Clinical Team
Clinical Psychologists
Casey Krueger, PhD
Dr. Krueger, our lead psychologist, received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgetown University and her doctorate in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at the University of California, San Francisco Memory & Aging Center. She provides neurodevelopmental, psychological, and neuropsychological evaluations for diagnostic and treatment planning purposes. Services are provided to infants and children with developmental and behavioral difficulties. Research interests include alterations in executive functioning and neurodevelopmental outcomes of children with metabolic disorders.
Mark Beidelman, PsyD
Dr. Beidelman got his PsyD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco. His current clinical duties are split between the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Program at Stanford Children's Health and the Pediatric Neuropsychology Department at Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco. Dr. Beidelman also participates in neurodevelopment research, acting as a supervising neuropsychologist at the Stanford Cognitive & Systems Neuroscience Lab.
Barbara Bentley, PsyD MS
Dr. Bentley provides assessment and consultation for children with developmental and/or behavioral concerns. She provides clinical services for the Developmental Consultation, Autism and Social Communication, High Risk Infant Follow Up, Children’s Hearing Center Cochlear Implant Program, and the Santa Cruz County FIRST 5 Foster Care Programs. She also has training as a medical educator.
Maria Elena DeAnda, PhD
Dr. DeAnda is bilingual in Spanish. She conducts developmental assesments of young children and also provides parent education about Autism Spectrum Disorders in Spanish.
Heather Taylor, PhD
Dr. Taylor completed her undergraduate degree at U.C. Berkeley and her doctoral degree at UCLA. She interned in the Child and Adolescent Psychology Track at Bellevue/NYU Child Study Center and completed her training as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Child Psychology at Stanford University, where she worked in the Anxiety and Behavioral Disorders Clinic and the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic. Clinical areas of interest include adoption, attention and behavioral disorders, autism, and a variety of anxiety disorders, such as OCD, selective mutism, separation anxiety, and specific phobia.
Joan Baran, PhD
Dr. Baran received her doctorate from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill after completing her internship at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore and postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric psychology at Children's Health Council/Stanford. She provides neurodevelopmental, psychological and neuropsychological evlautions in both English and Spanish with children ranging in age from birth to teen.
Abbey Herringshaw, PhD
Dr. Herringshaw received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and her doctoral degree in medical/clinical psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed her predoctoral internship in the Autism specialty track at Indiana University and her postdoctoral fellowship in Clinical Child Psychology, Autism Concentration, at Stanford University. Within the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics program, Dr. Herringshaw provides short-term behavioral interventions for families addressing concerns such as disruptive behavior or social communication skills. She is also part of the Project AFECT team.
Advanced Practice Nurses & Clinical Coordinators
Cyril May Rueca, MSN, RN
Cyril May Rueca obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Public Health Certification from University of San Francisco. She also obtained a Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Clinical Nurse Education from Jacksonville University. She started her nursing career as a Pediatric Staff Nurse in Kaiser Santa Clara. In 2018, Cyril joined Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics as a Nurse Coordinator.
Chloe Asilo, RN, BSN, CPN
Chloe is a certified pediatric nurse with over 7 years of experience. She obtained her bachelor's deegree in nursing at the University of California, Irvine in 2014 and began her nursing career in the RN Residency Program at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) on the Neuroscience Unit. After a rewarding six years in Southern California, she decided it was time to move back to the Bay Area, where she was born and raised. Chloe spent the last two years working at Kaiser Oakland Medical Center on the Pediatric Unit. She then decided to pursue her passion for caring for this unique and vulnerable population, and is now the newest nurse coordinator.
Alina Wong, RN, MSN, CCRN
Alina Wong holds a bachelor's degree of science in nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Nursing and a master's degree of science in health policy from the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. For nine years, she worked as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse and pediatric pain and palliative care nurse. Alina is passionate about taking care of infants, children, and adolescents with various condditions and backgrounds and is a strong advocate or family-centered care based in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is now one of the newest nurse coordinators for DBP.
Vanessa Watson Ho, BSN, RN
Vanessa obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing from California State University, East Bay in 2020 and began her nursing career at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health caring for patients in the pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit that same year. Vanessa joined Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics as a nurse coordinator in 2025, motivated by her passion for education and supporting families in the long-term healing journey.
Noah Freiburger, DNP, PMHNP-BC, CBIS
Noah Freiburger is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) and Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS). He earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a specialization in psychiatric mental health from Michigan State University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Oakland University. His clinical background includes inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, substance use and detox care, nursing leadership, and developmental-behavioral pediatrics. Now serving as one of the nurse coordinators for Stanford Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics (DBP), Noah is passionate about advancing access to services and delivering holistic, patient-centered care for children and families.
Jacquelyn Shadmand, MSN, CPNP-PC
Jacquelyn Shadmand is a board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) having earned a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California San Francisco (2021) and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA (2006). Within the division, she serves as part of the clinical team conducting patient evaluations in the Infant Development Specialty Program and the Young Childhood Program. Her diverse nursing experience encompasses roles in Pediatric Neuro Oncology, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with a focus on neonatal neurologic intensive care, the Fetal Treatment Center, and Labor and Delivery. Her professional passions include the transition of high-risk infants from the Neonatal ICU to outpatient care, the impact of neonatal neurologic injury on neurodevelopment, and autism spectrum disorder.
Care Coordinator Liaison
Caitlin Sccaglione Dinga, BA
Caitlin holds a bachelor's degree in psychology. Prior to coming to Stanford, she served Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for 12 years in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She loves supporting and advocating for patients and families in the community with the process of receiving servics.
Intake Coordinators
Crystal Escalante, BA
Crystal is a Lead Intake Coordinator for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and has been with the division since 2015. She has over 20 years of experience working for children with mental health issues and serious emotional disorders. She also has 15 years of management experience in both medical and non-clinical roles. Her skill set has been a value in assisting the clinical team for DBP.
Xiomara Gervacio
Xiomara came on board with the Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics team as an intake coordinator in February 2016 and since then has taken the lead in facilitating our Middle Childhood program. Her experience as a certified medical asistant and administrative support is an asset to the team. She is bilingual and has been exceptional in serving our Spanish speaking families.
Michell Gonzalez
Michell joined Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics as an Intake Coordinator and has been with the department since 2020. She is a part of the Middle-Child Program and has taken the primary role in the work DBP does with the ALAS non-profit organization. Previously, she worked at a pediatric office as a lead Patient Service Representative and developed an undestanding of the unique needs and concerns associated with pediatric care, demonstrating empathy and patience in every interaction. Michell is fluent in English and Spanish.
Coral Oropeza
Coral has spent more than 17 years at Stanford Children's Health, gaining expertise in both front and back office. Throughout her tenure, she has collaborated with various specialized areas within Stanford and recognizes the significance of each family's appointment. Being a parent, she is attuned to the perspective of parents as their children's advocates and shares empathy with every family she serves. Additionally, Coral is fluent in Spanish, making her an essential member of our department.
Johandra Sanchez Rios
Johandra received her certificate of CMA in 2013 and has been with LPCH since 2016. She started with DBP in 2019 and has taken the lead in facilitating the IDSP program. She is fluent in English and Spanish.
Maria Isabel Carbajal (Isabel)
Isabel serves as an Intake Coordinator with the Stanford Children’s Development and Behavior Program. She has been part of the Stanford Children’s team since 2021 and has worked within the Stanford Health Care system since 2018. Isabel is bilingual in Spanish and supports the Young Childhood Program, where she plays an essential role in connecting families with the care and resources they need. She values the opportunity to assist families during their care journey and is dedicated to providing compassionate and efficient support to every family she serves.