Thank you for your patience as we update this page with our current team of providers.
Primary Care
Lois Alderfer, FNP – Chief Medical Officer
Lois Alderfer received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg in 1986. She received a Master of Science in nursing from the University of Virginia in 1990 and her Family Nurse Practitioner, also from UVA, in 1991. Her initial Family Nurse Practitioner credentialing from the American Nurses Credentialing Center was done in 1992. Ms. Alderfer worked for two years at King’s Daughter’s Hospital in Staunton, Virginia from 1987 through 1990. She started at Blue Ridge Medical Center in 1991 and has since been a vital part of the medical care provider team. Although she can treat everyone, Ms. Alderfer sees the majority of our pre-natal and OB-GYN patients. A Nelson County resident, she is active in her community and cares deeply for her patients.
Steve Alderfer, FNP
Steve Alderfer joined the medical team at Blue Ridge Medical Center in 2001. He brought with him a wealth of experience gained at Carillion Family Medicine-Associated Physicians (1997-2001) in Waynesboro and Augusta Medical Center’s Emergency Department (1989-1999). Mr. Alderfer was also an instructor in nursing at Eastern Mennonite University for four years. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eastern Mennonite in 1986 and his Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia in 1990 and worked as a nurse at various facilities from 1987 until he received his Nurse Practitioner certification from UVA in 1987. Mr. Alderfer provides chronic care to many of our patients. He is very involved with our Relay for Life team and is a member of many community groups.
Benjamin Nissley, FNP
Benjamin Nissley earned his BSN in nursing from UVA in 2010 and his MSN in May of 2016. From 2010 until joining BRMC in July 2016 he was an RN on the acute cardiac floor at UVA, and he served as a member of the Heart Failure Education Committee. He is a certified Heart Failure Nurse. He is currently on the UVA School of Nursing Alumni Council communications committee and is a member of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses. From 2006-2007 he did an internship with Mission Focus working with a film crew filming documentaries of orphanages and medical clinics in poverty-stricken areas throughout Asia and East Africa.
Dr. Brad Manning, Child Psychiatrist
Dr. Manning grew up in Virginia and has worked as a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist since 2007. He wants to help patients and families with any psychiatric concerns by teaching about conditions and recommending treatments, both medication and non-medication (therapy, exercising, time outdoors, learning more about mental health conditions). Dr. Manning is especially interested in how we respond to stress and trauma—and how we communicate our experiences to others.
Dr. Manning completed training in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and General Psychiatry at the University of Virginia in 2007. He completed medical school at the University of Virginia in 2002 and college at Harvard University in 1990.
Outside work, Dr. Manning enjoys family, dogs, kayaking, soccer, and audiobooks.
Melissa Bond, FNP
Melissa Bond earned her BSN in 2009 and MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner in 2019, both from James Madison University. As a registered nurse, she worked in the emergency, trauma, and urgent care settings in the Lynchburg area. She also has an interest in global health, studying abroad in South Africa and Tanzania, East Africa. Melissa is happy to be joining the Blue Ridge Medical Center team and providing quality, comprehensive care to the community.
Tracy J. Cheatham, FNP
A native of Amherst County, VA, Tracy received her nursing degree in 1999 at Lynchburg College. In 2003 she graduated from Old Dominion University with a Master of Science and a Family Nurse Practitioner Degree. As an RN, she worked in Lynchburg on the medical-surgical unit. Her more than 15-year career as a nurse practitioner has included pulmonary and sleep medicine, occupational health, correctional health, and primary care. She has an interest in many different aspects of health but particularly enjoys working with patients with chronic care issues. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, David, family, and friends. Reading, listening to music, and hunting are just a few of the interests she has. However, the beach is her happy place! She will work diligently to meet her patient’s healthcare needs. She wants her patients to know that she will do her best to provide the most accurate information to them about their health and together she and the patient will work together to accomplish the desired goals.
Rachel Harris, FNP
Rachel Harris is a native Virginian who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2011 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2022, both from Liberty University. She is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and is excited to be joining the Blue Ridge Medical Center team. Rachel has practiced as an RN in several different settings. She worked first in a Cardiac Intermediate Unit (2011-2013) before moving overseas to West Africa (2014-2016) to work as a community developer for 2 years. Starting in 2016, until she received her DNP, she worked as a resource nurse, floating to every unit within the hospital that had the greatest need. She currently works as a Provider in the Appomattox Office part-time and is also a professor at Liberty University. She has a passion for mission nursing and has been involved in work in Togo, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Ukraine. Rachel loves traveling, reading, camping, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her family and friends.
Lisa Gittleman, FNP
Most recently she was recalled to active duty for 3 months in 2020 to help lead a team of Navy Reserve physicians and nurses, providing much-needed staff augmentation in public hospitals affected by the coronavirus crisis in New York City. In her free time, Lisa loves hiking with her dog all over Virginia, as well as camping, gardening, cooking, and traveling. She is looking forward to becoming a part of the BRMC team and working with her patients to help them with their healthcare needs.
Christopher Pucci, PA-C
Christopher Pucci earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science at Old Dominion University in 2016. While applying for Physician Assistant programs across the country he sharpened his medical knowledge working as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Sentara VA Beach General Hospital from 2015 to 2018. He attended the PA program at Radford University Carilion (formally Jefferson College of Health Sciences) in Roanoke, Virginia earning his graduate degree in Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in December 2020. He is an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for serving the rural communities of Virginia. His hobbies include hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, water sports, and cars. He is eager to become part of the Nelson County community.
Ernest Pugh, M.D.
A graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Dr Pugh has been a board-certified Family Physician since 1988.
After 14 years with Charlottesville Family Medicine, in 2005 he created Rio Family Medicine in Charlottesville, to practice the highest quality care. Upon the retirement of his medical partner in 2020, this practice closed.
He worked with Sentara Family Medicine from 2020 to 2021 and joined BRMC in 2022.
Among his favorite interests are hiking, fishing, and photography.
Pediatrics
Ginger Richardson, PNP
Ginger Richardson received a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from James Madison University in 2004 before deciding that she was interested in becoming a Nurse Practitioner. She then attended Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2006, and a Master of Science in Child Health Nursing in 2007. She has a heart for providing holistic and nurturing care to children in rural areas and has worked as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in both Deltaville and Page County, Virginia. She enjoys teaching nurse practitioner students and medical students and has been an instructor at the University of Virginia School of Nursing since 2019. When not in the clinic, you may find Ginger outside enjoying life on the farm with her husband and three children.
Anita Neville, PNP
Anita Neville joined the medical team at Blue Ridge Medical Center in the summer of 2022. Anita earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Georgia Southwestern College in 1996 and continued her education to earn her Master of Science in Child Health Nursing at Georgia State University in 2000. Since then, she has worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner in Georgia and North Carolina until her arrival at Blue Ridge Medical Center. Anita has also spent some of her time traveling with a medical team to serve those in need of medical attention across the world. She looks forward to providing the utmost care to all of her patients.
Dental Care
Aba Mills-Robertson, DDS
Dr. Mills is a 2005 graduate of Lynchburg College where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Biology. She earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 2011. Before joining the Blue Ridge Dental Center team, Dr. Mills practiced at clinics in Victoria and Dinwiddie. She provided comprehensive dental care to patients of all ages while managing the staff and the day-to-day operations of the two clinics. Dr. Mills thrives on learning and implementing new, cutting-edge dental technologies and techniques.
Tracy Lopez, DDS
Dr. Lopez earned her bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Anthropology at the University of Florida in 2006. While completing her studies, she discovered a passion for dentistry and went on to complete her Degree in Dental Medicine at the University of Florida in 2014. Since graduating, she has worked to serve communities throughout Central Florida as well as Boston. Dr. Lopez believes everyone deserves a mouth free of pain and infection, that allows them to eat well and to be confident in their smile.
Kelley Mayberry, RDH
Kelley Mayberry, RDH received her Associate of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene from Virginia Western Community College of Roanoke, Virginia in May 2019. She is currently licensed to practice Dental Hygiene in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is excited to start her career here at Blue Ridge Medical Center. She was born and raised, as well as currently living, in Lynchburg, Virginia. She is committed to improving the lives of others one smile at a time by educating her patients on the importance of oral health and hygiene. She joined the BRMC team in July 2019.
Behavioral Health
Gary Anderson, PMHNP – Licensed Professional CSLR
Gary Anderson is a native Georgian who has been happy to call Virginia his home since 2006. He supports the vision and mission of BRMC and is excited to serve as an LPC on the Behavioral Healthcare team. He obtained his Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Liberty University in 2019. He completed his residency and obtained licensure while working at Region Ten Community CSB as an inpatient substance abuse clinician at the Mohr Center in Charlottesville. As a therapist, he works primarily from a positive psychotherapeutic approach, and he believes that all people can live meaningful lives, even amid challenging circumstances. At BRMC he looks forward to helping his patients with their mental healthcare needs. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, learning to play the violin, and spending time with his family and friends.
Physical Therapy
Janet Ngai, PT
Physical Therapy services at BRMC are provided by Janet Ngai, PT. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Pennsylvania. She works with adults and children, provides one-on-one sessions through scheduled appointments at BRMC or through home visits, and accepts all insurance. Patients who qualify for the Sliding Scale Discount Program at Blue Ridge may also receive therapy services. She has been trained in strain/counter strain, as well as manual therapy techniques to help her patients return to their maximum function with less pain. Appointments are made directly with Ms Ngai but contact BRMC to find out more.
Pharmacy
Kathy Bryant, RPH – Pharmacy Director
Kathy joined the BRMC pharmacy in April of 2008 and became pharmacy director in 2014. Before joining our team, she served as Director of Pharmacy at an office-based infusion center. She has also been a retail pharmacist and was a staff pharmacist at UVA Health Sciences Center where she rotated through inpatient, compounding, the inpatient cancer center, outpatient pharmacy, and outpatient cancer center areas. She started her career as a pharmacy technician. Kathy graduated from Lynchburg College with a BS in Biology/Chemistry and was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. Kathy is also a native of Nelson County, Virginia.
Dustin Orange, Pharm D
Dustin is a native Virginian who earned his PharmD in 2018 at Creighton University in Omaha NE. He has most recently worked in long-term care where he provided care for elderly patients in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Dustin began his career in retail pharmacy at Wal-Mart and is looking forward to being back in the community setting.
Bonnie Yingling
Bonnie Yingling completed her degree in pharmacy in 2009, at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) School of Pharmacy in Erie, Pennsylvania. She has worked at various retail pharmacies in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio, before settling in Virginia. Since 2016, she and her family have resided in Amherst County. Bonnie joined our Blue Ridge Medical Center team in April 2021. She is thankful to have a job within her community where she can serve neighbors and friends alike.
