Fela was the perfect choice.  She soon expanded her duties and was promoted to Front Office Manager. She is the busy working mother of 2 daughters.

 

Maria Ostiguin
Office Assistant

Born in Monterey, Maria's family moved to
Chicago, where she lived until 15 years
old. She moved back to the Peninsula
and attended Monterey High School. Since
high school, Maria has worked in the
hospitality industry. She joined Big Sur
Health Center staff in 2011, where she
works in the front office, assists in
administration and uses her bilingual skills
to assist with translations. She is enjoying
the challenge of learning new responsibilities.
Maria also keeps busy with 2 young sons.