Alana Sasaki is the Medical Director and founder of Kai Shin Clinic. The clinic has been open since June 2016, following the unfortunate passing of Prince, Minnesota’s Music Legend. Dr. Sasaki found it disheartening that it was difficult to seek help for those battling addiction here in Minnesota. This propelled her to found and establish Kai Shin Clinic.
Dr. Sasaki attended John A Burns School of Medicine, the University of Hawaii, and then went to the University of Minnesota St Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency. Following this, she accepted a position on the MICD inpatient unit at St Joseph’s Hospital as an attending addiction specialist. Dr. Sasaki worked with Allina Health, where she was the lead addiction physician with oversight and development of the addiction medicine (detox unit) at Mercy Hospital, Unity Campus. In Dr. Sasaki’s time at Allina, she was instrumental in designing the OTP (Opioid Treatment Program and consulting for their outpatient addiction medicine clinic).
Kai Shin Clinic continued to expand, and therefore she decided to leave her hospital position and focus on the development of the Kai Shin Clinic. She is a fellow in the American Society of Addiction Medicine and a diplomate of both the American Board of Addiction Medicine and the American Board of Family Medicine. Dr. Sasaki has extensive experience managing all continuums of care in addiction, from the most complicated detoxes, inpatient and outpatient services. She is a highly competent and compassionate physician who seeks to heal and “meet her patients,” where they are currently in their recovery while guiding with sound medical practices.
For over 6 years, Nicole Solberg had been serving her community’s primary care needs as an experienced Family Practice Physician. She has enjoyed caring for patients of all ages, and in all stages of life; personally getting to know them through a holistic approach.
Throughout her journey as a Family Physician, Dr. Solberg has had the unique opportunity to help patients with all aspects of their health, including addiction. Witnessing their journey first hand inspired Dr. Solberg to focus her career on Addiction Medicine.
Dr. Solberg is a board certified Family Practice Physician. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 2013, completed her residency at the University of Minnesota St. Joseph’s Family Medicine Residency in 2016, and has been helping patients ever since. It is her goal to be a guide and an advocate for her patients, providing individualized care on their road to recovery.
In her spare time, Dr. Solberg enjoys riding her motorcycle, playing the violin, and spending time with her family – which she affectionately calls the “zoo” with 2 cats, her son, and her husband.
Cindy Morey is a licensed clinical health psychologist. She has experience with medical, mental health, and substance abuse populations. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota and received her Master’s and Doctorate degrees from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. She is board certified in Clinical Health Psychology. She has been practicing as a Clinical Psychologist since 2003. Dr. Morey also earned her MBA in Healthcare Management in May of 2017.
Dr. Morey is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). She has led training in Motivational Interviewing within her organization and throughout the community. She specializes in health psychology, geropsychology, mental health, substance use, management, consultation, and supervision. She has been an instructor in the Integrated Behavioral Health program at the University of Minnesota. Her work in inpatient and outpatient mental health and addiction has made her passionate about recovery. She enjoys helping patients make positive changes they want to make in their lives.
In her free time, Dr. Morey enjoys traveling and the theatre. She can often be found spending time with her family and participating in their activities.
Megan Simonet was born and raised in northern Minnesota. She moved to Saint Paul to attend the College of Visual Arts and earned a BFA in painting. While working in a group home for young adults with disabilities, she developed an interest in medicine, particularly mental health. She then returned to school and eventually enrolled in the physician assistant program at the College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, MN.
While in school, she developed an interest in addiction after seeing how addiction permeates all areas of medicine and affects people from all walks of life. She joined Kai Shin Clinic in January of 2020 and enjoys being able to impact her community positively.
When not working, she loves spending time with her husband, family, and friends. She also loves painting, cats, and house plants.
After serving in the U.S. Navy as a Persian-Farsi interpreter for 6 years, David McGehee graduated from Bethel University (Saint Paul, MN) with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies.David joined Kai Shin Clinic in November 2021. He was drawn to Addiction Medicine to help individuals from all walks of life treat their addictions and mental health issues and continue them on their path to recovery.
Outside of work, David enjoys playing the piano and juggling.
Meagan completed her undergraduate degree at University Wisconsin-La Crosse. She studied and graduated with her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from Albany Medical College in New York in 2015.
She worked in Family Medicine for a number of years but found herself gravitating towards Mental Health and Addiction Medicine and started working at a Methadone Clinic and in Correctional Medicine where she found her true passion. After almost 10 years she decided to return to the midwest but continues to work in a field she cares about.
In her free time she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family.
Nathan Wormington joined the Kai Shin Clinic team in March of 2023. He completed his undergraduate degree and subsequent Master’s degrees in Education and Physician Assistant Studies from Missouri State University.
He spent the first 9 years of practice working in surgical and cosmetic dermatology in Springfield, MO. He, along with his husband and daughter, relocated to Saint Paul in 2022.
What he enjoys most about working at Kai Shin Clinic is the ability to make deep connections with his patients and be a support for them while they navigate their mental health and/or recovery journey. Equitable access to mental health and addiction services are top priorities for Nathan, as he firmly believes that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their background.
When not working, he is spending time with his husband and their daughter, antiquing, or spending time with family and friends.
Christina Marsh completed her undergraduate degree at Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. From there, she graduated with her Masters of Physician Assistant Studies from AdventHealth University in Orlando, Florida.
During her rotations, it was evident there was a particular need for addiction medicine and psychiatric support in the community. Additionally, she has always felt drawn towards assisting patients during vulnerable moments in their lives and strives to provide excellent patient care while doing so. She joined Kai Shin Clinic in 2022 with the continued mission to provide well-rounded patient care to those within the community.
When not working, Christina enjoys watching sports with her husband and family, playing with her dog, and traveling to the North Shore to hike and spend time by the water.
Kenzie Orning an empathetic and dedicated professional in addiction medicine and mental health. She graduated from Augsburg University with a master’s in physician assistant studies in 2022 and has since focused on comprehensive care for individuals battling substance use disorders.
With a compassionate approach, Kenzie builds strong patient relationships, tailoring evidence-based treatment plans to unique needs. Committed to ongoing education and community outreach, she advocates for reducing the stigma surrounding addiction. She works to empower individuals on their journey to lasting recovery, embodying a holistic approach that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those she serves.
Kenzie works out of Kai Shin’s St. Paul clinic, also offering tele medicine visits to clients outside the Twin Cities area.
Chanel Lopez, is a pre-licensed therapist. She completed her undergraduate degree from Argosy University then went on to complete her Master’s Degree in counseling and psychological services at the University of Saint Mary’s. Chanel is a pre-licensed clinician who has been working under the supervision of licensed professionals since 2021. She has experience in mental health settings such as inpatient care, group settings and outpatient care. Working in populations with children, teens, and adults. A major focus in her work has been trauma, personality disorders, anxiety, depression and with those who have experienced and engaged in domestic violence.
Chanel’s approach to therapy includes a humanistic existential perspective, emphasizing on understanding each client’s human experience and focusing on goals, gaining skills for the future through a search of purpose and meaning making. With a person centered approach to therapy, Chanel and her clients work together in a collaborating and guiding relationship to build natural motivation for change and gain self-determination. She uses her experiences from the various settings she worked within to guide clients the best way possible.
In her free time, Chanel enjoys crocheting, music and watching movies with her family.
Katharine Gelecinskyj is a Pre-licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist, and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC), with a specialty in co-occurring disorders. Katharine completed her undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota, and went on to complete two graduate programs, including a Clinical Mental Health MA from Adler Graduate School. She has also received additional training and certification in Traumatology and EMDR with the Green Cross Academy of Traumatology, at Divine Mercy University.
She has had clinical experience working with clients in mental health and addiction, in both inpatient and outpatient environments, since 2020. Katharine brings her passion for supporting people in making positive changes to their lives, and her extensive organizational leadership and teaching experiences with her into the clinical setting through a strength-based, motivational, and person-centered approach.
Katharine meets clients where they are, through selectively borrowing from various therapeutic modalities, based on client needs. Her practice treatment modalities include motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), Narrative therapy, as well as Adlerian therapy in her sessions.
Katharine’s specialties include working with those involved in criminal diversion programs, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, depression, anger, personality disorders, and trauma. She also has experience working with adults and adolescents in both individual and group settings.
In her free time, Katharine enjoys cooking, ballroom dancing, hiking, gardening, and spending time with friends. She loves learning new things and exploring what the world has to offer.
