A member of our Neurology team, Maria Gonzales, FNP-C, is a nurse practitioner who works closely with neurologists and other clinical staff to assess, diagnose and treat patients with neurological conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and chronic headache. Born and reared in the Philippines, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing before emigrating to the United States in 2005. She practiced 17 years in healthcare settings in New York. In 2017 she joined Trinity Health, where she cared for patients in the Emergency/Trauma Center before completing her Master of Science degree in Advanced Nurse Practice from Walden University, Minneapolis. Maria is certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She enjoys traveling when she’s not taking care of patients.
Muscle Weakness
Mary Sadler, FNP-C
A nurse practitioner in Trinity’s Neurology Department, Mary Sadler, FNP-C, works closely with neurologists and other clinical staff to assess, diagnose and treat patients with neurological illnesses and injuries. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1998 from Minot State University and practiced 10 years with Trinity Health in the Rehabilitation, Ortho/Neuro and Emergency/Trauma departments. In 2010 she received her Master of Science/Family Nurse Practitioner degree from the University of Mary in Bismarck. Since then she has served patients in family practice and emergency settings, most recently serving as an Occupational Health/Family Practice nurse practitioner with Sanford Health. She’s a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the North Dakota Nurse Practitioners Association, the American Academy of Neurology and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Rosina Medel, MD
Rosina Medel, MD, is a neurologist board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Medel provides specialized care for patients dealing with the full spectrum of neurological disorders affecting the brain, nervous system, peripheral nerves and muscles. She received her early medical training in the Philippines, earning a nursing degree and later a medical doctorate from the University of Perpetual Help System. She migrated to the United States, where she completed a preliminary residency in Internal Medicine at Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, NY. She fulfilled her Neurology residency and performed a fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology at JFK Medical Center in Edison, NJ, where she served as chief resident her final year and earned numerous awards for academic and clinical excellence. Dr. Medel is a member of the American Academy of Neurology.
Erdal Diri, MD
A board certified rheumatologist, Dr. Erdal Diri provides expert treatment for the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disorders of the joints, muscles, bones and tendons. He’s also board certified in Internal Medicine. Originally from Turkey, he received his medical degree from Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty at the University of Istanbul. He did post-doctoral training in pharmacology there and moved to the United States to pursue his rheumatology specialty. He was a research fellow at Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans and completed a clinical fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Diri has maintained an active involvement in clinical research studies aimed at advancing treatment therapies for rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and lupus.
Lisa Brandt, ACNP-BC
A board certified acute care nurse practitioner, Lisa Brandt, ACNP-BC, works in coordination with other members of our Rheumatology team to provide compassionate, attentive care to patients affected by the various forms of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. A Bismarck native, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, and practiced in the ICU and later General Surgery. She received her Master of Science as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. A member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Lisa and her husband, Jerel, have three children. They enjoy spending time with family, especially now that she and Jerel, a Minot native, have returned home to North Dakota.