About
Comprehensive Rheumatology Center
We combine targeted conventional therapies, used to heal inflammation and control the disease process, with holistic and complementary therapies customized for each patient. At Comprehensive Rheumatology Center our goal is to treat each person as a whole in the safest and most effective way possible.
Meet our Team
Nazanin Firooz, MD, FACR
Dr. Firooz is board-certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine. She is an active member of the American College of Rheumatology, and is affiliated with the Department of Rheumatology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. She received her medical degree from the University of California at Irvine, and completed her residency at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Los Angeles Veteran’s Hospital. She trained at Cedars Sinai Medical Center for her fellowship in rheumatology.
Dr. Firooz has been published in peer-viewed medical journals and has presented her research in several national rheumatology meetings. She is the recipient of a research award for her presentation at the American college of rheumatology in Washington, D.C.
Realizing the rapidly evolving nature of the field of rheumatology, with new discoveries and treatments that can improve the lives of many patients, Dr. Firooz keeps her commitment to her patients up-to-date by attending the Carl Pearson rheumatology update meeting at UCLA and the American College of Rheumatology scientific meeting every year. She reviews the latest discoveries in the field with several other rheumatologist at the monthly journal club meetings at Cedars Sinai. She prides herself at offering her patients the latest in diagnostic approach and available treatments.
In her free time, Dr. Firooz enjoys traveling, oil painting and salsa dancing. She is fluent in English, Farsi, and Medical Spanish.
Phillip Aleksiejuk, MD
Dr. Aleksiejuk is a board certified physician in both Rheumatology and Internal Medicine. He completed Rheumatology fellowship training at the University of Southern California (USC).
Originally from Toronto, Canada, he realized at a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in medicine after spending countless hours filing medical records at his father’s medical practice. He trained at SUNY Upstate Medical University where he found his passion for diagnosing and treating autoimmune disease.
Dr Aleksiejuk understands the value of comprehensive medical care especially in Rheumatology, given the chronicity and multi-systemic nature of the conditions. He finds immense joy in establishing long-term relationships with his patients and works relentlessly to improve their quality of life. With all of the exciting developments in the field, he strives to formulate individual treatment plans while maintaining a holistic approach.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Aleksiejuk loves to spend time with his family, travel and follow everything related to sports.
Emily Law, NP-C
Emily is board certified as a nurse practitioner in family medicine. She is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Rheumatology Nurses Society. She received her undergraduate degree in nursing at Temple University, Philadelphia, and then worked as a registered nurse in Los Angeles while completing her Master’s degree at Samuel Merritt University.
Emily has taken a special interest in the diagnosis and management of inflammatory arthritis. She strives to stay up to date on the latest guidelines and treatment opportunities; medical as well as non-medical modalities, thus adopting a holistic approach to transforming her patients into happier, healthier people. Her compassionate and empathetic practice instills hope in her patients.
Outside of the office Emily enjoys staying active, whether that be rock climbing, surfing, or hiking with her golden retriever. She is passionate about helping her patients continue to do what they enjoy as well.
Nancy Granado
Nancy started her journey in our practice as the Medical Receptionist and has grown into the role of Office Manager. Not only does she strive for the office to run smoothly, but also makes sure patients are taken care of and that their office experience is pleasant and comfortable. She oftens fills into various odd jobs around the office to help maintain our workflow. In her free time Nancy enjoys hiking, spending time with family, and listening to Crime Podcasts.
Tannia Villalobos
Tannia is our senior medical assistant that has really grown in our practice. She started as a student here in 2014. Now known as our biologics coordinator she handles all specialty medications and works closely with insurance companies to get approvals. If getting approvals isn’t enough she strives to help patients with copay assistance or free drug programs. She coordinates all the infusions and makes sure everything is covered and is always on top of obtaining medication authorizations. She works closely with specialty pharmacies to get patients the medications delivered and administered on time.
Tannia is also a certified phlebotomist that takes pride in the utmost precision, which encouraged her to attain her IV tech certification. Not only does she do the heavy lifting in approving specialty medications, she takes it upon herself to administer them at our in-house infusion center.
Her personal life consists of her fiancé and her pride and joy of a daughter. Tannia is very adventurous and loves to do arts and crafts in her spare time. She also enjoys cooking and loves to eat.
Eleina Morales
Jamie Leongzon
As a medical assistant, Jamie is responsible for taking patient vitals, asking medical history questions to make sure our patient charts are up to date, and giving injections. If she is not helping out in the back, you can find her in the front answering phones and helping in the check-in and check out process. She has always had a passion for the medical field and hopes to one day use the tools she’s learned here to further her skills in her future career. Outside of work she enjoys singing, traveling, or dancing.
Esmeralda Ramos
Esmeralda is our front desk receptionist. She is the first friendly face you see when walking in. She is responsible for checking patients in and out, answering calls/emails and scheduling patients. She specializes at creating a friendly and receptive office environment. In her free time she enjoys going to Disneyland, singing, going to sports games, and spending time with her dog.
Lauren Jackson
Lauren is the lead clinical research coordinator at our office. She works with providers and patients to enroll subjects in many clinical research studies from observational to interventional trials. She also coordinates study visits and ensures that all necessary data and activities are performed in accordance with the study protocol. Lauren is available to answer any patient questions or concerns regarding study participation.
Through her years working in clinical research, Lauren has seen many benefits to study participation that have often led to better outcomes for people with rheumatic diseases. She encourages any eligible patient to participate in clinical research as their participation can lead to vital improvements in their own treatment as well as the overall treatment of rheumatic diseases across the globe. Her favorite aspect of being a study coordinator is talking with patients and seeing the dramatic improvement that can occur from their first study visit to their last.
In her free time, Lauren enjoys traveling, spending time with family, and being active with friends.
Sharzad Firooz
Sharzad has a certificate in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), a bachelors in human development, and a masters in psychology, and is a certified Mindfulness Meditation teacher. As the MBSR coordinator at our site, she can answer questions about the MBSR program and can help you learn how to better manage pain and other chronic symptoms.
Sharzad is also a mother of two, a former school psychologist, and teaches bilingual preschoolers through music and dance on her off days. She is an alumni of UC San Diego, and Cal State Northridge. She loves yoga, singing, learning about mindfulness, reading, and finding many variations of the same song. Figure skating and basketball are her favorite sports to watch, though she is not great at either. Sharzad also enjoys a variety of TV and movie fandoms, including Avengers, Star Wars, Lost, Hamilton, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and especially Harry Potter. Did we mention she is a Harry Potter fan?!
Evelyn Lopez
As a bridge between healthcare providers, patients, and insurance companies, Evelyn started her career as a Medical Biller for a small internal medicine practice. She then expanded her knowledge to include Gastroenterology and hospital inpatient and outpatient billing, and eventually Rheumatology billing at Comprehensive Rheumatology Center. As a Medical Biller, she manages payments on patient balances and oversees insurance claims. She is available anytime if you have questions regarding your plan benefits including deductibles, copays and out of pocket responsibilities.
In her spare time, she loves to cook and enjoys trying new food places with her family.