Our Staff
Patient-first medical professionals.
Personalized patient care is what sets Compassionate Clinics of America apart. Expert physician specialists and caring clinical staff provide you with an exceptional health care experience.
Joseph Mazza is no stranger to how cannabis medicine can help people, having experienced the plant’s healing properties first-hand. Finding cannabis medicine as a way to deal with the concussions and injuries he’d received as a long-time hockey player, he noticed the beneficial effects of cannabis medicine immediately. Deciding to leave a successful career in technology and travel, Joseph partnered with a medical doctor to explore how he could offer cannabis medicine to more people. They opened the doors to Compassionate Clinics of America in Illinois in December 2017 to a line-up out the door. Since then, Compassionate Clinics of America has expanded to multiple states as a patient-focused medical cannabis clinic that goes above and beyond for those they serve. As a hands-on CEO, Joseph is involved in every stage of the patient process, ensuring extremely high business and clinical standards as the company grows. Joseph never thought that he could find such happiness and peace in his work than at Compassionate Clinics of America. He values compassion, listening, and getting to know patients while taking them on their evidence-based, doctor-monitored cannabis medicine journey.
Born in the mountains of Pennsylvania, Ben Lago studied at Penn State University at the College of Human Development & Family Studies, later obtaining a Master of Science that explored business and entrepreneurship. After a rewarding start to his career in outdoor, recreation, and wildlife, Ben intentionally transitioned into the healthcare field in 2010. After becoming familiar with the pathways that patients take to find relief and manage their medical conditions, he became disenchanted with how hospital systems put profits over people. A move into consulting work helping patients directly access medical services showed him the challenges of addiction medicine, noting that many of those living with addictions were using cannabis to alleviate symptoms of addiction and withdrawal. From here, Ben began to research and become educated on how cannabis can help manage addiction and other medical conditions. Under Ben’s leadership, Medical Marijuana Solutions served its first patient in January 2018, merging with and becoming co-owner of Compassionate Clinics of America in 2019, extending cannabis medicine to multiple states. Ben enjoys being part of a company that puts patients over profit, focusing on helping people find solutions through supportive care, education, and convenient access.
Born in Poland, Monika A. Juszczyk, M.D. brings a holistic approach to her services as a Prescribing Physician at Compassionate Clinics of America, incorporating both the arts and sciences in her pursuit of helping people live life to the fullest. After receiving her medical degree from the Academy of Medicine at Wroclaw in Poland, she continued her medical journey through a fellowship in Preventive Cardiology at Hartford Hospital at the University of Connecticut. Her experiences practicing medicine opened her up to the “science of life”, and the “science of self”, leading Dr. Juszczyk to become a holistic practitioner that blends various modes of medicine. Dr. Monika is also a Certified Reiki Practitioner. Board Certified in Functional Anti-Aging Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Monika sees the potential for cannabis to heal, regenerate, and restore. She sees The Endocannabinoid System as a key modulator in our bodies, helping us to find dynamic harmony, synchronicity, and flow. Dr. Juszczyk firmly believes that sound and supportive education is the key to providing medical cannabis to her patients, especially interested in how different variables within cannabis medicine lead to different expressions in the patient experience. An international speaker and presenter, Dr. Monika Juszczyk takes every opportunity she can to help educate patients and fellow medical practitioners about medical cannabis and other holistic approaches to the science of life. With a natural and infectious zest for life, Dr. Juszczyk is a compassionate servant to her patients and a steward of cultivating joy in life.
Born in Virginia and raised in Skokie, Illinois, James Samuel, MD, MHSA received his Medical School education at St. Matthew’s University in the Cayman Islands, gaining clinical experience through rotations at the University of Chicago’s teaching hospitals. His residency and a series of locums gave James valuable experiences to practice medicine across a variety of contexts. Taking a position with Emergency Consultants Incorporated (ECI) where he worked within urgent care provided Dr. Samuel insights on various conditions that Americans are living with and the medical systems that support them. Almost by chance, he learned that there was an opportunity to join the team at Compassionate Clinics of America and contribute to the advancement of cannabis medicine across the country. Following a self-guided journey of learning, coupled by learning about experiences with medical cannabis within his network, he felt as though a whole new world had opened within his work as a recommending physician. Dr. James Samuel has worked with Compassionate Clinics of America since early 2020 to certify hundreds of patients across America for medical cannabis, noting that patient accounts of how medical cannabis is benefiting them has been his greatest source of learning.
Shawn Files, MD received her Medical Education at University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine, gaining clinical experience at Pittsburgh’s UPMC Shadyside Hospital. She completed her residency in Family Medicine, becoming Board Certified in Family Medicine, practicing for over 24 years. Her experiences led her to recognize cannabis as a potential treatment that is non-addictive and patient-driven, which she sees as empowering for patients in their own health care.
After receiving extensive continuing education through SynAptiv about medical cannabis, Dr. Files joined Compassionate Clinics of America in early 2020, where she is a Certified Cannabis Prescribing Physician in both Pennsylvania and Missouri. Dr. Files is involved in various initiatives that improve health and health care in communities across America.
At Compassionate Clinics of America, Dr. Files enjoys creating safe spaces for diverse clients, being particularly sensitive to the needs to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), the LGBTQ+ community, and those struggling with mental health. Dr. Files is motivated by seeing numerous patients whose lives have been changed through medical cannabis in positive ways. She looks forward to and advocates for a future where cannabis is fully legalized and decriminalized in America.
Bobbi Benjamin Wiley, RN received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Arizona State University, gaining career experience in the Emergency Room and in Intensive Care Units. Early on, she was able to recognize that the patients she served were not getting the relief they needed from prescription medicines. Studying the medicinal benefits of cannabis made Bobbi realize that she wanted to play a role in helping patients find alternative treatment methods while having control over their health care treatment and decisions. She began working at Compassionate Clinics of America in 2018, where she has worked to educate patients on cannabis, methods of consumption, dosing, and how cannabis affects their bodies and minds. She is motivated by the success stories she has seen in her role, from seeing people be able to better manage pain, to witnessing people find relief from anxiety and troubles with sleep. Bobbi looks forward to a future where patients’ rights to cannabis are protected by federal legalization. In her spare time, Bobbi enjoys walking her three dogs, spending time in nature, and trying out new restaurants.
Kim Petrikovic serves Compassionate Clinics of America as our Patient Care Specialist in Pennsylvania.
Kaylynne R. Gaschler has been a Patient Care Specialist at Compassionate Clinics of America since 2020. She enjoys working one-on-one with patients to schedule their appointments and answer any questions they may have about the process of obtaining a medical cannabis certification. Kaylynne is motivated by seeing people find relief by integrating medical cannabis into their approach to health and well-being. She believes that cannabis is an effective alternative to some pharmaceuticals, provides different options for pain management, and is a valuable support for people living with addiction. Being part of the Compassionate Clinics of America team allows her to share her passion for learning about medical cannabis with others, and she finds personal growth and satisfaction in being part of patient journeys of discovery about cannabis. Kaylynne looks forward to advancing her career within Compassionate Clinics of America and within the cannabis industry as a whole.
Devon McGuire joined the team at Compassionate Clinics of America in 2021, where she serves as a Patient Care Specialist. She values her role in helping people find alternative options for their medical care by helping them book appointments for medical cannabis certification and guiding them through the medical cannabis process. She values being within a health care setting where she gets to witness the positive benefits that medical cannabis is having for the patients of Compassionate Clinics of America when other options have not worked for them. In her spare time, Devon likes to keep active by kayaking, paddle boarding, and biking.
Andrew Scott Mohler received his Pharmacy Technician Degree in 2012, entering health care as a way to help people. He tested the waters in various pharmacy environments before realizing that pharmaceuticals were not the way he wanted to serve people in their health care. After becoming a medical cannabis patient, Andrew was immediately able to see how the plant was improving his quality of life, and became motivated to work within medical cannabis environments to help others find the same with plant medicines. Andrew enjoyed roles within the cannabis industry, working within dispensaries and stores that sold CBD, while furthering his education through medical cannabis seminars. When he joined the team of Compassionate Clinics of America as Regional Operations Manager in 2021, he felt as though he’d found his calling. Andrew values being able to learn about patient success stories when using medical cannabis, finding personal motivation when he hears when patients have found relief in cannabis after years of suffering. In his spare time, Andrew is a father, fire-spinner, and an occasional gamer.
Elesha (better known as Lele) M. Morris plays an essential role at Compassionate Clinics of America as a Customer Care Specialist, where she focuses on providing customer service to patients through compassion and clear communication. A Certified Reiki Master and teacher since 2011, Lele is honored to work alongside the team at Compassionate Clinics of America as she believes in the healing properties of medical cannabis and that the plant has a specific purpose in helping people manage their health. She values holding space as the first point of contact for patients who are receiving their medical cannabis certification as well as hearing the success stories of patients seeking recertification. Lele looks forward to future opportunities to travel, engage within communities, and promote Compassionate Clinics of America by sharing with others what she has been able to witness as more people embrace medical cannabis for their health and well-being.
Annette Kohan RN, CDN, LCHC has witnessed both personally and professionally the benefits of medical cannabis on people’s health and quality of life as a Certified Cannabis Nurse Health Coach at Compassionate Clinics of America. Receiving her nursing education at Pennsylvania’s La Roche University in 1994, Annette focused on working within medical trauma units and medical practitioner training for the first two decades of her career. Living with an autoimmune disease, Annette explored CBD and the benefits of having a medical cannabis recommendation to manage her pain and inflammation, learning quickly that medical cannabis was often difficult to navigate. After recognizing that there was a growing community of “cannabis nurses” across the country, she Licensed Cannabis Health Coach Certification and became a member of Cannabis Nurse Network (CNN) and the American Cannabis Nurse Association (ACNA).
Joining Compassionate Clinics of America in 2021, Annette’s goal as a Certified Cannabis Nurse Health Coach is to help patients understand how CBD and THC work together to re-establish balance and comfort in the mind and body. Her goals for the future of her cannabis career include lobbying and advocacy for research of the benefits of medical cannabis so that people are suffering with physical and mental issues can find balance and comfort.
In her spare time, Annette and her husband are frequent travelers, hikers, and have a specialized interest in dog training in the field of scent detection (not for cannabis!), and is the owner of three boxers.
