Staff

Staff and Registry Team

PSC Partners is fortunate to have a very talented and motivated group of people serving on its Staff & Registry Team.

Our Staff

Ricky Safer - Founder and CEO

Ricky is the CEO and Founder of PSC Partners serving in a volunteer capacity. After having led the life of a health nut for decades, Ricky Safer was shocked to receive her PSC diagnosis in 2003, and then to discover that there was little accurate information or support available for PSC patients. Still reeling from her recent diagnosis, Ricky decided she didn’t want to wait around to see if things would improve. In 2004, with the help of her family, her hepatologist (Dr. Everson) and two friends from the support group (Lee Bria and David Rhodes), Ricky founded PSC Partners Seeking A Cure. Ricky’s years of volunteering with CCFA locally and nationally and her position on the board of the Donor Awareness Council provided her with the background to get PSC Partners Seeking a Cure off the ground. Ricky has served on the Nutritional Panel for CCFA, and also received the CCFA Sigman award.

Ricky feels extremely lucky to have her family as her loyal support group and constant helpers. One of her greatest joys is spending time with her family—her husband (Don), daughter and son-in-law (Elissa and Steven), son and daughter-in-law (Adam and Sue), and grandkids (Sam, Lily, Rowan, and Hudson). She enjoys her role as CEO of PSC Partners, and continues to be passionate about finding a cure for PSC, and making life better for all PSCers. In Ricky’s other life, she taught foreign languages and provided cross-cultural training at the University of Denver. Ricky received her B.A. in French with honors from the University of Michigan, and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Johns Hopkins University. Ricky can be reached at contactus@pscpartners.org.  (Full-Time Volunteer)

Audra Fleming - Executive Director

Audra Fleming serves as the Executive Director for PSC Partners where she brings a wealth of experience and a profound dedication to advocacy and making a tangible impact for individuals navigating health and well-being challenges. Audra's career in the nonprofit sector has been both broad and diverse. With nearly two decades of experience, Audra has excelled as a strategic planning consultant, corporate development and donor management executive, and project manager. She has led operations, managed finances, developed programs, and overseen both staff and volunteers in her roles. Audra's extensive background and passion for her work make her an integral part of the team at PSC Partners where she continues to drive meaningful change and support for those in need. Audra and her husband live in Colorado and are proud parents of two boys. Outside of work, she loves going on outdoor adventures, traveling, watching movies, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. (Full-Time)

Anna Beck - Business Manager

Anna Beck is a Colorado native who received her bachelor’s in business administration from Colorado State University. She joined the PSC Partners team after working in the residential construction industry for 12 years, and she says she is looking forward to contributing to such an amazing cause. Her two children and husband are the lights of her life. When they are not keeping her busy she enjoys cooking, gardening, and watching British murder mysteries. (Full-Time)

Sarah Curup Callif - Research Program Manager

For Sarah, liver disease runs in the family. Because of this, she is committed to finding a cure for PSC through collaborative research that prioritizes the voices of people living with or impacted by PSC. Sarah has contributed to published research highlighting quality of life for people with rare diseases, and has extensive experience helping individuals and teams navigate the research landscape. She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Administration, a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Engagement and Education, and over 12 years of management experience in the nonprofit sector. Personally, she loves volunteering, making art, and being surrounded by bright plants and goofy animals. (Full-Time)

Stephanie Hamilton - Director of Strategic Partnerships

Stephanie Hamilton is a seasoned Relationship Manager, Executor, and Project Manager with a strong track record in securing sponsorships and building successful partnerships. Her extensive experience includes cultivating impactful relationships and maximizing fund development opportunities across various sectors. Stephanie and her husband, Steve, live in Iowa and are proud parents of a daughter named Tenley. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, decorating, and being a dance mom, as well as spending time with her family and friends. (Full-Time)

Joanne Hatchett - Medical Science Liaison

Joanne Hatchett, RN, FNP, ACHPN, is the Medical Science Liaison for PSC Partners. Most recently, Joanne was a family nurse practitioner. She is a strong advocate for advance care planning and patient and family education, and, before accepting the position at PSC Partners, was a member of our Board of Directors. Additionally, she is a PSC caregiver. Joanne graduated from San Francisco State University with a BSN, and received both her MSN as a Cardiopulmonary Clinical Nurse Specialist and Family Nurse Practitioner Post-Master’s certification from the University of California, San Francisco. (Full-Time)

Priya Kannusamy - Clinical Research Coordinator

Priya Kannusamy jokes that she has a sign outside her home welcoming rare diseases. She is a PSC caregiver and also had a daughter with an ultra-rare disease who inspired her to become a patient advocate. Priya was involved in various activities in a parent-led nonprofit organization to help other families and to move research forward. She is a registered dental hygienist, and, after her daughter passed away in 2019, Priya decided to return to school and graduated with a BSHS degree in Clinical Research Administration. Priya is also a living liver donor who understands the daily struggles of patients living with PSC and their families. She is passionate about contributing positively to PSC research and advocacy. (Part-Time)

Stephen Rossi - Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Stephen Rossi, Pharm D, is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) for PSC Partners. Dr. Rossi has worked with patients with chronic liver diseases for over 30 years as a clinician and a researcher. For the past 20 years, he has focused on the development of new drugs for patients with liver disease, including several potential new treatments for PSC. He brings a wealth of experience in clinical research to help lead PSC Partners research programs, including the WIND-PSC study, the International Collaborative Research Network, PSC Partners Research Grants program and other projects critical to the mission. (Full-Time)

Mary Vyas - Vice President of Strategic Initiatives

Mary Vyas joined PSC Partners in 2024 as the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. She leads the development and execution of key strategies that align with the organization’s long-term goals. Mary oversees the patient registry team, is a member of the research team, and represents both PSC Partners and PSC Partners Canada externally, for example at the PSC Forum through the Center for Collaborative Research, as well as at professional conferences across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. She is the patient-partner Principal Investigator on a team research grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative aimed at clarifying the cellular mechanisms of pediatric PSC and identifying potential cellular targets for effective therapies. Mary's commitment to the organization stems from the profound impact PSC has had on her family's life (as a full-time volunteer 2015-2023). She is the Co-Founder and President of the Canadian affiliate PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Canada. Mary and her husband Jay are proud parents of two young adults. They spend their time between their home in Toronto, Canada, and their home away from home in San Francisco, California. (Full-Time)

Registry Team

Rachel Gomel - Registry Director

Rachel is the Registry Director for PSC Partners Seeking a Cure in a volunteer capacity, and has been an active member of the PSC Partners community for many years. Rachel was instrumental in the development, launch, and growth of the patient registry, and she serves on the Board of Directors for PSC Partners Seeking a Cure and PSC Partners Seeking a Cure Canada. Rachel Gomel’s commitment to PSC Partners began in 2008 when she attended the Jacksonville conference. Rachel holds a Master’s degree in English Literature from McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Her Ph.D. work at McGill University was cross-disciplinary (in Philosophy of History, Comparative Literature, and Literary Criticism) and earned her three Canada Council awards. She left McGill University shortly after her third child was born. Her husband, three children and their families are the center of her life. (Full-Time Volunteer)    

Sharon Nanz - Registry Coordinator

Sharon joined our staff in 2018 after several years as a volunteer with PSC Partners. She lives in Roanoke, Virginia, and holds a B.A. in English from Roanoke College, where she also worked as a staff writer and assistant in the marketing and communications office. Sharon volunteers with the Starzl Network for Excellence in Pediatric Transplantation and is an active member and volunteer at her church. She is an avid Masters swimmer and a former swim coach—in fact, her family suspects that decades in the pool have chlorinated her blood! She and her husband have three sons, a daughter whose PSC journey inspired Sharon’s involvement in the PSC community, and two precious granddaughters. Time with family tops her list of favorite activities. (Part-Time)

Susan O’Dell - Registry Analyst

Susan O’Dell has been a member of the PSC Partners Patient Registry Team since 2021. Previously, she was a Principal in a boutique analytics consulting firm, and Director of Operations Research at a Fortune 500 company. She brings a strong quantitative background, with expertise in data analytics, mathematical modeling and optimization. Susan also worked as a professional structural engineer.  Her involvement with PSC Partners began in 2016 when she participated in a fundraising bicycle ride to support a PSC patient, the son of a dear friend, whom she’s known since his birth.  After a full career, Susan is happy to have reached a stage in her life where she can now give back and help people. Susan lives in Concord, Massachusetts where she enjoys time with her partner and her friends, cycling, skiing, and playing classical piano. (Part-Time)

Brian Thorsen - Registry Webmaster and Analyst

Brian Thorsen began as a volunteer for PSC Partners before joining the Registry team in 2023. He has always been passionate about bridging the gap between research and the people to whom it matters most, and empowering people to be active participants and collaborators in research. He received his B.A. in Statistics from UC Berkeley, where he also worked post-grad as a math and statistics learning specialist. After his PSC diagnosis in 2020, he connected with PSC Partners to leverage his technical skills and teaching background towards PSC research, education, and advocacy. He currently lives in Oakland, CA, and spends his free time with friends and loved ones, playing tabletop games, and tending to his ever-encroaching jungle of houseplants. (Part-Time)

Click HERE to view the PSC Partners Organizational Core Values.