Meet the Doctors
Dr. Gregory Berland
Born in Richmond, Virginia, and raised in Oklahoma City, Dr. Berland earned his undergraduate degree in mammalian physiology at Oklahoma State University in 1996. There he coached a youth soccer team and enjoyed his volunteer work in the New Friends program for children at risk. The first in his family to enter the field of medicine, Dr. Berland graduated from the University of Oklahoma Medical School in 2000. He subsequently moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he served his medical residency in Bayfront Medical Center’s Family Residency Program with distinction as chief resident. Later he worked as a clinical professor at Bayfront Medical Center in the Family Practice Residency Program. Dr. Berland is board certified in Family Medicine. His professional pursuits include involvement with the American Academy and the Florida Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Berland has been involved with the hyperbaric medicine program at Town & Country hospital and holds inpatient privileges at Town & Country and Mease Countryside hospitals.
Dr. Berland’s special interests include sports medicine, cardiovascular medicine, weight loss, preventative care, hyperbaric and scuba dive medicine, nutritional supplementation and its role in the treatment and prevention of chronic disease states, and cosmetic treatments. He enjoys a variety of sports, including triathlon, scuba diving and following University of Oklahoma football. He and his wife Amy live in Westchase with the newest addition to their family, Reese Juliet Berland, born in April 2011.
Dr Dipali Patel
Dr Dipali Patel comes to us from a diverse background steeped in a culture of medicine. Born to parents who were both doctors involved in primary care, she has participated in every phase of patient care and management since childhood. Volunteer experiences span caring for patients with infectious diseases in India to assisting nursing home patients in New Jersey. Dr Patel completed her undergraduate studies in chemistry at the Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton. This was followed by attendance at the Ross University School of Medicine. A comprehensive residency in family medicine was completed at the University of Dentistry and Medicine of New Jersey in the summer of 2011. Special interests include womens health, preventative care, and volunteer healthcare opportunities. She and her husband, an opthamologist practicing locally, hope to build a fruitful career in medicine and serving the local community.
Bobbie Bullian, PA-C
Born in Michigan and raised in North Carolina, Bobbie attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology. In 1989, she graduated from the Physician Assistant Program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. She has 19 years of experience including Internal Medicine, Trauma, Surgery and has spent the last ten years working in Cardiovascular Medicine. Bobbie and her husband, Aaron, reside in Tampa with their daughters, Hannah and Abigail. Her particular interests include cardiovascular and preventative medicine.
Julie Aull, PA-C
Julie Aull grew up in Indiana where she graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry in 2003. In 2006 she graduated from the Physician Assistant Program at Butler University. Since graduating she has practiced in emergency medicine and family practice. She recently moved to the area with her husband, Ryan, and they are expecting their first baby in November. Julie has particular interests in preventative medicine and dermatological procedures.
We are happy to announce the smallest addition to the Patients First team! Julie Aull gave birth to baby Alexander on October 29th. Julie will be returning in late January.
Cassandra Stabins, ARNP
We are proud to welcome our newest provider, Cassandra “Cassie” Stabins, ARNP. Cassie is such a wonderful fit with Patients First, sharing in the preventive health philosophy that has made us successful over the last 8 years. Cassie is a native to the Tampa Bay Area, living in South Tampa until moving to St. Petersburg to attend high school. She worked as a registered nurse in the Emergency Department for 7 years prior to earning her Master of Science degree in nursing from the University of South Florida. She is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and is experienced in providing care in a family practice setting. Cassie’s goal is to deliver an exceptional level of care to her patients and places high priority in education and counseling in health promotion and disease prevention. Cassie is an avid runner. She is enthusiastic about being closer to home and more able to participate in community activities. Her husband is a Deputy for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Thomas M. Johnson, Ph.D.
Behavioral Medicine & Mental Health Services
Dr. Johnson understands the scientific evidence that there are powerful connections between our minds and our bodies: physical problems affect our mental health, and emotional distress affects our physical health. In addition, when one person in a family has medical or mental health problems, everyone in the family can be affected.
Dr. Johnson works collaboratively with the other medical professionals at Patients First Family Medicine to help us provide health care that treats the “whole person”: physical, emotional, and social. Unlike most medical offices, where stressed, anxious, or depressed patients with complicated medical problems may have to be referred to unknown specialists in unfamiliar settings, “Dr.J’s” presence at Patients First allows patients to be seen more comfortably, here in the office where they already know the staff and always come for care. When we ask patients to see him, Dr. Johnson helps us understand complicated problems more quickly and, when appropriate, to use specialized medications more effectively. He also is available to provide traditional diagnostic and psychotherapy services to adults, children, couples, and families, independent of your medical care.
People who find that his services can be particularly helpful are those who have problems with (or who have family members who struggle with):
- Headaches
- Anxiety
- Chronic pain
- Insomnia
- Irritability or anger
- Child behavior problems
- ADHD
- Enuresis
- Depression
- Substance abuse
- Sexual problems
- Fatigue
- Smoking
- Chronic diseases
- Eating disorders
- Intestinal problems
- Weight gain or loss
- Trauma / abuse
Dr. Johnson has a rich professional background. Over the course of over three decades in medicine, he served as a professor at four major medical schools, with faculty appointments in psychiatry, family medicine, behavioral science, and internal medicine. He provided clinical supervision to medical, physician assistant, nursing, and psychology students and he has worked on psychiatry consultation- liaison teams serving burn intensive care and high-risk obstetric units at both Tampa General Hospital and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Johnson also taught primary care psychiatry in three family medicine residency programs. He has provided clinical supervision to other therapists and treatment to clients in two large community mental health centers, and has taught graduate students in both medical anthropology and clinical/counseling psychology. Dr. Johnson has authored over 50 professional publications and regularly gives public and professional presentations on mental health and medical issues. He was elected President of the Society for Medical Anthropology of the American Anthropological Association. Dr. Johnson received his BA from Emory University, a Master’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Georgia, his Doctorate in Medical Anthropology from the University of Florida, and a Master’s Degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from Southern Methodist University. He is licensed as a Mental Health Counselor in Florida.
