LEADERSHIP

Julia tsien, lmsw, mph - chief executive officer

Ms. Tsien assumed the role of CEO in November 2017 and has been at Betances for over 7 years, previously serving as the health center’s Director of Program Development and Planning.  Ms. Tsien is a graduate of Columbia University and a Licensed Master Social Worker with dual masters in social work and public health.  She has more than 38 years of professional experience in strategic planning and execution, business and practice administration, grants development, administration and management, and fiscal management.  Ms. Tsien also serves on the Board of Directors for the New York State primary care association, CHCANYS.  A native New Yorker, Ms. Tsien has worked in major teaching hospitals and the ambulatory healthcare environment; maintaining a network of external partnerships while cultivating relationships with community based organizations and other health centers.  Having grown up in the Lower East Side, Ms. Tsien remains strongly tied to the Asian community.  She has been employed in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) for over 12 years and brings a strong understanding of the unique programmatic aspects of an FQHC coupled with first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing ethnic, minority patients in underserved and uninsured communities.

marianne clinton, m.d. - medical director

Dr. Marianne Clinton assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer at Betances Health Center in November 2024. She has been a valued member of our medical staff since September 2019, serving as a family physician at our Bushwick site in Brooklyn. Dr. Clinton brings extensive experience in family medicine, offering comprehensive care across all ages, including pediatrics, adult medicine, gynecology, and prenatal obstetric care. Dr. Clinton earned her medical degree (MD) from the University of California, Irvine, and completed her family medicine residency training at the University of California, San Francisco, Fresno site. She served as Medical Director at a community health center in California, where she led clinical operations and helped expand access to care. With her diverse clinical expertise and proven leadership in healthcare settings, Dr. Clinton is dedicated to advancing Betances Health Center’s mission of providing high-quality, compassionate care to the community.

nadine juste, LMSW, MPA - Director of Operations

Nadine juste joined Betances Health Center as the Director of Operations in April 2024. Ms. Juste is a seasoned executive with experience in health center operations, program development, implementation, and management. She brings over 25+ years of experience in health care service delivery to marginalized, underserved, and immigrant communities affected by HIV/AIDS, mental health, substance use and homelessness. She holds extensive experience working with the LGBTQ+ community, specifically with the young MSM community. Ms. Juste has proven accomplishments in health care compliance and capital development projects noted in her collaborative projects with HRSA and SAMSHA.. Ms. Juste serves on the Board of Directors of Elmcor Youth & Adult Activities for the past 4 years. Ms. Juste is fluent in Haitian Creole and is committed to the advocating for the rights of the Haitian community. Her mission in life is to empower others and build others to grow to their truest potential in life.

Orlando Perez - Director of Management Informational Systems

Orlando Perez has been employed at Betances Health Center for the past 21 years. Before assuming his current position as Director of MIS, which he has held since 2003, Mr. Perez served as the Center’s Associate Director of MIS/Billing Coordinator. Mr. Perez is a product of the Lower East Side community, and before joining Betances, studied at Bronx Community College. He has various certifications in the IT field. He is fluent in the Spanish language and has dedicated his entire career at Betances.  His understanding of the FQHC model has been enhanced by his extensive experience in working with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. His demonstrated technical and management skills have allowed Betances to enhance its information technology and clinical informatics capacity to better meet the health care needs of the Lower East Side. 

Deochand Narain - Chief Financial Officer

Deochand Narain joined Betances Health Center in January 2019 and became the Chief Financial Officer in June. He has been a CFO since 2001 at various community based not for profit organizations, including Federally Qualified Health Centers. Mr. Narain holds an MBA in Finance from Baruch College. Mr. Narain brings with him extensive experience in the not for profit space having worked in community based organizations for more than 25 years. He also brings a thorough understanding of the financial operations and compliance requirements of Federally Qualified Health Centers having worked in two such health centers before joining Betances.

Pamela smith - Human Resource Administrator

Pamela Smith serves as Human Resources Administrator for Betances Health Center. She is responsible for directing all the organization’s people functions and overseeing planning, vision and direction for the agency’s human capital strategy. Ms. Smith brings 20 plus years of experience in human resources management and leadership. Prior to joining Betances, Ms. Smith served as the head of human resources for a large federally qualified health center where she revamped the HR department and led a change in corporate culture under the founding CEO. Ms. Smith also brings a diverse experience in corporate leadership from entertainment and finance industries. Ms. Smith holds a Master of Science in information management from Pratt Institute. She is a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) from Wharton School of Business.