Thornton Care Team Members

InnovAge Colorado PACE

Center Director
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I spent a lot time interacting with my grandparents and as they got older I found myself caring for them. I was able to take them to doctor’s appointments, administer medications, and met other personal needs. This helped me realize my passion and led to my wonderful career at InnovAge. I enjoy making a positive difference in the lives of the seniors we serve by responding through the lens of my grandparents and my 87-year-old dad.

Linda Whyte became director of the Thornton PACE center in November 2019. Over the last ten years, she has held several roles with InnovAge, including as provider relations manager and in leadership positions for adult day center operations, and administrative services. She began her career with InnovAge as an administrative coordinator at the Lakewood PACE center. Linda holds a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in healthcare management from Colorado Technical University in Colorado Springs.
Professional Bio

Regional Medical Officer – Central and Western Regions
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My father always said, "It takes courage to age." I enjoy working with the interdisciplinary team at InnovAge, and courageous seniors, to keep our worlds large, and our time meaningful.

Dr. Strange earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the St. Louis University School of Medicine, and is a diplomate with the American Board of Family Practice. A Colorado native, she has spent her career in private practice and residency faculty positions, teaching the next generation of family physicians in Pueblo. In 2015, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors gave her the Bronze Program Director Award. Under her leadership, Southern Colorado Family Medicine in 2012 and 2015 received NCQA Level 3 recognition for providing patient-centered medical care. Dr. Strange’s husband is also a family practitioner and they have three children. She enjoys volunteering with her church, riding bicycles and hiking.
Professional Bio

Medical Director
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Every person has a story and unique experiences in life. Seniors deserve to be able to maintain their dignity and independence as much as possible, which is of the utmost importance to me.

Dr. Richman earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from the University of Buffalo, School of Medicine. He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Teaching future physicians has been important to him throughout his career. In addition to leading PACE physicians across all InnovAge Colorado PACE centers, Dr. Richman is also an associate clinical professor at the University of Colorado Medical School. He has worked in leadership roles in private practice and hospitals. He has a special interest in working with stroke and brain injury patients.

Dr. Richman is married, has two sons, one cat and one dog. He has a varied list of interests and hobbies that includes dogs, football and music. He and his wife are recognized breeders of rare Olde English Bulldogges. As a Buffalo, NY native, he is a big fan of the Buffalo Bills. He also played the French horn with the Buffalo Philharmonic.
 
Professional Bio

Medical Director
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Aging and illness sometimes make it hard to experience quality living. My goal is to help ease those difficulties so patients can enjoy life and participate in things that make them happy.

Dr. Litvak enjoys coming to work to learn from others, including patients, and is proud to be part of a medical team devoted to helping older adults. Following in her father’s footsteps, Dr. Litvak pursued a career as a physician. She earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She has worked in hospitals and private practice, including St. Anthony Hospital Systems and their affiliated clinics. She is board certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Litvak grew up in Michigan and has lived in Colorado since 1968. She is happily married and has three sons. She enjoys many hobbies such as softball, gardening, bonsai, travel, reading and golf.
Professional Bio

Primary Care Doctor
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For me, InnovAge is a perfect setting to practice medicine. It allows me to spend more time with my patients and their families, and the interdisciplinary care team helps me provide comprehensive care to patients who have complex medical and social needs. 

Dr. Vacca joined InnovAge in 2018. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and has more than ten years of experience in internal medicine and primary care. Previously, Dr. Vacca lived in Houston and Pittsburgh before moving to Colorado in 2009. She earned her doctor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Prior to joining InnovAge, Dr. Vacca spent nine years at Kaiser Permanente in primary care and internal medicine. Earlier in her career, she worked as a physician’s assistant and earned her master’s degree from the Baylor College of Medicine. Outside of work, Dr. Vacca volunteers with the National Kidney Foundation and enjoys spending time with her tuxedo cat named Spartacus.
Professional Bio

Nurse Practitioner
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The favorite part of my job is listening to the life stories of folks here at InnovAge.

Kathleen earned her Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Northern Colorado. Her residency was completed in geriatrics and palliative care. She is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner and Palliative Care. Prior to joining InnovAge, Kathleen founded a nonprofit hospice in the Roaring Fork Valley.  Funding for the organization came from a generous donation from a family in Aspen, CO. Kathleen lives in Boulder and is active in her community. She loves to hike, swim, snow shoe and does yoga and meditation. She has three daughters. She also has five grandchildren and they love to go on big family adventures together.
Professional Bio

Primary Care Doctor
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I believe in creating a partnership with my participants.

Dr. Kimball is a board certified wound management specialist physician with additional qualifications in undersea and hyperbaric medicine, vascular medicine, geriatrics and surgery. She has a passionate focus on being a key opinion leader in the wound care industry and introducing innovative human designs that seek to improve the quality and delivery of care to patients.
 
Dr. Kimball received her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School, completed her general surgery residency at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and completed vascular surgery research at the University of Utah. Dr. Kimball's primary professional goal is to build a thriving, self-sustainable wound management practice.
 
Dr. Kimball has two children, a son and a daughter.
Professional Bio

Primary Care Doctor
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At one time in my career I made house calls. Most of my patients were older adults, often with dementia. Many were WWII veterans. During this time I developed an appreciation of seniors. They deserve the very best care; they’ve earned it.

Dr. Grushan grew up in New York but is a long-time Colorado resident. He previously worked at the People’s Clinic in Boulder, teaching new physicians at the University of Colorado/Rose Family Medicine Residency Program and most recently at Physician House Calls. He has expertise in Geriatric Medicine, Community Medicine and Pain Management. He earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and is board certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Grushan has also worked as a volunteer at the Samaritan House clinic. He speaks English and Spanish. Dr. Grushan is a self-proclaimed “Huge Colorado Sports Fan.” He is married with three children and enjoys skiing and biking.
Professional Bio

Primary Care Doctor
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I believe the most important part of being a physician is in educating people about their medical issues and developing a unique personalized approach to their medical care. InnovAge PACE offers a very unique, holistic approach to caring for people.

Dr. Vierthaler attended the University of Missouri- Kansas City for medical school and Internal Medicine residency. She then completed a nephrology fellowship program at the University of Utah. Prior to joining Innovage, Dr. Vierthaler worked at Colorado Kidney Care for fifteen years. Dr. Vierthaler loves hiking, fishing and gardening. She has two cats and one dog.
Professional Bio

Dentist
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I absolutely love working at InnovAge because the participants are such a joy to be around. I love hearing their stories and sharing time with them.

Dr. Kimball enjoys working in an upbeat, patient-centered environment where days are spent making a difference in patients’ lives, the quality of work is top-notch, and the whole team is invested in success. He attended high school in Minden, Nevada, followed by college in Colorado Springs, and dental training at University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. His focus is geriatric dentistry, oral manifestation of systematic disease, and/or effects of polypharmacy on oral health. Dr. Kimball has lived in a variety of states in the South and West, but his favorite place to live is Colorado. He minored in theater in college, was a swing dance instructor, and performer. He met his wife swing dancing; they now have two daughters and a cat.
Professional Bio

Nurse Practitioner
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I enjoy the relationship that develops over time at InnovAge among participants, their family members and our staff.

Joanne Lofthouse is a geriatric nurse practitioner, collaborating with physicians to provide primary care including physical assessments, evaluation of acute complaints and teaching. She is also a member of the multidisciplinary team developing and implementing plans of care.

Joanne earned Bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and nursing, and a Master’s degree in nursing from the University of Rochester in New York. She is also certified as a Gerontology Nurse Practitioner and specializes in geriatrics.

Joanne comes from a large family that is spread across the U.S. and U.S. military bases. She previously lived in Buffalo and Rochester, New York and now lives in Colorado. She enjoys hiking and snowshoeing.
Professional Bio

Primary Care Doctor

I’m motivated at work because I know that every participant can teach me as much about humanity as I can teach them about staying healthy.

Dr. Poudyal is board certified in internal medicine and nephrology. She earned her medical degree from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and completed her residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut.

Prior to joining InnovAge, Dr. Poudyal was a nephrologist. She strives to make high quality medical care accessible to everyone. She volunteers in primary care clinics to serve those that are uninsured and is passionate about developing programs and scholarship opportunities for children and young women in developing communities.

Dr. Poudyal grew up in West Texas and moved to Colorado in 2006. In her free time, Dr. Poudyal enjoys jogging, listening to 80’s music and reading.
Professional Bio