VALLEY SLEEP CENTER PROVIDERS
We are here to help you take control of your sleep health.
We are the sleep experts and we are here to help you take control of your sleep health.
Most insurance companies do not require a referral to meet with one of our Board Certified Sleep Physicians and providers.
If you are having sleeping problems
Step 1 | Make an appointment for a sleep consultation to meet with one of our sleep providers.
Step 2 | Your sleep specialist will determine if a sleep study is necessary and prepare a plan for you.
Physicians
Michael Pelekanos, MD, Board Certified in Sleep Medicine, Board Certified in Psychiatry
Scottsdale Medical Director
Dr. Michael Pelekanos attended Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA on a Division 1 Baseball Scholarship. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. He went on to earn his Medical Degree from Ross University School of Medicine. He pursued a residency in Psychiatry at Temple University. After completing residency, he completed a Sleep Medicine Fellowship at Stanford University. During his training, he published articles on various topics in sleep medicine and psychiatry and was nominated and awarded for excellence in patient care. Dr. Pelekanos is board certified in sleep medicine and board certified in psychiatry. He is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Dr. Pelekanos lives in Scottsdale with his wife who is also a physician. Him and his wife have 2 young children. On his spare time, he enjoys exercising, golfing, traveling, trying new restaurants, and spending time with his family.
Maria Martinez, M.D.
Glendale Medical Director
Dr. Maria Martinez specializes in adult and pediatric sleep medicine in Glendale, Arizona. She received her medical degree from Universidad de Navarra Faculty of Medicine and has been in practice for 31 years. She is the medical director at our Arrowhead location.
Michael Lepire, M.D.
Goodyear Medical Director
Dr. Lepire received both his undergraduate and medical degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. He completed his residency at Banner Good Samaritan (Banner University Medical Center – Phoenix) in Arizona along with his fellowship training in Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine. He is Board Certified in Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine and is also a member of the American Academy of Chest Physicians and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Dr. Lepire has practiced Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine in Arizona since 2001. He thoroughly enjoys the daily interaction with patients and supporting them in their medical needs. From a young age, he knew he wanted to be a physician and makes it his priority to treat his patients with kindness, compassion, and understanding. In addition to medicine, Dr. Lepire enjoys playing golf, watching sports, and spending time with his family.
Wahaj Ahmed, M.D.
Mesa Medical Director
Dr. Ahmed is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical care medicine and sleep medicine. His practice encompasses all aspects of diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary and sleep disorders.
Michael Mohan, M.D.
Chandler Medical Director
Dr. Mohan is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Medical School. He went on to complete postgraduate medical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Boston Children’s Hospital, some of the top-ranked hospitals in the world. He is one of the only physicians in Arizona to have received dedicated Fellowship training in Sleep Medicine, having completed Harvard’s Sleep Medicine Fellowship Training Program in 2016. He has authored journal articles, textbook chapters, and teaching materials on the subject of sleep disorders. Dr. Mohan is board certified in sleep medicine and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Don Townsend, PhD
Diplomate, Behavioral Sleep Medicine
Fellow, American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Dr. Don Townsend is a clinical psychologist and sleep medicine specialist. He received his PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University and completed residency at Rush Medical Center in Chicago. He then completed a formal sleep medicine fellowship in Michigan and has been working in sleep medicine for over 20 years. Dr. Townsend is board certified in sleep medicine (2002) and behavioral sleep medicine (2005). His specialty is in the assessment and treatment of insomnia and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. He has been involved in both local and national leadership in the field of sleep medicine, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine and the Arizona Sleep Society. He has published in the areas of sleep medicine, insomnia and psychology. Dr. Townsend takes pride in his quality patient care as indicated by his 4.9/5.0 stars rating on Healthgrades.com.
Dr. Townsend is a native of Minnesota and moved to Phoenix in 2016. He is far too busy with family activities to play golf and seldom has time to sit down at home. In his rare free time, he enjoys exercise, particularly tennis and hiking.
Nurse Practitioners
Stephanie Alvarez
FNP, ABAAHP
Stephanie is a family nurse practitioner specializing in sleep medicine. She has been practicing sleep medicine for over 10 years with a strong background in cardiology and preventative health care. She is passionate about quality of life, which encompasses sleep, nutrition, exercise and spirituality. Teaching her patients comes naturally to her.
Stephanie is married with three sons. She spends free time with family, friends and church activities. An Arizona native, she loves to spend time out of doors working in the yard and reading. She enjoys mission work and has been to Mexico and Africa to serve.
Tara Cavell
FNP-C
Tara Cavell is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Indiana University. As a registered nurse, she worked in the neonatal intensive care unit and emergency department. She went on to pursue her Master of Science in Nursing, graduating in 2015 from the University of Indianapolis.
As a nurse practitioner, Tara has practiced primarily in outpatient sleep medicine. She is passionate about sleep, and is focused on providing evidenced-based, individualized, care to her patients. She has completed specialized training in insomnia treatment, and is excited to offer cognitive behavioral therapy to Valley Sleep patients. She is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Tara lives in Phoenix with her husband and two dogs, an English bulldog and greater Swiss mountain dog. In her spare time, Tara enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling and anything Peloton!
Carla Marie Gutierrez
DNP, AGNP-C
Carla Gutierrez is a board-certified adult-gerontology nurse practitioner. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2010 from Angeles University Foundation, Philippines. She speaks Tagalog fluently. She had passed both the Philippine and US nursing board exams with clinical experiences on Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Medical Surgical, Skilled Nursing, Telemetry and Perioperative Nursing. She also had worked as a Charge Nurse in Skilled Nursing and Telemetry.
She then obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree specializing in Adult-Gerontology from Arizona State University in 2020. She had practiced in Internal Medicine, Neurology and Sleep Medicine clinics here in the Valley. She is a member of American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She is enthusiastic about educating patients regarding Sleep Medicine and would love to learn from her patient’s experiences as well.
Carla lives in Chandler with her husband, son and twin girls. She loves spending time with her family and friends.
Isabella Izdebski
FNP-C
Izzy is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Arizona State University. She completed semesters abroad in Poland and Mexico. She then received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College in St. Louis, Missouri. As a registered nurse she worked on the transplant unit at Mayo Clinic Hospital while completing her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix.
Izzy is passionate about helping patients achieve optimal health and educating patients to empower them to do so. She has completed additional training courses through the Institute of Functional Medicine. She is also a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
In her spare time Izzy enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, reading, and traveling. She loves to experience new cultures and the beauty of our world, particularly anywhere tropical! She is very fond of humpback whales and will plan her travels around the migration patterns of the whales.
Kimberly Telfer, FNP-C
FNP-C
Kim Titak is a board certified family nurse practitioner. She graduated from Purdue University with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2011. As a registered nurse she worked in various intensive care units. She graduated from Georgetown University with her Masters in Family Nurse Practitioner in 2019. As a Nurse Practitioner she practiced in Sleep Medicine at a large teaching hospital in Chicago prior to moving to Arizona. She managed a variety of sleep disorders and fell in love with working in sleep. She is a member of American Academy of Sleep Medicine. She moved to Arizona with her husband and Goldendoodle in 2021. In her free time she likes to go on walks with her Goldendoodle and spend time with family and friends. She is also a big sports fan.
Sherry O’Brien
FNP-C
Sherry was raised in Tombstone Arizona and also spent a lot of time in Patagonia Arizona down south near Sierra Vista. She received her BSN at ASU and Masters of FNP at the University of Phoenix. She enjoys driving, travel, spending time gardening, and playing with my terrier dog Sophie. She spent the last 3 years in Flagstaff working with cardiology patients and managed patients with sleep disorders
JoAnn Caley
MSN, FNP-C, CCRN
JoAnn Caley, MSN, FNP-C, CCRN is a nurse practitioner who specializes in the management of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Nurses Association, American Association of Critical-Care Nursing, American Lung Association, Association of Pulmonary Advanced Practice Providers and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
JoAnn earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Grand Canyon University, then went on to complete her MSN and FNP-C degrees from Chamberlain College of Nursing. As a registered nurse she was a staff nurse in the Medical, Neuro Intensive Care Unit at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center. JoAnn is also experienced in pulmonology, cardiology, neurology, and thoracic surgery.
Her main interests include Sleep Medicine and Pulmonary conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Asthma, Genetic lung conditions such as Pulmonary Fibrosis, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, and other advanced lung disease such as Pulmonary Hypertension and Interstitial Lung Disease. Outside of work she enjoys cooking, spending time with family and spoiling her chihuahuas.
Krysten Luthardt
FNP
Krysten is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). She received her Bachelor of Science
in Nursing degree from Mount Carmel College of Nursing (MCCN) in Columbus, OH. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology which she obtained from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA. As a registered nurse, she worked in emergency medicine and orthopedic trauma, but spent most of her nursing career as a travel nurse. After 10 years of nursing, she returned to MCCN and graduated in July of 2022 with her Master of Science in Nursing. She is a member of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
As an FNP, Krysten has experience working in ENT and sleep medicine. She knows that sleep-wake disorders
often have a serious, pervasive impact on health, productivity, quality of life and enjoyment of waking hours. Krysten believes that the most rewarding aspect of sleep medicine is arriving at a logical diagnosis and, more importantly, a highly effective treatment.
For patients, this can be life-changing and we as a practice have the pleasure and satisfaction of knowing we’ve contributed something with enormous benefit.
Krysten lives in Mesa with the daughter and dog; they moved to Arizona in 2022. In her spare time, she is passionate about exercising and spending time with family and friends.
Susan Scott
FNP-C
Susan is a board-certified nurse practitioner. She earned an MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) from Arizona State University in 2004. She earned an RN (Registered Nurse) in 1988 following the completion of the nursing program at Gateway Community College. In 1999 she also earned a (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) from ASU.
Since 2017 Susan has been an NP working with patients with sleep issues through Sleep Medicine and Neurology. Susan’s prior years of working with patients in Family Practice has given her a foundation to be able to assess the whole person more effectively. Her passion to help patients find ways to improve their quality of life by solving sleep problems provides great fulfillment in her profession.
Susan and her husband enjoy cooking, traveling, spending time with their children, grandchildren, family, and friends. (Susan’s dog likes her husband best!)
Jenelle Lewis
FNP-C
Jenelle Lewis is a board – certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. She graduated from Northwestern State University with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014. As a registered nurse she worked as a medical surgical nurse at various facilities in the United States, she has spent most of her career as a travel registered nurse. She graduated from Simmons University with her master’s degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2022. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She has been an Arizona resident since 2019. She is an active-duty military spouse and mother. She is enthusiastic about evaluating and educating patients regarding sleep medicine. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.
Pawanvir Tung
PA
We are so pleased to welcome Pawanvir Tung, PA to our Valley Sleep Center family. Pawanvir, (people call him Pavin) is a nationally certified physician associate (PA) specializing in sleep medicine. He received his undergraduate degrees of Biology and Biochemistry from University of Washington in 2015. He earned his PA degree from Northern Arizona University at the downtown Phoenix campus. He has been practicing in sleep medicine around the Phoenix Valley for the last couple of years.
Pavin is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. His interest in sleep medicine started due to his previous struggles with daytime sleepiness. He also knows family and friends with sleep apnea, so he understands the struggles. Sleep plays a tremendous role in many aspects of an individual’s life; and Pavin is excited to help patients get the best sleep possible so they are ready to conquer each day.
Pavin spent most of his years growing up in Washington state, and moved to Arizona in 2019. During his spare time, Pavin enjoys hiking on mountains, biking on paved trails, or playing pickleball at the local parks. When the weather gets hot, he enjoys weight lifting at the gym or catching up on the latest Hollywood, Bollywood, Disney, and anime movies and shows.
The next time you are in our Chandler location, say hello to Pavin!
Founder
Lauri Leadley
CCSH, RPSGT, President- Clinical Sleep Educator
