Our Staff

Judith Nolan

PhD, MSN, NP-C, Center Director

Judy was called to nursing later in her career. She began her career as a research scientist but was drawn to medicine as she was interested in seeing the application of basic research. She chose nursing because she enjoyed providing ongoing care for patients and having the special relationship patients develop with their nurses.

Her desire to become a nurse practitioner was driven by her belief that the more care that is provided in an outpatient setting, the better, which is where nurse practitioners excel. One of Judy’s main goals is to keep patients out of hospitals and living and interacting in the community while they are undergoing care. Judy has a particular interest in non-medication-based treatments, so the holistic approach of hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a perfect fit. She especially enjoys the great teamwork with her colleagues at 8th Element and watching her patients heal quickly and successfully.

In her spare time, Judy is usually attached to her dog and enjoys cooking with her husband.

Joseph S. LoPresti

MD, FACS, Supervising Physician

Dr. LoPresti graduated from the University of Southern California School of Medicine, then completed his residency in General Surgery at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center. He entered private practice following this, while also serving as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at LAC-USC. He moved to Seattle several years later, where he continued in private practice as well as becoming a member of the teaching faculty in surgery at Swedish Medical Center. It was here that he had his first experience with hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the management of life-threatening bacterial infections.

He returned with his family to their native California to re-establish practice there. Through these years, he has gained experience with hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the healing of complex wounds and post-operative compromised wounds. When Dr. Gordon approached him with the opportunity to become involved with 8th Element, he did so enthusiastically to expand the knowledge and experience with hyperbaric oxygen in surgical patients. He believes that hyperbaric oxygen has the potential to be a valuable adjunct in the healing of post-operative wounds and looks forward to expanding the horizons of knowledge and utilization.

In his free time, Dr. LoPresti enjoys playing, writing, and recording music in his home studio, bicycling, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Ayushi Ambekar

Hyperbaric Technician

Ayushi is a recent graduate from University of California, Davis where she studied Neurobiology, Physiology, & Behavior. Currently, she is applying to medical school and aspires to become a palliative care physician. She enjoys working at the clinic because it allows her to get to know her patients while providing high quality care. In her spare time, Ayushi enjoys reading and playing video games.

Hugo Moreno

Hyperbaric Technician

Hugo Moreno was both born and raised in the Bay Area. A certified emergency medical technician by profession, he garnered experience through years of service on an ambulance. Currently, Hugo finds himself enrolled in a fire academy with aspirations of securing a role as a full-time firefighter in the Bay Area.

During his leisure hours, Hugo derives pleasure from strumming the guitar, embarking on hikes with his dogs, and exploring record stores.

Trenton Louie

Hyperbaric Technician

Trenton began his career in engineering, working for several tech companies. During this time, he developed a stronger desire to help others and wanted to make an impact in people's lives. When the COVID pandemic hit, he came to the realization that the best way to make a difference may be to join healthcare. He is now currently learning the coursework while gaining in-person skills at the center in order to make the transition to nursing.

When not balancing classes or helping patients, he enjoys working out at the gym and catching up on sleep. He also tries to motivate his very lazy dog to move more by playing catch and going on walks. At home, he tends to his plants, experimenting with trying to grow unique and uncommon garden and indoor ones. And every now and then when inspiration hits, he'll also pick up a paintbrush and canvas.

Regina Holmes

DNP, FNP-C, Nurse Practitioner

Regina started her nursing career in the military as an Army nurse officer. During her military service, she was a charge nurse on a medical-surgical unit before receiving specialization training in military psychiatric and mental health nursing. Following her time in the Army, Regina worked in several different cities around the country as a travel nurse. Eventually, she moved to Texas and transitioned to providing home hospice care while completing her nurse practitioner education and clinical doctorate degree in nursing.

Regina is new to California and made the decision to relocate to the Bay Area in June of 2023 to join the 8th Element team. She genuinely enjoys providing this beneficial treatment to help her patients in the transgender community and she takes pride in being a healing part of their transitioning journey.

In her spare time, Regina enjoys reading, hiking, karaoke, trying out new restaurants, biking and being out in nature.

Julia Nicholson

Hyperbaric Technician

Julia is a recent graduate from University of California, Berkeley, where she studied Mathematics and Computer Science. After years of staring at a computer screen, she took her desire to care for people in their time of need and became an EMT. She is interested in studying healthcare, particularly holistic medicine. When she’s not helping at 8th element, Julia is climbing a rock, catching a wave, running, or doodling.

Toshie Dempsey

Nurse Practitioner

Toshie started her career as a certified nurse midwife and handled 294 deliveries directly and assisted thousands of deliveries and OB/GYN surgeries in Tokyo, Japan. After she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area decades ago, she continued her nursing career focusing on women’s health. Reproductive health, endocrinology, and infertility (REI) is where she started serving in the LGBTQ community for 15 years to achieve their dream of building their family via third-party reproduction. Later, she earned a certified nurse practitioner degree and focused on performing health assessments on patients undergoing third-party reproductive services, primary care practice, and home visits.

At the 8th Element, she enjoys being part of the team to support patients during the challenging transition of becoming their true selves. Her goal is to focus on each patient’s well-being as a whole person in the multicultural community. It is a great reward to assist each wonderful and unique individual in the LGBTQ+ community. She strives to provide a feeling of security and comfort as if they are at home.

In her spare time, she spends time strolling on the beach with her two golden retrievers, enjoys gardening, and travels around the world.