A member of our pediatrics team, Melissa Andreasen, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, dedicated to providing compassionate, evidence-based care to children and adolescents. A graduate of Minot State University, Melissa earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2013 and began her nursing career as an RN with Trinity Health. She served patients in the addiction services, intensive care, and same day surgery units before shifting her focus to advanced practice nursing. While pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati, she worked part time as a clinical nurse instructor with Dakota College at Bottineau. She completed her Family Nurse Practitioner training 2020 and joined a private primary care practice as a family care provider, helping pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients manage the full range of acute and chronic health conditions. Melissa is board certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She loves spending time with her two children when she’s not at work.
Nerve Sheath Tumors
Joseph Stonehocker, CPNP-PC
Trinity Health is pleased to announce that Joseph Stonehocker, CPNP-PC, has joined our team of providers at Trinity Health Western Dakota in Williston. A board certified pediatric nurse practitioner, Joseph has spent the last three years serving the healthcare needs of Williston-area young people. He provides primary care to children ages 0 to 18, with an emphasis on general and acute pediatric care, annual well-child visits, and mental health support, including ADHD diagnosis and treatment. He’s also trained in various surgical procedures such as circumcision and tongue-tie correction. Originally from Canada, Joseph was reared in Edmonton, AB, and moved to the United States with his family at an early age. He graduated from Utah State University and earned both his Master of Science in Pediatric Nurse Practice and his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UT Health San Antonio, part of the University of Texas system. A devoted husband and father, he and his wife have five children. They enjoy family time and attending youth sporting events.
William Sisa, MD
Dr. Sisa is a pediatrician, dedicated to providing holistic care that promotes the well-being of children, adolescents, and their families. He is specially trained to manage the full range of children’s physical, mental, and emotional health problems, including acute and chronic conditions, behavioral difficulties, and developmental disorders.
Dr. Sisa earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine, Grenada, and completed his pediatric residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, a teaching hospital affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
Dr. Sisa grew up in Ghana, where he won the Presidential Award for being the best student from one of the 10 regions in Ghana at the Junior High School level, after which he proceeded to Major in Science at the best high schools in Ghana. Upon completion of high school, he started a remedial school in his hometown which is currently a high school in Ghana.
He proceeded to the University of Ghana where he majored in Chemistry. Upon arrival in the USA, he worked as a quality control chemist at NicePak PDI helping to develop some of the HPLC methods used to test the Super Sani Wipe the most popular hospital disinfectant used in hospitals in the USA. Dr. Sisa was pursuing a graduate Studies in Biochemistry at The City University of NY before he decided to pursue medicine at the St. George’s University School Medicine.
During clinical years in NYC, he got interested in teaching and mentoring of high school students in the science field, and completed several hours of volunteer work teaching. During residency, he participated in various research projects and had one of his research topics presented at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) 2020 Conference in Washington, DC.
He loves driving, playing volleyball, and soccer.
Maria Li, MDCM
Maria Li MDCM, MSc, FAANS is a board-certified specialist in neurosurgery. With over 20 years of experience as an attending neurosurgeon, she brings an abundance of expertise to help patients afflicted with a wide breadth of conditions affecting the brain, spine, and peripheral nerves. Dr. Li earned her medical degree, completed her neurosurgery residency including an enfolded orthopedic spine fellowship, and earned a Master of Science in neuroscience in Montreal. Following her training at McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute, she did a post-doctoral laboratory fellowship in neurophysiology at the University of California at San Francisco and later completed a clinical fellowship in skull base and cerebrovascular surgery at the Seattle Neuroscience Institute.
She has practiced general neurosurgery in the USA for a decade, trying to improve the services available to local patients, including recently implementing a cranial neurosurgery program where none existed. Her academic career practicing, teaching, and doing clinical research spanned almost a decade in Montreal teaching hospitals affiliated with McGill University and the University of Montreal. Her neurosurgical practice consisted of 50% cranial and 50% spinal surgeries, with a focus on brain tumors.
Dr. Li is dedicated to maintaining the highest, most up to date standards, participating in the annual maintenance of certification program of the American Board of Neurological Surgery, which fosters excellence and lifelong learning. Dr. Li is a member of several medical and neurosurgical organizations. She continues to serve as a reviewer for the journal Neurosurgery.
Charles Wood, MD
Charles O. Wood, MD, is a board certified neurosurgeon with extensive experience providing surgical care to people with brain and spinal disorders due to disease or trauma. A graduate of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Dr. Wood completed his internship and Neurosurgery residency at Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, where he also did a year-long fellowship in Clinical Neurotrauma. He founded North Georgia Neurosurgical Associates in 1985 and spent the next two decades serving patients at Gwinnett Medical Center and other area hospitals. During his tenure there he co-developed the hospital’s Neuroscience Center and began a longstanding interest in adopting innovative approaches to neurological surgery, including minimally invasive and image-guided brain and spine surgery. In 2008 he was appointed Director of Neurosciences at Greenview Regional Hospital in Kentucky, where he also served as co-director of the Greenview Stroke Center. He joined Trinity Health in 2016. He’s a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
Areas of Neurosurgical Practice:
- Brain and Spinal Trauma
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
- Image-Guided Brain and Spinal Surgery
- Intracranial and Intraspinal Tumors
- Reconstruction of the Degenerative Spine
- Extra- and Intracranial Vascular Disease
- Stroke Management
Anthony Udekwe, MD
Dr. Udekwe (Oo-dek-way) specializes in caring for children of all ages – from newborn to adolescent. He is experienced in managing a wide variety of problems ranging from infection and illness, to chronic conditions as well as developmental problems. He provides immunizations and regular checkups to help keep children healthy. A graduate of the University of Nigeria, Dr. Udekwe completed his residency in pediatrics at Children’s National Center and Howard University Hospital, both located in Washington, D.C. He is certified in Advanced Pediatric Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation.
Diana Peterson, MD
A board certified pediatrician, originally from New Philadelphia, Ohio, Dr. Peterson earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and completed her internship and residency at Keesler Medical Center, Biloxi, Mississippi. She joined Minot Air Force Base’s 5th Medical Group as a staff pediatrician. She served as Chief of Pediatrics at the base hospital prior to joining Trinity Medical Group. She’s a Diplomat of the American Board of Pediatrics.
Friday Osuala, MD
Dr. Osuala is a pediatrician specially trained to manage the full range of physical, mental, and emotional health problems of children of all ages, including infections, injuries, chronic conditions, behavioral difficulties and developmental disorders. A graduate of the University of Nigeria College of Medicine, he worked as a general pediatrician at Tobago Regional Hospital in the West Indies for five years, where he provided outpatient and inpatient care for a Level 2 nursery and pediatric emergency room. He completed residency training in Pediatric Medicine at the Pediatric Department of Woodhull Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY.
Steven Mattson, MD
Steven R. Mattson, M.D. is a board certified internist and pediatrician. A graduate of the University of North Dakota, he received his medical degree from Michigan State University and completed his residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine and the University of North Dakota Affiliated Hospitals. He has practiced in Minot since 1988. Mattson is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physicians.
Allison Lesmann, FNP-C
Allison Lesmann, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-C, is a board-certified nurse practitioner specializing in children’s health. Born and reared in Minot, she received her nurse training in western North Dakota and practiced at Thomason Hospital, El Paso, TX and at Trinity Health before earning her master’s in advanced nursing practice. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN, and later accomplished post-graduate certification in psychiatric mental health nursing from Washburn University to expand her mental health knowledge to more effectively care for her pediatric patients. Allison is a member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the North Dakota Nurse Practitioners Association, and the American Nurses Association. She also has certifications in ACLS, PALS, and basic life support. Allison has a husband and three sons, with outside interests in kids activities and reading.