About Us

The Center for Comprehensive Care & Diagnosis of Inherited Blood Disorders (CIBD) is a 501(c)(3) organization founded in April 2009 by Dr. Diane Nugent, a world renowned blood disorder expert and principal investigator for Region IX / Western States Hemophilia Network.

CIBD was established in Orange, California in response to the growing need of care for patients with rare, chronic inherited blood disorders. As a safety net clinic, CIBD ensures greater access and delivery of subspecialty hematology services in a community based setting. CIBD utilizes an integrated multi-disciplinary approach and partners with our local network of community providers, academic institutions, public sector organizations, community leaders and the local surrounding hospitals to provide comprehensive and cohesive care to our patients.

CIBD delivers our innovative model through our community education, outreach programs, community-based clinic services and our 340B pharmacy services. Our goal is that our patients will live longer, healthier and more productive lives while decreasing the cost of overall care. The center is guided by a highly regarded, deeply experienced Board of Directors, and is managed by a group of dedicated professional staff.

Under the direction of a volunteer board of directors, CIBD’s leadership is made up of professionals with various backgrounds and experience at local, regional, and national levels.

Diane Nugent, M.D., Executive Officer, Board President/Founder
President/Medical Director, CIBD

Board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology, Dr. Nugent specializes in all aspects of bleeding and clotting disorders, hematology, bone marrow failure, anemia, and immune disorders. Dr. Nugent founded CIBD with the goal of serving children and adults with genetic blood disorders, and their families, with comprehensive care tailored just for them. In 2005, she was named the National Hemophilia Foundation Physician of the Year, and later one of the Best Doctors in America in 2007-2008. She was also named Physician of the Year in Orange County. More recently in 2011, she received the Physician Circle of Care Award from Cal-Optima.

Dr. Nugent serves as a Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Among her peers, Dr. Nugent is the chair of review subcommittees for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/National Institutes of Health, and head of program projects for the hematology committees of the American Society of Hematology and International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis. Dr. Nugent received her fellowship training at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Seattle and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Upon graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, she completed her residency and internship at Denver Affiliated Hospitals in Colorado. Dr. Nugent speaks Spanish.

Amit Soni, M.D., Board Vice President
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, CHOC Children’s Specialists, Division of Hematology

Board certified in pediatrics and pediatric hematology/oncology, Dr. Soni’s clinical and research focus is hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, especially as they relate to teens. In his pursuit to finding innovative ways to connect with teen patients with hemophilia, Dr. Soni worked on a grant for special strategic communications training from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create interactive media aimed at connecting with teens with hemophilia. The goal is to provide teens with information about their disorder, so that they can take control of their health, and live productive lives as adults. More recently, he received the distinguished international Bayer Hemophilia Clinical Training Award. A member of the CIBD physician team, Dr. Soni has medical staff privileges at CHOC Children’s Hospital in Orange, CA. Dr. Soni completed medical school at Saint George’s University in Grenada, West Indies, completed his residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and his fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Orange County where today he is a hemostasis/thrombosis clinical research fellow director. He earned certification in clinical trials and product development from UCI’s graduate program.

Barry Staton, MBA, Board Member, and CEO of CIBD

Before becoming CIBD’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Staton served in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer for several large Health Plans including Promise/Blue Shield of California, the California division of Molina Healthcare, and the Central California Alliance for Health. Mr. Staton has extensive experience managing financial and operational functions at both the Plan and Provider side of the Healthcare industry, having more than 30 years of experience and has served on our Board of Directors for over 8 years. Mr. Staton earned both his bachelor’s degree and M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. In his leisure time he enjoys golf, kayaking, and wine tasting.

Kathie Birschbach, Board Secretary
Research Administrator, Hematology Research Team, Children’s Hospital of Orange County

Beginning her career at the State of Wisconsin’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation was the spark that led Ms. Birschbach to a lifetime interest of providing and improving services for people with chronic illnesses. Today, working in the hematology division at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, she is the Research Administrator for Dr. Nugent’s hematology research team. Ms. Birschbach has been instrumental in providing factor therapy to patients with rare bleeding disorders nationwide, particularly those with Factor XIII deficiency. Her tireless efforts with Dr. Nugent resulted in a new FDA-approved Factor XIII concentrate. Ms. Birschbach plays a vital role in fellowship training—preparing future hematologists—and is also part of the administrative staff supporting Region IX.

Mary E. Brown, Member
President & CEO, Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California

In dedicating her career to education and research of sickle cell disease and related disorders, Ms. Brown has served a variety of healthcare-related non-profits. Currently, she is the Board Chair for the Community Health Charities of California, and also a board member of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, and Painted Turtle Camp, a summer camp for children with life-threatening illnesses. She also lends her leadership skills serving as the Director of Camp Crescent Moon. In 2012, Ms. Brown was recognized for her work by the American Camp Association when she received the Legacy Award for the ACA Southern California/Hawaii section. Ms. Brown is a graduate of California State University, Los Angeles where she earned her B.A. in education and psychology.

Randall Curtis, B.S., MBA, Member
Chief Information Security Officer, State of California Department of Industrial Relations

Living with severe hemophilia, Randall Curtis has translated his condition into a benefit to others. His real-life experiences have led him to develop hemophilia database systems, collaborate with the Universal Data Collection Working Group at the CDC in Atlanta, and serve 25 years at the Genetic Disease Branch of the California Department of Health Services. Mr. Curtis holds a B.S. in Genetics, an M.B.A. in Computer Information Systems, and is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has presented data at national and international meetings, and is currently working on the Hemophilia Utilization Group Study (HUGS

Bertil Glader, M.D., Ph.D., Member
Director, RBS Laboratory, Stanford University

Shortly after completing his internship in Pediatrics at Stanford University, Dr. Glader served in the U.S. Army as a research hematologist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. His medical career continued on the east coast when he became a fellow at Children’s Hospital in Boston and Harvard Medical School. Later, he returned to Stanford as the Chief of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division, where today he is a Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology. Dr. Glader’s research interests include genetic hematologic problems, in particular bleeding and bone marrow failure disorders. Currently, he serves as the medical director of the RBS Special Studies Laboratory at Stanford, in addition to being the Clinical Coordinator for hemophilia gene therapy studies. Co-editor of Wintrobe’s Textbook of Clinical Hematology, Dr. Glader, earned his Ph.D. in physiology from the University of Illinois, and his medical degree from Northwestern University.