Sabrina Hofmeister, DO, FAAFP

Program Director 

Background: Dr. Hofmeister’s first clinical job was at Crusader Community Health in Rockford, IL, a federally qualified health center, where she practiced full-spectrum family medicine with a focus on women’s health and obstetrics within a primarily Hispanic community.  Realizing her passion for academics, Dr. Hofmeister returned to MCW in 2014 and has been a faculty member and held many other roles since that time, including being the Medical Director and Associate Program Director at the Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Family Health Center in Milwaukee. 

Medical Degree : Loyola University Chicago (Undergraduate), Midwestern University-Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (Medical School) (2009) 

Residency :  Internship and residency were completed at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospital Program – Columbia St. Mary’s in 2012. 

Prior Experience: Faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin since late 2014. Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs in MCW Department of Family & Community Medicine since 2019. Served as Associate Program Director & Medical Director, Columbia St Mary’s Family Medicine Residency

Professional Awards and Accomplishments: In 2019, Dr. Hofmeister completed the National Institute for Program Director Development fellowship through the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors and was promoted to the role of Vice Chair for Clinical Operations in the MCW Department of Family Medicine. This fellowship and other leadership roles have brought her to a much deeper involvement in the department and organization which she enjoys.  In 2021, Dr. Hofmeister was promoted to Associate Professor.
2015 MCW Outstanding Medical Student Teacher
2015 Teacher of the Year, Ascension CSM Family Medicine Residency Program
2018 Clinical Teacher of the Year, MCW Department of Family & Community Medicine
2018 Milwaukee Top Doctor, Milwaukee Magazine
2019 Published Paper of the Year, MCW Department of Family & Community Medicine
2020 Milwaukee Top Doctor, Milwaukee Magazine
2020 Fellow, American Academy of Family Physicians
2020 Family Medicine’s Clinical Project Award, Expanding Family Medicine treatment options for Opioid Use Disorder, MCW Department of Family & Community Medicine
2020 Chair’s Faculty Award, MCW Department of Family & Community Medicine
2021 MCW Outstanding Medical Student Teacher
2022 Milwaukee Top Doctor, Milwaukee Magazine
2023 Milwaukee Top Doctor, Milwaukee Magazine
2025 Milwaukee Top Doctor, Milwaukee Magazine
2025 STFM President’s Award

Interests: Her current areas of focus include program development, resident education, department clinical operations and quality improvement, patient care with a focus on women’s health and obstetrics, care of formerly incarcerated patients and medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder.

Elizabeth Brandes, MD

Core Faculty

Background: Dr. Brandes is a Family Medicine physician with a passion to care for underserved communities in Milwaukee. She enjoys partnering with patients and their families to deliver comprehensive care to achieve their healthcare goals. She grew up in Franklin, Wisconsin, and has completed all of her training in Milwaukee.

Medical Degree:  Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Residency Training: Columbia St. Mary’s Family Medicine Program, Milwaukee, WI

Prior Experience: During her residency, Dr. Brandes served as Chief Resident. She graduated in 2024 and immediately joined the Medical College of Wisconsin as a full-time faculty physician.

Interests: Dr. Brandes practices comprehensive inpatient and outpatient medicine including pediatrics. She has special interests in community and preventative medicine, and care for patients living with substance use disorders. She also has interests in medical student and residency education.

Dr. Rebecca Bernstein, MD, MS, FAAFP

Core Faculty

Background: Dr. Bernstein has special clinical interests in vulnerable populations and primary care of complex patients and has experience working in multiple types of safety-net clinics. She grew up in the Milwaukee area and lives in Shorewood, WI with her husband and two daughters.

Medical Degree: Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Residency Training: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Fellowship Training: Academics and Primary Care Research Fellowship, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Prior Experience: Dr. Bernstein has been a faculty member at Medical College of Wisconsin since 2012, with roles in medical student education, research, community engagement, and residency education. Prior to joining the faculty at SSFMRP, Dr. Bernstein was faculty at Ascension All Saints Family Medicine Residency Program (2020-2025) and at Columbia St. Mary’s Family Medicine Residency Program (2012-2020).

Interests: Her areas of clinical interest include refugee health, oral health, and preventive care, and she enjoys providing family-based care to patients of all ages. She leads the refugee care program at SSFMRP.

Jahanvi Patel Kothari, DO, FAAFP

Medical Director

Medical Degree: Midwestern University-Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine

Residency Training: Advocate Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Illinois

Fellowship Training: Faculty Development, University of Chicago/North Shore University Health System

Prior Experience: Prior to joining the faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin, she held clinical appointments at the University of Chicago and University of Texas. She most recently served as a core faculty member at the Columbia- St Mary’s Family Medicine Residency.

Interests:  Full spectrum Family Medicine with particular interests in: Preventative Care (Adults and Pediatrics), Practice Management, Acute Care, Minor Outpatient Procedures, Women’s Health and Contraception Management. She speaks English, Gujarati, Hindi and Spanish.

“Every day is a different day in Family Medicine. The joy of seeing patients of all ages and their family members is very rewarding. I believe in treating patients like they are family. As a Primary Care Physician, I have the privilege to educate patients and their families, provide resources, connect my patients with critical services, and most importantly answer all questions that may arise, serving as a guide for their healthcare needs when they come to me. Central to this is incorporating a team-based approach when coming up with a plan of care, which is also something I enjoy teaching to our new physicians in training and medical students.” (Dr. Jahanvi Patel Kothari, DO, FAAFP)

Lauren Bauer Maher, MD, MPH, MS

Assistant Professor

Background:  Dr. Maher loves being a family doctor and having the privilege to care for patients and families across a lifetime.  She is committed to advancing health equity and strives to truly be a community-responsive physician.

Medical Degree: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI

Residency Training: University of New Mexico Family and Community Medicine Residency, Albuquerque, NM

Fellowship Training: Academics and Primary Care Research Fellowship, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Prior Experience: Academics and Primary Care Research Fellow and MCW Clinical Instructor (2019-2021), Full-time faculty at All Saints Family Medicine Residency Program (2021-2022)

Interests: Community medicine, public health, evidence-based medicine, community action research, health equity research and education, point-of-care ultrasound, behavioral health, and trauma informed care.

Lauren Mascari, PhD

Director of Behavioral Health

Background: Dr. Mascari (pronouns: she or they) is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Counseling Psychologist who has worked in social services for about 15 years in Milwaukee’s greater community. Dr. Mascari is dedicated to providing culturally competent training, research, and practice with an emphasis upon working with youth and families from a strength-based approach.

Undergraduate Education: UW-Madison, Bachelor of Science in Art

Masters Education: UW-Milwaukee, Department of Educational Psychology – Community Counseling

Doctoral Education: UW-Milwaukee, Department of Educational Psychology – Counseling Psychology

Prior Experience: Dr. Mascari completed training at Rogers Behavioral Health and Aurora Psychiatric Hospital, where they specialized in working with adolescents and adults experiencing suicidality, self-harm behaviors, eating disorders, behavioral challenges, alcohol and drug dependency,  and mood disorders. Dr. Mascari provided trauma-informed, therapeutic services at a community-based residential shelter for youth and families experiencing homelessness and crises in Milwaukee, WI.

Professional Awards: Dr. Mascari’s first award was the Mind, Body, and Spirit Award from the YMCA of Southeast Wisconsin in 2005. Since then, Dr. Mascari was awarded the Advanced Opportunity Program Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee from 2017-2019. In 2017,  Dr. Mascari also received the Carr Social Justice Award from the Organization of Chinese Americans – Wisconsin Chapter. In 2019, they received the Ascher Pacht Award from the Wisconsin Psychological Association. In 2021, Dr. Mascari received the National Register Associate Credentialing Scholarship from the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. Most recently, they received the Ruth Hochburg Endowed Scholarship for Advancing Mental Health from the American Group Psychotherapy Association in 2023.

Interests: Trauma informed care, youth and adolescents, family systems, holistic wellness, LGBTQIA+, identity, suicidality, self-harm, behavioral health, movement and ecological healing

Jeremy P. Waldhart, DO

Associate Program Director & Director of Sports Medicine 

Background: Dr. Jeremy Waldhart is a Family Medicine physician with a passion for providing full-spectrum primary care for underserved communities in Milwaukee. He grew up in West Bend, Wisconsin.

Medical Degree: UW-Milwaukee (Undergraduate), Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Medical Degree) 

Residency Training: Columbia St. Mary’s Family Medicine Program, Milwaukee, WI

Prior Experience: Full-time Faculty Physician, Columbia St. Mary’s Family Medicine Program

Interests:  Dr. Waldhart practices full-spectrum Family Medicine including inpatient, outpatient, osteopathic manipulation therapy, and obstetrics, and holds additional passions for and specialized interests in maternal-child health and sports medicine. He currently serves as the Team Physician for UW-Milwaukee athletics, and has helped lead maternity care and sports medicine tracks during his time as residency faculty. Dr. Waldhart has a passion for medical education and enjoys teaching both resident physicians and medical students.